How to Whisk Matcha
Every matcha we hand across the counter on 8th Street starts the same way: sifted, weighed, and whisked by hand, one bowl at a time.
We named this place after Cho, our family dog, because a good drink should feel a little like coming home. So here’s the home version: the same method we use behind the bar, scaled for one cup and a regular kitchen.
what you’ll need
Matcha, a small mesh sifter, a wide bowl or mug, a bamboo whisk (chasen), and a kettle. A kitchen scale and a thermometer help, but you can get a great cup without them.
the at-home ratio
3g
matcha, sifted
(about 1½ tsp)
50g
water
176°F
water temp
(80°C)
Like it stronger? Add a little more matcha, not less water.
how we make it
wake up your whisk
Soak the tips of your chasen in warm water for a minute or two. Softer prongs don’t snap, and they make a silkier foam. Tip the water out and dry the bowl.
sift it, every time
Push the matcha through the sifter into your bowl. We sift every jar before it ever touches a whisk at the café. Matcha clumps on its own, and those clumps are what make a cup gritty.
add hot water, not boiling
Pour in 60g of water at 176°F. Boiling water scorches matcha and turns it bitter. No thermometer? Boil the kettle, open the lid, and give it a few minutes before you pour.
whisk in a W, not a circle
A few slow strokes first to press out anything the sifter missed. Then go fast, from the wrist, in a zig-zag. Keep the tines just off the bottom. 15 to 20 seconds, until fine foam covers the top and the big bubbles are gone.
drink it, or keep going
Sip it straight from the bowl, or turn it into a latte below.
make it a latte
That whisked shot is the base of every latte on our menu. Here’s how it goes together behind the bar:
iced
Stir your sweetener into 150g (about 5 oz) of cold milk first, so it actually dissolves. Pour it over a full glass of ice, then pour the matcha shot on top and watch it layer.
hot
Steam or warm 200g (about 7 oz) of milk and pour it over the shot.
Whole milk is our most-poured milk, with oat right behind it. Both are great here.
if it didn’t come out right
Bitter? Your water was too hot. Let the kettle sit longer.
Gritty or clumpy? Sift it, and do a few slow strokes before you speed up.
Flat, no foam? Whisk faster, from the wrist, in a W. Circles won’t get you there.
Too weak? Go up a gram of matcha and keep the water the same. Too little water makes it hard to whisk smooth.
Dull, brownish color? The matcha is getting old. Keep it sealed in the fridge, and let the tin come to room temperature before you open it so moisture stays out. Fresh matcha is bright green.
the fig cream stays with us
You can make a really good matcha at home. Our fig cream foam is a different story. That one only happens at 46 E 8th St, 9am to 9pm, every day. Come say hi.