Thursday, November 20, 2014

Every Day Matcha made easy! (video)

Matcha is too much of a bother!?

Lately, I hear many questions and opinions about preparing matcha casually. “Is there any way to prepare matcha easily?” “A hand-held electric frother might help.” “Making paste with a little bit of water can prevent getting lumps?” It seems people are looking for an easy way. Some people might also think the traditional matcha making has a lot of manners so it’s too much of a bother. In fact, I used to prepare matcha rarely because I find it kind of troublesome. However, now I have matcha almost every day without feeling troubled. I think it is easy as making instant coffee.

Don’t store in freezer nor sift it

The traditional way is easy enough. You won’t need to look for any alternative way such as using the electric mixer or the two-step method. Think about it. It’s basically just mixing matcha powder and hot water. How simple is that? The bother that I can think of are something like storing it in the freezer or sifting before brewing. Then, I would say “Don’t store it in the freezer nor sift it”. I don’t actually do them each time when I prepare.


My way of daily matcha

Today, I’m going to introduce how I prepare matcha at home. I’ll be glad if it could become some kind of hint for somebody by sharing it here. Of course, I’m not doing everything properly. What we need to do is just mix matcha, and other than that we would like to make it as simple as possible.  There are three points.
1. Not sifting matcha every time
It is the best to sift matcha just before you brew. When I serve it for guests, I’ll sift brand new tea, but for daily tea I believe that being simple is more appealing. I sift matcha once before putting it in the container. I use the same tea without sifting later on, instead I handle the container gently. No shaking nor placing it on the table with impact.
2. Not storing matcha in the fridge
I keep matcha on the shelf with the utensils. I usually consume one package (20g) in about two weeks. If you don’t consume that much in two weeks, keep the amount for two weeks in the container, and store the rest in the freezer. You only do storing and sifting once in two weeks.
3. Store minimal utensils at an accessible place
What you need is a tea bowl, bamboo whisk, tea scoop and matcha. Secure an accessible space in the kitchen for them. You don’t have to store matcha in the refrigerator or freezer.

Making matcha can become very easy if minimal utensils and the tea are available. My method is not the absolute answer, you can try anything to simplify your preparation.

Please check the video for details. 
If you don’t see English subtitle, please check the setting on your YouTube.
 

 

13 comments:

  1. Great, very great video.
    Thanks a lot Kohei !

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    1. Arigato for watching! I hope it helped.

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    3. I already incorporated matcha in my everyday life, but I will use your video to proselytize ! So many good advices in your video, this is great. You're right, matcha can be very simple, it MUST be simple in the everyday life =)
      Please enjoy Chado and have a nice day !

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    4. I’m glad to hear that you’ve already incorporated matcha in your days. Good for you!

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  2. Wonderful! Thank you so much for sharing.

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  3. Love your video and your beautiful setting. I have matcha in a simplified way but always felt apologetic about it, feeling so different from tea practice in Japan. I especially appreciate the idea of sifting 20 grams ahead of time...I didn't know this wouldn't age the tea or make a bad flavor. By the way, your matcha Shosen doesn't
    seem to need sifting! And it is so good.

    Thank you for always sharing so much.

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    1. Hello Kohei,
      Thank you for the video.
      I drink matcha only on the weekends and I use the simple way as you saw us in the video.
      However, I am worring about freezing the matcha. I keep my annual consumption (several unopened 20g bags) in a cupboard outside the kitchen. Maybe its not the best, isn't it?

      Melanie

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    2. Thank you, Lin-san, As you worry, I think it’s better to sift it every time than sifting all ahead. However, I take precedence for simple preparation over its taste for daily tea. Thank you for your compliment on Shosen. However, even for Shosen, shifting can improve the flavor. So, I usually recommend shifting.

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    3. Hi, Anonymous-san,
      If it is unopened, it won’t be much problem on keeping it in a room temperature. However, stable and cool temperature is better for tea. So, keeping it in the refrigerator will have some advantage, I think.

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  4. Great info! I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don’t know what to say except that I have.
    sencha

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