How to brew Matcha tea: recipes, benefits and harms

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Everyone in the world knows the special attitude of the Japanese, Chinese and other Eastern peoples to the consumption of tea. In the East, this tonic drink is not drunk just like that. Drinking tea has become a whole ceremony for them. In China and Japan, different varieties of this invigorating healing drink are traditionally cultivated. Each of them has its own recipe for preparation and ritual of tea drinking. One of the revered varieties of tea in these countries is "Matcha" tea, which in Japanese sounds like "matcha". Today there is a lot of different information about the incredible usefulness of this tea and its export has spread to many countries of the world. More and more people on the planet want to improve their body, while getting a pleasant taste sensation. The Japanese have begun industrial production of various types of tea in eco-friendly vacuum packaging, so that people on the other side of the world can enjoy this outlandish green drink with pleasure. Just to reveal all its useful properties, you need to know how to brew Matcha tea correctly.

What is Matcha Tea?

Matcha refers to tencha green tea leaves grown in the shade. They are used to make sencha and gunpowder teas, but for this they are grown in the sun. Matcha is a tea made from tench leaves, ground into a fine powder. Their grinding is carried out on special millstones just before tea drinking. The term tencha means a special technology for drying leaves. If they are dried straight, they are tencha, if they are twisted, they are gyokuro. Matcha tea has a very rich and deep aroma and a sweet taste. If the tea has a bitter taste, it is an indication of its poor quality.

Useful properties of "Match"

This variety of tea is considered one of the most useful types, because it contains a lot of useful substances with vitamins and microelements. It is one of the strongest antioxidants. "Match" slows down the aging process and is an excellent prophylactic for the cardiovascular system. This tea invigorates no worse than coffee, but it does not add nervous excitability. Among its useful properties are the following:

• speeds up metabolism;
• improves the quality of metabolic processes in the body;
• prevents radiation;
• rich in antioxidants;
• acts restoratively on the vascular walls;
• removes bad cholesterol;
• clean from toxins;
• is a stimulus for mental activity;
• keeps skin clear &supple;
• calms nervous excitement;
• improvesimmunity.

If you need to provide the body with more strength and energy and cheer up, then there is simply no better remedy than matcha tea. But it’s not enough just to buy powder or leaves. It is important to know how to brew Matcha tea correctly and how to drink it. In this article we will talk about the technology of brewing tea. We will also give some of the most popular recipes for this wonderful drink.

Harm tea

The harmful qualities of tea include the high content of lead in the leaves, and if you drink it along with tea leaves, the amount of this metal in the body will increase dramatically. As a rule, this is more true for tea grown in China. Because the environment there is more polluted than in Japan. In addition, hypertensive patients should drink it with caution and try not to use it closer to the night.

How to choose tea?

Before we learn how to brew Matcha tea, let's first learn how to choose it. When buying tea, you should pay attention to some characteristic features of the drink. The following aspects must be observed:

• The color of the powder should be bright green. If the powder has a dark green tint, then it is sencha tea, which is sometimes used as a substitute for matcha in the sale.
• It is best to take organic tea, without chemical exposure.
• Beware if the price of "Match" is very low - it could be sencha leaf powder. Approximately 30 grams of matcha powder on the market costs from 20 to 50dollars.
• Look for Japanese "Matcha" tea instead of Chinese tea, as it is not of very good quality due to growing in unfavorable conditions.

Given all these nuances, it is not so difficult to choose a good drink. But to make it as useful as possible, you need to know all the secrets of how to brew Matcha tea correctly. Below we consider the technological features of this process.

What do you need to brew?

In order to reveal all the beneficial properties of the drink and direct them to the improvement of your body, you need to master the technique of its preparation. To brew a drink, you will need special utensils:

• measuring cup to correctly measure the required amount of water;
• chawan - a special ceramic or porcelain cup for brewing;
• chasaku - measuring spoon made of bamboo ha 1 g of tea powder; you can also use a regular teaspoon, but you need to know that two portions are placed in it, measured with a bamboo measuring stick;
• a strainer for sifting matcha powder to remove lumps and make it lighter and more airy; rubbing stuck together tea lumps is done with a chasaku or a teaspoon;
• tyasen - a special bamboo whisk, without which high-quality Matcha tea will not work.

How is it right?

And now, finally, you can move on to how to brew Japanese Matcha tea. The temperature of the water plays an important role hereshould boil. Green powdered Japanese tea "Match" is poured with water having a temperature of 70-80 degrees, no more. When using boiling water, tea will come out spoiled - no taste, no benefit. Naturally, the water for tea must be purified. To navigate the water temperature, you can use a special kettle with a water heating control function. And you can do it easier - after boiling, leave the water for 5-7 minutes to cool.

Making weak tea

So, how to brew Matcha tea in the classic way? There are two methods of brewing - strong (koycha) and weak (usutcha). In order to prepare a portion of the weak, you need to take half a teaspoon of powder in 70 ml of 80-degree water. The bowl must be warmed up with hot water. Then it should be wiped dry, you can also heat it in the microwave. Pour the powder into a dry bowl and pour in a little water. Moisten the whisk with hot water first. This is necessary so that it softens slightly, which will help it better whip the foam and protect it from accidental damage during the preparation of Matcha tea. Gently and slowly mix the powder with a bamboo whisk so as not to leave lumps and powder residue on the walls of the bowl.

When the mass becomes perfectly homogeneous, add the remaining water and beat with a whisk until a thick foam appears. Whipping movements should be measured and smooth, without sudden bursts. Classic matcha is drunk without the addition of honey or sugar - this will kill the true taste of this magical drink. The natural taste of usutya is tart and sour, withsweetish aftertaste that appears later. This drink fills the body with energy for the whole day, perfectly invigorates and activates. Usutya is quite democratic tea and it can be drunk without observing strict rules of tea drinking and age-old ceremonies. This tea is appropriate for daily family tea drinking or drinking it with close friends.

Making strong tea

Now let's move on to a strong version of his koycha. How to brew matcha tea? The powder in this case is taken in double quantity - 4 g. This is 4 scoops or one teaspoon. For this amount you need 50 ml of water with a temperature not higher than 80 degrees. Matcha powder should be sifted through a sieve. The technology is almost the same as when brewing usuchya, except that it is not necessary to beat the foam with a whisk, but, on the contrary, stir very slowly and smoothly. The result should be a thick, viscous drink with a bright aroma of herbs and a sweet aftertaste. It is traditionally served with Japanese sweets, but you can replace them with dried fruits.

Features of each tea

We have already figured out how to make Matcha tea at home. The above two drinks are good in their own way. And to give preference to any of them, you need to try them both. Both one and the second version of the match should be drunk along with tea leaves ground into powder. This is the key to the action of its healing properties. Usutya is lighter and softer, it is drunk pleasantly and naturally. Koycha is thicker and has a sharp and rich bouquet of taste. If it seemed to you that this is a complicated process - do nottrust first impressions. Now that you have already learned how to brew Matcha tea at home, you just need to "stuff" your hand a little to prepare it. Over time, this procedure will be given to you easily and effortlessly.

An alternative to special utensils

You can make "Matcha" at home and without a special tea set. The bowl can be replaced by any ceramic dish - bowl, cup, bowl, measuring spoon - tea from the usual table set. But how to brew Matcha tea without a whisk? If you do not have a special bamboo whisk, you can replace it with a regular kitchen or special device with which milk foam is whipped. Try which one works best to bring the mixture to the desired consistency. But it is better, of course, to use a traditional device made of bamboo, which is specially adapted to mix the ingredients well and, above all, gives the tea a unique exotic taste.

In order to understand the true taste of a wonderful drink, it was not in vain that the tea ceremony was invented. It is very important here to understand how to brew and drink Matcha tea. Only slowly savoring every sip of this amazing tea, you begin to feel its charm. Drinking tea "Match" is also necessary in a special way. A small sip of the drink should be held a little in the mouth so that the tongue can feel its taste and delicious aroma.

In the development of this topic, I would like to focus on the fact that teaMatcha can also be brewed in other ways.

Popular tea recipe

Let's consider how to brew and drink Chinese Matcha tea. The Chinese way of brewing does not like fuss and is performed according to a strict ritual. You need to take a small teapot for 100-120 ml - gaiwan, as well as bowls, from which they will drink the finished tea. Tea utensils must be rinsed with boiling water and dried. Let's start the ritual:

• put 7 g of leaf tea into the teapot;
• pour hot water with a temperature of 85-90 degrees and wait about 20 seconds; then drain the water;
• thick again pour water and wait for 40-60 seconds;
• pouring the finished tea into bowls and you can start drinking tea;
• pour the rest of the thick again with water and increase the brewing time by 20-30 seconds; you can repeat this until the color of the tea becomes pale.

Using this method, you need to make sure that at each stage of brewing there is no water in the gaiwan so that the tea can be brewed. With each brew, the taste and aroma of the drink changes, giving new taste sensations and aromas.

Matcha latte

You should also dwell on how to brew Matcha Latte tea. This is an absolutely incomparable drink, much more pleasant than even a delicate cappuccino. To prepare it, you will need a teaspoon of matcha, 70 ml of hot water, about 200 g of any milk - cow, almond, soy, coconut, and honey to taste, which can be replaced with sugar or syrup. Beginpreparation:

• tea pour water and mix well with a whisk, removing lumps;
• heat the milk, not allowing it to boil; remove it from the stove and beat with a blender until foam appears - about a minute;
• pour milk in a thin stream into tea and spread the foam with a spoon; it will mix with the tea froth and turn a soft green;
• add honey and cinnamon, and you can enjoy the pleasant taste of such an unusual drink.

Matcha frappe

Next, we will tell you how to brew Matcha tea with milk. This will keep the drink cold. Such tea is called "Matcha frappe", and for its preparation you will need a teaspoon of dry matcha, cold cow's milk - a glass, ice cubes - 3-4 pieces, vanilla ice cream - about 50 g, as well as honey or sugar and whipped cream. Cooking Method:

• add ice, matcha tea and honey to milk;
• mix everything with a powerful blender until completely smooth - about 1-2 minutes;
• put ice cream and whipped cream on top.

Conclusion

There are many delicious drinks based on Matcha tea. Here everyone can show their imagination and creativity. The main thing is to learn how to brew this wonderful healing drink correctly and you can enjoy a new taste and unforgettable aroma every time.