Kimberley's Kyusu

Hey There Teacups… Happy Matcha Monday! After starting my new Matcha Monday Masterclasses last month with a run down of how to traditionally prepare matcha (if you haven’t read that post yet you can find it here) I thought that for part two of this series it was only fair for me to include a run down of the modern ways you can prepare matcha for those of you out there that are wanting to just make your matcha without getting into the traditions, or want to try it without investing in all the traditional teaware and accessories first.

Because of having to deal with chronic migraines, I can’t always use the traditional methods and often use modern methods to make sure I am still having matcha every day, so there is definitely a middle ground for matcha lovers when it comes to preparation. I think it really does come down to what your environment is like, the amount of time you have, the setting you are in, personal preferences and a whole host of other things.

T2’s Matcha Flask| Most day when my pain levels are high I use my Matcha Maker from T2 to make my morning matcha. I’ve had mine for a while now and I use it so much because it’s perfectly sized (it hold 300ml in total), which for me is just the right amount. No matter how I am drinking my matcha, I’m not over facing myself first thing in the morning with too much to drink. Instead of a loose leaf infuser like their normal flasks, this one has a metal whisk which is able to produce a great froth with absolutely any matcha you want to use, flavoured or other wise. I always find that the matcha I make in this is just as smooth as the matcha I prepare traditionally, because the prongs of the whisk are so close together too, it also never leaves any clumps of matcha in the flask.

I normally only make hot matcha in this and it doesn’t last for long before I’ve finished it, but when I do have to take a little more time due to pain levels this flask keeps my matcha warm for such a long time. I have made iced matcha and transferred it to this but once you put ice in it, the whisk doesn’t fit, so I don’t tend to do that to often. I highly recommend these to everyone, even for everyday use because I have loved mine so much over the last few years. It’s also great for travelling when you don’t want to take all of your traditional matcha tools with you.

A Handheld Whisk/Milk Frother | The great thing about this tool is that you can use it to froth your matcha (though it doesn’t do as good of a job with clumps so I recommend sifting you matcha first) and you can use it to froth your milk, so this is the perfect tool for those who only really like to enjoy matcha as a latte, as it enables you to do everything you need to do with just one tool. All you have put your water and matcha into you cup and blend until a froth forms and all the powder had become wet and fully combined with the water. Then you add in your sweetener (if that’s your jam) and add in your froth milk and you’ve made a matcha latte in next to no time.

DavidsTea’s Matcha Maker| Because DavidsTea doesn’t currently ship to the UK, I’ve not been able to try out their Matcha Maker for myself yet but a lot of my tea friends that are based in America and Canada all love this little piece of tea equipment. They do a large size and a mini depending on what you prefer (personally I’d probably go for the mini for my morning matcha), and all you have to do is add you matcha and water (up to the marked line) and shake until frothy with no visible clumps. After your done shaking there is actually a button on the lid that you press before opening up the lid which lets out any pressure built up and avoids matcha explosions, which I know will have stopped so many people from ending up with matcha all over their kitchen.

You can then add more water or milk to top it up and sip happily. Though, if you are going to top it up I’d recommend taking out the ”whisk” element to avoid spillage, which does mean that you won’t be able to re-whisk but with the mini I can’t see why you would need to do that as it won’t take you long to finish that much matcha at all. I’m definitely going to purchase one of these as soon as I am able to.

Honourable Mentions | I asked a few people what other tools they use to make matcha other than the traditional tools and aside from what I have already mentioned a couple of people also said they use a blender, especially when making iced matcha. I had never thought of doing this be honest but it would be a good way to make your your own (much healthier) matcha frappe. Multiple people also said they will sometimes use a protein shaker which I have also used before when making a larger amount of iced matcha so I figure both of these additional techniques deserved a honourable mention to round of this post.

If you can think of any other ways to make your matcha please do leave in them in the comments as I would be interested to see what I’ve missed off this post. I think I’ve covered everything but I could definitely be wrong. As always if you have any questions at all either stick them in the comment or send them to me on Twitter/Instagram @teaisawishblog and I’ll do my best to answer them all as soon as I can.

Speak to you all again soon. Happy Steeping – Kimberley