Koicha 濃茶
The ceremonial extreme — roughly double the powder, half the water, kneaded rather than whisked.
Full koicha guide →
The everyday preparation
How to make usucha, the everyday whisked matcha.
Usucha (薄茶, "thin tea") is the light, frothy bowl most people mean when they say "a bowl of matcha." Here's the ratio, temperature, and whisking technique that make it consistently good.
- Ratio ≈ 1.7 g / 60 ml
- Water temp 75–80 °C
- Whisk time 15–20 sec
What is usucha?
Usucha is matcha whisked with a relatively generous amount of water, producing a light-bodied tea topped with a fine, even layer of foam. It's the default way matcha is served — at home, in cafés, and to individual guests in most casual tea gatherings. Where koicha is thick and paste-like, usucha should pour easily and taste bright rather than heavy.
Because the ratio sits on the diluted end of the spectrum, usucha is a good starting point for anyone new to whisking matcha: small ratio mistakes are less punishing here than they are in koicha, but you'll still notice a bowl that's too strong, too weak, too hot, or under-whisked.
Equipment you'll need
- A wide, shallow bowl (chawan) or any wide mug
- A bamboo whisk (chasen) or a milk frother
- A fine sifter or small mesh strainer
- A bamboo scoop (chashaku) or a teaspoon
- A kettle you can hold below boiling
- Ceremonial or high-quality culinary matcha
Step by step
- Sift the matcha through a fine mesh strainer directly into the bowl — this is the single biggest fix for clumpy tea.
- Rinse the bowl with hot water and discard it, so a cold bowl doesn't drag your water below brewing temperature.
- Add water at 75–80 °C. If you only have a standard kettle, let boiled water rest for two to three minutes first.
- Whisk briskly in a tight W or M motion from the wrist — not slow circles — for about 15–20 seconds, until a fine, even foam covers the surface.
- Serve immediately. The foam and aroma both fade within a few minutes.
Common mistakes
- Water too hot. Boiling water scalds the powder and pulls out excess bitterness. Stay in the 75–80 °C range.
- Skipping the sift. Unsifted matcha clumps no matter how hard you whisk.
- Whisking in circles. A circular motion creates big, uneven bubbles instead of fine microfoam — use a brisk back-and-forth W-motion instead.
- Wrong ratio for your grade. Lower-grade matcha turns bitter faster as the ratio strengthens — go milder if your tea tastes harsh.
- Letting it sit. Usucha oxidizes and flattens quickly; whisk it right before you drink it.
Usucha FAQ
Is usucha the same as what's served in a tea ceremony?
Usucha is the informal, everyday style of whisked matcha, and it's also the preparation most commonly served to individual guests in casual tea gatherings. Koicha, the thick style, is reserved for more formal occasions and higher-grade leaf. If you've had matcha at a café or made it at home, it was almost certainly usucha.
Can I make usucha with culinary-grade matcha?
You can, but it's less forgiving than a latte or iced matcha. Culinary-grade matcha is more astringent and bitter, and usucha has nothing — no milk, no ice — to soften that. If your usucha turns out harsh, try a lower strength setting, slightly cooler water, and a fresher tin.
Why does my usucha taste grassy or bitter?
Grassiness usually means the matcha is stale or lower-grade; bitterness usually means the water was too hot or the ratio too strong. Start at 75°C with the standard ratio, sift every time, and taste before you add more powder — it's easy to correct a mild cup by whisking in a touch more matcha, harder to fix an over-strong one.
Keep exploring
Related preparations
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