Matcha for Beginners: Everything You Need to Start
Starting with matcha is straightforward if you have the right information upfront. Most bad first experiences with matcha come from using the wrong grade or making it incorrectly, not from any inherent difficulty with the drink. Here is everything you need to get it right from the beginning.
Understanding the Two Main Types
Matcha comes in two broad categories: ceremonial grade and culinary grade. Ceremonial grade is made from the youngest leaves of the first spring harvest, shade-grown and processed to produce a smooth, naturally sweet powder for drinking. Culinary grade is made from later-harvest, less processed leaves and is designed for mixing into cooking and baking.
If you want to drink matcha as a tea or latte, you need ceremonial grade. Culinary grade prepared as a drink tends to be bitter and astringent, which is why it needs to be mixed with other flavours. Start with ceremonial grade and you will understand immediately why people make matcha a daily practice.
What to Buy
Look for a matcha that specifies its origin (the Japanese region and ideally the town), the cultivar, the harvest year, and a grade. These are the marks of a transparent producer. For beginners, our Ceremonial Matcha A-Grade from Yame is a good starting point: full-bodied, rich in umami, and forgiving of minor preparation variations. If you prefer something lighter and more delicate, the Samidori from Wazuka is an excellent introduction to single-cultivar matcha.
The Tools You Actually Need
At minimum: a bamboo chasen and a bowl wide enough to whisk in. A standard cereal bowl works as a bowl if you do not have a chawan yet. The chasen is not optional; it is what creates the foam that makes matcha worth drinking. A spoon or electric frother produces a different, lesser result.
Useful but not essential: a chashaku for consistent measuring, and a fine sieve for sifting before you whisk. Our Essential Sets combine matcha and the key tools at a good starting price.
How to Prepare It
Sift 1.5 to 2 grams of matcha into your bowl. Add 30ml of water at 75°C, not boiling. Whisk in a rapid W motion for 20 seconds to form a smooth paste. Add another 50ml of water at the same temperature and whisk again until fine foam forms. Drink immediately.
The most common mistakes: water too hot (scalds the matcha and increases bitterness), not enough whisking (leaves it flat and gritty), and using the wrong grade. Get these three right and your first cup will be genuinely good.
What to Expect
Good ceremonial matcha tastes smooth, naturally sweet, and deeply savoury, with a long, clean finish. The alertness it produces is calm and focused rather than sharp and agitated. Most people who try it properly for the first time understand immediately why it has been a daily practice for centuries.
