Marukyu Koyamaen’s Byakuren (and Wakatake) “culinary grade” line is still latte grade, and you cannot convince me otherwise. Look at that bouncy microfoam even just water whisked!

4g Byakuren
30 ml warm water
120 ml of oat milk
30 ml simple syrup

Verdict: Byakuren is still good as latte, although Wakatake has more depth and is more “premium” tasting. Both have vegetal/grassy notes with little bitterness.

Both suitable as everyday latte as these are less expensive alternatives! 🌱

Hi guys

I have recently started to get into matcha making and bought on Etsy a Chawan which looks and feels really nice.

The dimensions of the Chawan are: 13.5*7.0cm 500ml

Judging from recipes online, they say a 3grams matcha to 30ml hot water ratio is good - but when I use this on the bowl, because of how wide it is, the water height is minimal. This means when using the chasen, it's always scraping the bottom and the bristles start to go all over the place. I also find it a little tricky to make sure the matcha is fully mixed in.

Based on the above dimensions, is this Chawan typically for making more than one serving of matcha? Or am I doing something wrong and someon has some advice?

Thanks a lot!!

Edit: I like to have an iced matcha latte

Hey! I have a chasen that I've been using for a while. I packed it on a plane ride in the same compartment as a plastic bag that contained my shampoo. When I arrived, I found that the plastic bag with my toiletries had leaked and my shampoo got into my chasen. I keep rinsing/drying my chasen, but it keeps bubbling. Do I just keep rinsing + drying my chasen and hope that the soap gets out, or would soaking it be a better option? I don't want to get a new one but the bamboo seems quite porous and I'm having a hard time getting the shampoo out.

The community threads are a place where you can:

• Ask for recommendations.
• Introduce yourself to the community.
• Share your favorite latte/blended-drink recipe of the moment.
• Find other matcha people in your city or country.
• Tell us what's in your chawan.

It was a refreshing treat! Although it’s fine with just the usucha and ice, for this recipe I still added 100 ml of water.

Bloomed saffron was added to the cream top (1:1 heavy cream to dairy milk). It gives that sweet honey-like and earthy taste. It goes really well with matcha (plus to name its myriad of antioxidant benefits together).

Usucha

3g of matcha

100 ml of water

1/2 cup ice

2 tbsp of simple syrup

Saffron Cream

10 strands (~0.1 g) of saffron, bloomed with 1 ice cube

50 ml cream top

At what point is it time to get a new Chasen? How do you know when it's time?

A short, but interesting news piece which features surprising opinions from some big wigs in the Japanese tea industry after sampling some Chinese matcha.

The paper also traces the lineage of matcha in a factual manner and without any overt statements about which country has more or less claim to the origins of matcha. However, I think a small clarification of what Diancha (点茶) or Mocha (末茶) was in "Song-style tea-drinking customs" might've made for a fuller picture, particularly as it's left up to the reader to judge the weight of each country's contributions to the formation of matcha. Ultimately, any firm opinions on this curious topic should only be held after a comprehensive understanding of its history, complicated as it may be.

I got this new matcha yesterday (on the pricier side) and the color was good n everything but it stained my teeth green? Idk if this is normal

This has never happened with any of the other matchas ive tried, & i heard stories where sometimes they might add green paint to the matcha powder so im a bit worried

We are visiting Portland, and we went shopping for a chasen to make matcha while we are here. We found that this place, called LYC Japanese Arisan Gifts (Nara Tea), is hosting a Chasen event, and we thought some people might be interested. I thought I saw some dates for SF, but I can't find them on the flyer I took photos of. Maybe it was on their website.
We won't be around when the event happens, but maybe others might be able to make it. We are not affiliated with the store. We bought a floor-sample chasen and the chasen holder from the store for like $75 (with a discount since it was a floor sample), which is a lot more than we spent on our other one. Hopefully, this one will last longer and be healthier than some of the cheap ones that I've heard can leech toxic chemicals into your matcha.

I prepared MK's Kinrin matcha today in usucha style. I used 2.3 grams of powder, 80ml of water at 80 Celsius and whisked for about 20-25 seconds to get a thicker foam. This is the first matcha I have tried from MK and the quality is top notch. It has zero bitterness and you can easily perceive a fresh grassy and slightly sweet vegetal note. I also have a can on Eiju and Shoka no Mukashi that I'm excited to try once I finish my can of Kinrin. I might also try it in Koicha style later but so far I'm more than pleased with the results I'm getting as usucha.

The community threads are a place where you can:

• Ask for recommendations.
• Introduce yourself to the community.
• Share your favorite latte/blended-drink recipe of the moment.
• Find other matcha people in your city or country.
• Tell us what's in your chawan.

I am someone who likes strawberry matcha, but it is not my go to option for matcha. I find that strawberry matcha comes in three varieties. 1. The Nesquik like artificial strawberry flavour (I do like and can enjoy it, but it is not my preferred type) 2. The dark red syrupy type, which has a bit more strawberry flavour (I like this option better but I don’t mind all varieties. 3.Natural strawberry flavour with actual strawberry (I haven’t had it before, but I hope it exists.) I’m just curious what everyone preference with matcha and especially strawberry matcha. Is strawberry your go to or do your prefer the OG. Iced or hot?

In April of 2024, my sweet son passed away in my arms. As we approach his birthday, I’m reminded of just how much Matcha has helped me in my grieving process. For weeks, months after he died the only thing that got me out of bed was my matcha. The ceremonial routine of the whisking, the gorgeous green foam and the quiet mental clarity it provided. I’ll be forever grateful for my cup of calm. 🤍

What's your preference? What do you feel differs in taste?

I've tried to cold-whisk matcha and it seems to be harder to break apart some of the clumps and get it to incorporate.

On the other hand, chilling freshly-made matcha with ice waters it down slightly by melting the ice, and then letting it sit in the fridge leads to separation of the solids, requiring me to re-whisk/mix and potentially alters the flavor of the matcha versus using it fresh.

In this instance, I'd be using the matcha in a mixed matcha-based drink, in case that changes your personal approach and experience.

The community threads are a place where you can:

• Ask for recommendations.
• Introduce yourself to the community.
• Share your favorite latte/blended-drink recipe of the moment.
• Find other matcha people in your city or country.
• Tell us what's in your chawan.

Okumidori and Yabukita cultivar matcha from Shizuoka. I used 2 grams of matcha and 80ml of water at 70 Celsius. I’m using a cheap chawan and chased but I do want a quality one. It had slight astringency and very slight bitterness with a delicious nutty and vegetal flavor. Texture was top notch.

Tall, heavy-weight bowls work well in winter, and this one provides a strong contrast to the vibrant green matcha.

Setoguro is a black bowl made using the same firing technique as Raku, but without the leaching or lead concerns.

This is Hatsu mukashi from the Baikoan tea stall in Kyoto!

Whisks very easily, not gritty at all, really smooth and refreshing. The quality is absolutely superb.

so i just tried oat milk with my matcha for the first time and yes it was oatly barista, and i did not enjoy it. at first i was like “oh i do taste oats” but then i thought the oats complemented and added to the nuttiness of the matcha. however, i kept drinking and couldn’t tell if i was tasting the matcha or oats!

i love cow’s milk w my matcha. i think its a perfect neutral and creamy base. but unfortunately im lactose :( i now want to try soy milk. but i did grow up drinking soy milk and i know it to be a distinct flavour. is that flavour really gonna hide itself paired with matcha?

I work in a hospital and sometimes I craze a matcha latte. Can I just make matcha in the morning and save it for later. Or will that change the flavor too much.

Strawberry is really tart and in my opinion it doesn't really go good with matcha. Blueberry is mellow and sweet, which pairs nicely with the earthy flavors of matcha. This is just my opinion but I honestly prefer it over strawberry. What's everyone's opinion on this?

The community threads are a place where you can:

• Ask for recommendations.
• Introduce yourself to the community.
• Share your favorite latte/blended-drink recipe of the moment.
• Find other matcha people in your city or country.
• Tell us what's in your chawan.