The Unexpected Tool You Need For The Smoothest Matcha

Matcha has become popular in recent years, and it's easy to see why. It's a gorgeous color with a rich, complex flavor profile, and it's also full of antioxidants, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Matcha also boasts one of the higher caffeine levels in teas, which makes it a bad tea for boosting hydration but a good choice for those looking to clear up their brain fog.

The problem with matcha is that it can be tricky to prepare correctly and get as smooth as a barista would. Luckily, Jee Choe, coffee and tea sommelier and creator of Oh How Civilized, spoke to Food Republic to give insights into best practices to craft the perfect, smoothest possible cup of tea. 

"One of my tricks to making clump-free matcha is to use a cocktail shaker or a jar with a tight lid," Choe said. "Put ¼ cup of cold or room temperature water and matcha into the cocktail shaker and shake vigorously 30 to 40 times." Rather than trying to whisk out the little clumps of powdered tea, simply shake it until you have homogeneity.

Jee Choe knows that many who want to enjoy matcha don't just want to drink the tea straight; they want to make their own perfect matcha lattes. Fortunately, it couldn't be simpler. She noted, "To make a hot matcha latte, pour the matcha from the cocktail shaker into a mug and add hot milk or hot water. To make an iced matcha latte, add in cold milk or cold water and ice."

Enjoy your latte straight, add some sweetener, or put some mushroom in your matcha for some additional benefits, like potentially alleviating stress and protecting against cortisol. Not just any mushroom, mind you, but functional ones (aka ones with super nutrients) like reishi and shiitake, usually taken as a powdered supplement that can mix smoothly into your cup of tea.

For those in the mood for a cold matcha drink that's not a latte, simply add ice and use the shaker to create a matcha shakerato, a beautifully frothy matcha drink. Add matcha, ice, and your desired amount of sweetener to a cocktail shaker, shake for 30 seconds, and enjoy.

If you don't have a cocktail shaker, it's important to use a bamboo whisk, not metal, to get the smoothest matcha. Metal whisks, which have far fewer tines than a bamboo chasen, don't properly aerate the matcha, which can result in bitter clumps of tea or a flat drink that lacks the signature foam of a properly made matcha. 

Just make sure you clean the bamboo whisk properly: do not wash the chasen with soap, as it will not only shorten the lifespan of a bamboo whisk but also impart soapy flavor into the bamboo. Simply soak the chasen in warm water and rinse until it's spotless.