Usucha matcha is the perfect upgrade for matcha latte lovers. If you want to take full advantage of the flavors and health benefits, you can start drinking like a matcha purist.
In this article, we’re going to talk about what usucha matcha is, how to make it and what benefits it can bring compared to lattes.
Let’s get whisking!
Usucha matcha vs matcha lattes
So let’s compare usucha matcha to the matcha lattes you might be familiar with. Matcha lattes are made by mixing matcha with milk and sugar, but usucha is simply made by mixing matcha with water.
Benefits of Usucha matcha
There are many benefits to the usucha style of matcha drinking. First, the health benefits of the matcha are really able to shine without the additional milk and sugar. The dairy in many matcha lattes can even bind to the antioxidants in matcha and make them less potent.
Also, it allows you to appreciate the nuanced flavor profile of a good quality matcha. When you prepare a high quality matcha in the usucha style, you are able to appreciate the subtle sweetness, umami and creaminess of the leaves themselves as they are not adulterated by the milk or sugar.
Where does Usucha come from?
What is usucha matcha and where does it come from? Usucha comes from the Japanese tea ceremony. Hundreds of years before the first splash of milk was added to matcha, the tea powder was whisked into water and served to guests according to a strict set of rules and principles.
Usucha is still served in more casual tea ceremonies. If you take part in a tea ceremony today, you will likely drink matcha in usucha form.
Usucha meaning
Usucha means “thin tea”, which contrasts with the koicha or “thick tea” that is drunk during special tea ceremonies. Usucha matcha is typically prepared with 2 grams of powder and 70ml of water, while thick tea is made with double the amount of powder and half the amount of water.
Usucha pronunciation
How do you pronounce usucha? When pronouncing Japanese words, you want to take the emphasis off the second syllable, so you barely pronounce the second “u”.
Then you can follow the usucha pronunciation guide: oo-SOO-chah.
How to make usucha
Now let’s talk about how to make usucha. When it comes to matcha, we don’t worry about the brewing time, so it really comes down to powder to water ratio and temperature.
How much powder for usucha
For matcha usucha, you can use 2 grams of powder, or about 1 teaspoon. This is roughly 2 heaping scoops of the chashaku or bamboo matcha spoon.
How much water for usucha
You can use 70-80ml of water for usucha matcha green tea to create a thinner texture in the matcha. If you use too much, the matcha will become watery and more difficult to foam.
Best temperature
The best temperature for usucha is between 60-80°C/140°-175°F. If you use water that is too hot, it will bring out more bitterness in the matcha and if the water is too cold it will be difficult to extract enough flavor.
Whisking Usucha
Now comes the fun part, whisking the usucha! For this job, we highly recommend getting a bamboo whisk or chasen. This is the best tool for creating that light green foam on top of the usucha, giving the tea an airy texture and a smoother taste.
Move your whisk through the matcha in rapid zigzag motions using your wrist. Try to keep the whisk off the bottom of the bowl so the bristles don’t break and after a few seconds of fast whisking, you should start to see a foam appear.
Usucha recipe
If you are looking for an usucha recipe, you can just follow our guide on how to prepare matcha. When we talk about matcha or a bowl of matcha, we are generally referring to usucha.
Iced usucha
If you want to make iced usucha, you can follow the same guidelines but use cold water for the whisking. The only problem is that the flavor of the usucha will be weaker. In addition to mixing into water, matcha also “brews”, and hot water extracts flavor more quickly than cold water.
After you’re done whisking, you can pour the usucha over a glass filled with ice. This won’t have as strong a flavor as a hot usucha, but it is a lovely refreshing tea you can enjoy on a hot day.
Best matcha for usucha
If you’re looking for the best matcha for usucha, we’ve got you covered! After traveling around Japan for the past few years, we’ve met with dozens of tea farmers and sampled hundreds of different usucha grade matcha.
We’ve ultimately selected a small handful of our favorites and we’re so happy to share them with all of you. If you want to try some of our top picks for usucha matcha, you can browse through our section of ceremonial matcha.
