How to Make Matcha: A Beginner’s Method With Measurements and Fixes for Clumps and Bitterness

Matcha

By MELB_NOTE

The short answer

Sift 2 g of matcha (about 1 level teaspoon) into a bowl, add 60 to 70 ml of water at about 80°C, and whisk with a bamboo chasen in a quick W or M motion until a foam forms. Drink it straight away. Hibiki-an and Ippodo Tea, two Japanese tea sellers, both give these numbers for a standard thin bowl called usucha.

Matcha is simple to make once the numbers and the motion are clear. This guide covers one standard bowl step by step, then the common problems (clumps, bitterness and foam that disappears) and the fix for each. It is based on the preparation guides from Hibiki-an and Ippodo Tea, read on 12 October 2026. If you want to know what matcha is first, see matcha vs green tea and matcha vs hojicha.

30-second summary

A standard bowl uses 2 g of matcha with 60 to 70 ml of water at about 80°C.
Sift the powder first. Hibiki-an says this removes lumps and gives a more mellow flavour.
Whisk with a chasen in a W or M motion, using quick short wrist movements, until a rich foam forms.
Drink within about 3 minutes, before the foam vanishes.
The thick style, koicha, uses 4 g of matcha and much less water, and is stirred gently rather than whisked.

A basic bowl needs 2 g of matcha, about 60 to 70 ml of water at around 80°C and a whisk

Comparison table of one bowl of usucha from two producers. Hibiki-an: 2 g matcha, 70 ml water, 80°C, W-shaped whisking until foam forms, drink within about 3 minutes. Ippodo Tea: 2 g matcha, 60 ml water, 80°C, M motion for about 15 seconds, prepare quickly for the full fragrance. — Illustration by MELB NOTE. Data: Hibiki-an and Ippodo Tea preparation guides.

Both producers describe the same standard bowl, called usucha, or thin tea. Hibiki-an uses 2 g of matcha (2 chashaku, the traditional bamboo scoop, or 1 teaspoon) with 70 ml of water at 80°C (176°F). Ippodo Tea, a Kyoto producer, uses 2 g (1.5 heaped tea ladles or 1 level teaspoon) with 60 ml of water at 80°C.

The two guides differ slightly. One says 70 ml and the other 60 ml. One describes a W-shaped whisking motion and the other an M motion. One says to whisk until foam forms and the other gives 15 seconds. The exact numbers vary by producer, so treat 2 g in 60 to 70 ml at about 80°C as the common starting point and follow the instructions on your own tin.

You need a bowl wide enough to whisk in, a bamboo whisk called a chasen, and a fine sieve for the powder. The powder itself is made, according to Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), by grinding tencha, a leaf that is steamed and dried without rolling, with the stems and veins removed, into a fine powder in a stone mortar. The same page says that adjusting the water temperature to the tea is key to good flavour, which is why the temperature in these guides is worth following.

Sift first, add the water, then whisk quickly

A hand whisking green matcha with a bamboo chasen in a pale ceramic bowl, with a layer of fine bubbles across the surface of the tea. — Whisking matcha with a bamboo whisk to make froth. Photo: Steenbergs, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Here is the method in five steps, combining the two guides.

Measure. Use 2 g of matcha, which is about 1 level teaspoon.
Sift. Push the powder through a sieve into the bowl. Hibiki-an says sifting gives a more mellow flavour and removes lumps, and that high-grade matcha can clump because of static electricity.
Add the water. Ippodo Tea suggests pouring boiling water into a teacup first to cool it to 80°C, then pouring 60 to 70 ml from the cup into the bowl.
Whisk. Use the chasen in a W-shaped or M-shaped motion, not a circular stir. Hibiki-an describes a quick, short back-and-forth movement of the wrist until a rich foam forms on top. Ippodo Tea says to whisk vigorously for 15 seconds.
Drink. Hibiki-an says to drink the usucha within about 3 minutes.

Speed matters. Ippodo Tea puts it this way: “Preparing the usucha quickly is the secret to enjoying the full fragrance.” That applies to the whole sequence, from sifting to the first sip.

The photo above shows a chasen in a bowl of matcha with a fine foam across the surface, which is the result the whisking step is aiming for. A whisk other than a chasen, such as a milk frother or a shaker, is not covered by these sources.

Clumps, bitterness and weak foam usually come from a few fixable steps

Most problems trace back to the steps above. The chart gives each symptom, the likely cause from the sources and the fix. Here is the detail.

Clumps

Hibiki-an says sifting removes lumps, and that high-grade matcha can clump because of static electricity. The fix is to sift every time, even when the powder looks fine.

Bitterness

The sources do not give a single cause, but they give three pointers. Hibiki-an warns that a thick bowl needs high-quality matcha “or the tea may taste quite bitter”. Ippodo Tea says its staff use water at a slightly lower temperature than usual to bring out more sweetness and umami. MAFF says that adjusting water temperature to the tea is key to good flavour. If your bowl tastes bitter, check the quality of the matcha and try water near 80°C.

Foam that vanishes

Hibiki-an says that if you wait too long, the foam vanishes and powder can collect at the bottom. Whisk, then drink within about 3 minutes.

A bowl that tastes thin

Ippodo Tea says that for everyday drinking its staff make the tea thicker with less water, similar to an espresso. If a standard bowl is too light for you, use less water for the same 2 g of matcha.

Usucha is the everyday bowl and koicha is the thick one

Two hands at a wooden counter, one holding a bamboo chasen in a dark bowl of thick, bright green matcha with some powder still visible at the edge. — Whisking thick tea with a chasen at Ippodo Tea, New York. Photo: T.Tseng, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Usucha is the thin, foamy bowl described so far. Koicha is the thick style. The two guides agree on the matcha amount and differ on the water.

Hibiki-an: 4 g (2 teaspoons) of matcha with 50 ml of water, stirred gently, with no foam. It recommends only high-quality matcha for koicha.
Ippodo Tea: 4 g of matcha with 30 ml of water at 80°C, mixed slowly with a whisk for 15 seconds.

Compared with usucha, koicha uses twice the matcha and far less water, and the motion is slow and gentle rather than quick and frothy. Start with usucha. It is the everyday bowl, and the same sifting and water temperature advice applies to both.

Questions people ask

How much matcha do I need for one bowl?

Both Hibiki-an and Ippodo Tea use 2 g, which is about 1 level teaspoon, for a standard thin bowl (usucha).

How hot should the water be?

Both guides use water at 80°C (176°F). Ippodo Tea suggests pouring boiling water into a teacup first to cool it, then pouring it into the bowl.

Why is my matcha lumpy?

Hibiki-an says high-grade matcha can clump because of static electricity, and that sifting removes lumps. Sift the powder before adding water.

How long does the foam last?

Hibiki-an says to drink usucha within about 3 minutes. If you wait too long, the foam vanishes and powder can collect at the bottom.

Sources and scope

Photo credits:

Cover: dungthuyvunguyen, matcha powder in a bowl with cups of matcha, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Whisking photo: Steenbergs, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Koicha photo: T.Tseng, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Diagrams: drawn by MELB NOTE from the Hibiki-an and Ippodo Tea guides above.

Scope: This is a general preparation guide, not a health or product recommendation. The amounts and temperatures are the two producers’ figures, and they vary slightly, so follow the instructions on your own matcha. Sources checked 12 October 2026.