Best Tools for Making Matcha at Home

Table of Content

• How to shop for matcha
• Best Green Tea
• Apothékary Slay All Day Adaptogenic Matcha Blend
• Best on-the-Go: Cap Beauty’s Neat Matcha Stick Box
• What exactly is matcha?
• What Matcha Does Starbucks Use? (Spoiler: It's Not Even Matcha)
• What does matcha latte with chai taste like?
• How to Perfect Your At-Home Matcha Latte

Just know that it is an entirely different experience than drinking the traditional tea. Most matcha tea bags actually contain a blend of various green teas. The advantage of this is that it offers the familiar matcha taste but at a significantly cheaper cost. What separates Breakaway Matcha, however, is an added creaminess that will give your iced matcha a fuller, more satisfying taste. The brand makes a variety of matcha powders, with three options specifically designed for cold brew. Original is the lowest grade of all three, so it's the most affordable and an excellent starting point if you're getting into iced matcha.

There is no substitute for a matcha whisk, and it helps create a smooth, frothy beverage with no clumps. You will likely have a bitter, uneven drink if you try to make matcha without a whisk. So if you want to enjoy the best cup of matcha possible, be sure to invest in a good matcha whisk. Put some matcha powder in a small bowl, and stir in some hot water (170°F/70°C, not boiling water) to make a thin paste. Whisk using a matcha whisker until it dissolves into a smooth paste.

How to shop for matcha

Young tea leaves are used in the shade-grown process and then stone-ground into a fine powder. It’s rich in antioxidants and has a unique, grassy, and sweet flavor. In addition, some of the worlds top salons offer matcha facial masks as part of their services. Below, we discuss how to make ceremonial matcha tea, the casual hot or cold beverage, and the facial mask paste. Ippodo has been producing green tea for over three centuries.

For a grande Starbucks matcha latte , it’s a little over $4. If you times that by 7, including tax, you’re spending a little over $30 a week just on 7 cups of matcha green tea lattes. However, one package of Tenzo matcha powder is $21.99 and, for that price, you could have matcha every day of the month.

Best Green Tea

The additional sugars and flavors blend with the matcha providing all the benefits without the high price. I really enjoy this matcha alone and for mixing small lattes. Making matcha without the right equipment will lead to clumps of powdery tea and disappointment. “Using a fork will not give you good results at all,” says Eater Young Gun Elias Majid (’17), founder of Detroit tea shop Eli Tea. There, Majid sells and serves tea of all kinds — loose leaf, bubble tea, cheese tea, and, of course, matcha.

Regarding how long your blender should run, that depends entirely on its power. You will know it’s ready when you see bubbles on top and no clumps are visible. Experiment with different chai spice combinations to find your perfect flavor.

Apothékary Slay All Day Adaptogenic Matcha Blend

The recipe for this hot matcha latte may seem like too many flavors are going on, but many fans of this drink beg to disagree. The coconut milk brings out the sweetness of the matcha tea blend and balances the bitterness of black tea. Matcha is a finely ground powder of Japanese green tea packed with antioxidants known for its bright green color. Matcha is a popular Japanese green tea that’s loved by many. If you are one of them or have been wanting to try it out, there are a variety of Starbucks matcha drinks, like the Matcha Creme Frappuccino.

By preventing the direct sunlight from reaching the tea leaves, the growth slows and an increase in the production of chlorophyll begins. This in turn gives the tea leaves a deep green color and increases the amount of amino acids found in the leaves. Only the youngest leaf buds are picked, then dried, and ground into a fine powder, retaining all of their nutrient goodness. We opened a new package of each of the different brands of matcha. We then put the matcha on a white sheet of paper, so that we could compare the color.

Best on-the-Go: Cap Beauty’s Neat Matcha Stick Box

The best ones are made by hand and feature small imperfections. However, mugs are also ideal vessels for making matcha, especially oversize mugs that give you extra space for stirring, whisking and sipping. Jue's word of advice when using matcha in this way is simply to watch your dosage. Next make a very concentrated paste by sifting one teaspoon of matcha into a bowl and whisking in one ounce of 176°F water. "You'll end up with something that looks almost like paint. Pour it on over of your eight ounces of warmed milk, and stir,” she says. “One of the more important factors in making matcha is the sifting,” says Jue.

The result is a frothy, flavorful drink with all the benefits of green tea without the bitter taste. Plus, milk and spices make this latte extra comforting on a cold day. Many people find that matcha lattes offer a more balanced energy boost than coffee, as they do not contain caffeine.

What exactly is matcha?

Our website services, content and products are for informational purposes only. While our team of experienced journalists and medical experts offers timely wellness insights, news and reviews, we do not provide medical advice, diagnoses or treatment. “Traditionally it can be brewed into tea, but it can also be added to smoothies, baked goods, ice creams, homemade popsicles and desserts. There are so many recipes and different ways to enjoy matcha. A ceremonial grade is technically reserved for the Japanese Tea Ceremony, a centuries-honored history in Japan. Tea used for the ceremony used to be hand-picked by tea masters and only the first crops of the season were used.

Visibility into the producer you're buying from and their practices is key to buying a good matcha. Bamboo matcha whisks are low maintenance — they’re naturally antiseptic and can be easily cleaned with warm water. But whisks may lose their shape over time, so Majid recommends drying and storing whisks on a ceramic whisk keeper. Whisk keepers are specifically designed to maintain matcha whisks’ curved shape, making them last longer.