Making Matcha: Tea for the Japanese Tea Ceremony
Tea and Japanese culture are inseparable since around 800 BC when tea first became popular in Japan under the Emperor Saga. But it is the Japanese Tea Ceremony, chanoyu, which was developed in the fifteenth century that seems to capture the seriousness and beauty with which the Japanese enjoy tea. And the ceremony uses Matcha, which is a unusual powdered tea that makes a wonderfully green elixir for the spirit. The Japanese Tea Ceremony is “a religious art form in which tea becomes the vehicle of its philosophic ideals”. [1]
The tea ceremony is an attempt to achieve perfection for a seemingly simple act: preparing tea. It has precise rules and must be carefully prepared. To put it another way, Kakuzo Okakura in The Book of Tea explains:
Not a color to disturb the tone of the room, not a sound to mar the rhythm of things, not a gesture to obtrude the harmony, not a word to break the unity of the surroundings, all movements to be performed simply and naturally - such were the aims of the tea ceremony.
So how did Matcha become the tea served in the Japanese Tea Ceremony? You’ll have to drink it to understand. But I wanted to share the best way to make Matcha, which is different than making other teas, even green teas.
First, you can make thick or thin Matcha, depending on your tastes. In order to make the thicker Matcha, simply use less water when making the tea. A perfect cup of Matcha begins with 8oz of water heated to about 165-175 degrees. This is just before the water is boiling. Then add approximately 1/2 teaspoon of powdered green Matcha and use a Matcha whisk to whisk the tea until frothy. If the taste is too strong, try making Matcha with 1/4 teaspoon of tea instead.
If you enjoy green tea, you should try Japanese Matcha. It has a vegetal taste that’s a bit different than other teas, but it is made from ground Gyokuro green tea, which is a great Japanese green tea. In terms of health, Matcha has lots of vitamins and fiber, so it is a delicious treat for your body!
[1] Tea in the East by Carole Manchester. 1996. p 58.
Nice post!! i like to read about the japanese tea ceremony and somehow landed on this page. I was wondering what kind of resource you used for this information…
My main resource is this web-site: japanese-tea-ceremony which has lots of interesting information. If anyone knows of other interesting blogs or blog-posts about the Japanese tea ceremony, please leave a comment here.
Thanks for this post!!