MATCHA · START HERE
Matcha for Beginners
Matcha is powdered tea prepared by mixing the powder into water or another drink. Start by understanding the preparation form, then use the guides below to choose a useful next step.
Because you mix the powder in instead of steeping and straining leaves, the method matters more than it does with leaf tea: how much powder you use, the water you mix it with and how you whisk it. Most first-bowl problems, such as clumps, bitterness or foam that disappears, come from one of those three. The first guide below walks through a standard bowl, and the other two settle the questions people ask most when they compare matcha with other teas.
Pick the path that matches where you are:
- Ready to make a bowl. Go to How to Make Matcha.
- Wondering how it differs from green tea. Read Matcha vs Brewed Leaf Green Tea.
- Confused by hojicha on the menu. Read Matcha vs Hojicha.
Every guide opens with the short answer and lists its sources at the end. Who writes MELB NOTE explains how the guides are made.
Make your first bowl
- How to Make Matcha — a standard bowl with measurements, plus fixes for clumps, bitterness and foam that disappears.
Start with the comparison
- Matcha vs Brewed Leaf Green Tea — one is powdered and mixed while the other is leaf-infused.
- Matcha vs Hojicha — compare a powdered tea preparation with a roasted-tea category.
When the question is about tea more broadly, such as tea types or tea bags versus loose leaf, continue to Tea for Beginners.