Alternative Matcha whisks?

[spinmail]

I can't pay for pricey Matcha, however good it may or may not be, but I do like the idea of a "frothier." Instead of a bamboo whisk, the frothier is based on the theory of a milkshake machine; a spinning rod is put into the Matcha, which adds bubbles to the tea.

Has anyone here had experience with the "frothier"? Come up with something better? I'm new to Matcha, and I'd like to know the experience of others.

[sriracha]

I made do with one of those battery-powered little latte whisks for a long time, but damned if not both taste and froth was better with a proper chasen...and mine is definitely cheapo...looks like an old toothbrush by now :O


Also, the metal in the latte thingy may damage the inside of the chawan.

[JBaymore]

Also, the metal in the latte thingy may damage the inside of the chawan.

I an actual Chakai, the guests will remove all rings and bracelets and the like to protect the chawan and the other pieces they handle. To put a spinning metal disk thingie into anything other than a "throw away" chawan would be really an awful idea.

best,

.....................john

[spinmail]

This is excellent advice, and I will save my chawan from spinning metal blades - and instead rely on a bamboo whisk (which is coming in the mail, someday). However, I may have access to an inexpensive chawan and Ikea frothier...but I suspect I'll get better results with a whisk.

[tingjunkie]

One of the lessons I've learned about teaware is this: if the item has been in use continuously for a couple hundred years, it safe to go ahead and trust the collective wisdom of the tradition. If a matcha whisk could have been improved/replaced, they would have figured it out a long time ago.

I don't mean to negate the value of innovation and progress, but the classics are classics for a reason.

[spinmail]

And if there's anything I've learned, it's to pay attention to TeaChat posts. The whisk is indeed the ideal tool to prepare matcha. Nothing else comes close.

[robbie_olive]

Being a student of the Japanese tea ceremony for a while now, the chasen (tea whisk) should be the ONLY device that is used to whisk the matcha. Never allow any metal objects on or near the chawan. There is the usucha chasen for thin tea, and the koicha chasen for thick tea.

As someone mentioned previously, the chasen was specifically designed to whisk the matcha and also to prevent damage to the chawan (especially if that chawan is hundreds of years old and thousands of dollars!). As the old adage goes, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it".