Making Matcha without the gear?

[entropyembrace]

My gf bought some matcha to try, and she doesn´t have the tools for making matcha the traditional way and she wants to see if she likes it before investing in them. What would be a good method to prepare the matcha so she can get an idea what it is like using only common kitchen items?

Actually I am interested too, I´m still a bit wary buying the whisk and scoop without having tried matcha first.

[debunix]

The bamboo whisk for matcha are pretty cheap, actually, and very efficient, but I made my first attempts at it with a small metal whisk, and used a teacup that was just big enough to permit some vigorous whisking but not too big. And sadly I did not enjoy it more when I used a fancier whisk and properly shaped/sized bowl, or several other batches of tea, so gave up. Saving more for the matcha-fiends among us!

[Victoria]

A metal whisk and a cereal bowl is how I started.

[auhckw]

My gf bought some matcha to try, and she doesn´t have the tools for making matcha the traditional way and she wants to see if she likes it before investing in them. What would be a good method to prepare the matcha so she can get an idea what it is like using only common kitchen items?

Actually I am interested too, I´m still a bit wary buying the whisk and scoop without having tried matcha first.

I think a blender or shake bottle will have the same bubble effect

PS, all the while i thought u r the girl in ur avatar pic... but guess not

[Chip]

I was surprised how decently the small metal whisk in a 99 cent cereal bowl worked out. I bet a lot of TCers started this way. I think I did this 3 times max before realizing I wanted the gear.

And what a difference that makes, especially the chasen (bamboo whisk). There is no going back.

And I would definitely avoid using the metal whisk in your new shino-yaki chawan!!!

[entropyembrace]

PS, all the while i thought u r the girl in ur avatar pic... but guess not

I am the girl in my avatar pic

thank you for the ideas everyone...ish will try them

seems like kitchen whisk and cereal bowl is the most popular for ghetto matcha

and yeah..no metal whisk in my shino! I dont want to scratch it.

[britt]

The bamboo whisk for matcha are pretty cheap, actually....

Not if they're made in Japan. Japanese made chasen are usually $25 to $40 dollars. Made in China ones can be as cheap as $9.95 but they're not processed the same way. Japanese chasen are dried naturally, which is time consuming and costly. Chinese-made chasen apply chemicals to dry out the bamboo faster and to keep fungus from forming on the tines. This allows them to sell at a lower price to those who can accept the trade-off.

Although it can be much more enjoyable using the correct matcha-ware, it isn't absolutely necessary. When I first tried matcha I sometimes used a spoon to stir it in a cup of hot water. It actually worked okay. Once I decided I liked it I bought better equipment.

[debunix]

Ah. I've only seen the chinese ones in local stores, I guess.

But their whisk action was certainly fine.

[britt]

Ah. I've only seen the chinese ones in local stores, I guess.

But their whisk action was certainly fine.

A lot of people do use the Chinese chasen due to the low price. Many aren't aware that the lower-priced ones aren't from Japan. Even some vendors weren't aware of what their distributors were giving them.

The Chinese whisks have been so popular that many Japanese vendors now knowingly offer them alongside the "Made in Japan ones." I personally have two concerns with the Chinese whisks. The first is safety due to the accelerated production which requires the use of fungicides. The second is that the flood of Chinese chasen into the market may put the traditional Japanese craftsmen out of business. For these reasons, I only buy the hand-made Japanese product. It's just an individual choice that I have made.

[GreenTeaMagic]

Good recipes
thanks all

[entropyembrace]

My gf and I had tea together tonight and she tried the matcha What she ended doing was placing the matcha into a tall glass, adding the hot water and stirring it with a spoon...kind of like hot chocolate mix.

I was a bit skepical that the matcha would stay suspended in the glass but it worked...nice even deep green through the whole glass. She said it was very elegant and mild with a slight pleasant bitterness and it had a very long aftertaste...definite hit!

Also on the subject of whisks...I ordered the cheaper Japanese whisk from O-cha...I was going back and forth between it and the Chinese whisk which is quite a bit cheaper. I´m not paranoid about the safety of Chinese products and from my experience with their sencha I trust that O-Cha´s budget items are of good quality considering the price. But in the end I went with the Japanese whisk because they said it would last longer before it would start losing prongs.

[Ambrose]

oh yea matcha with the right tools is way better, glad you gals liked it
Sifting helps too,this reminds me I need more matcha

[TwoPynts]

Plastic spoon and coffee cup when at work.

[britt]

The local Asian market used to carry bags of matcha that contained individual servings in what looked like the wrapper for a stick of gum. If I remember correctly from the pictures on the package (I don't read Japanese), they showed two methods. One was using a whisk and bowl, the other was emptying the contents into a glass and stirring with a spoon. At that point in time, I did it the second way and it worked very well.