I make my matcha latte in a bowl. Not because I am trying to make my morning more ceremonial, and sit in a meditation pose with my bowl in front of me… that’s about 1/7. Most mornings, I’m just trying to get my matcha made before I have to get pumped for my first video call.
But after years of making matcha, I have become convinced that a bowl is simply the best tool for the job, and that’s why I designed our latest matcha kit to include a bowl with a spout. More and more people are wanting matcha lattes, and you can froth your milk any number of ways—whisking while warming on the stovetop, in an electric frother, with a powered whisk, etc. But the matcha, for whatever reason, prefers its centuries old ceremonial approach.
Why matcha needs a bowl, not a mug
There is a reason the traditional matcha bowl (chawan) is shaped the way it is. And once we actually understand what’s actually happening when we whisk our matcha, the bowl starts to make a lot of sense.
Matcha really likes to have room to move. Matcha is different from other teas because you are actually drinking the tea leaf. The finely ground powder needs to be dispersed throughout the water rather than simply steeped and strained. And that’s why a wonderful whisk technique matters: A traditional bamboo whisk has dozens of fine tines, and you use them to rapidly move the matcha through the water. The goal is not really to “stir” it. You are trying to suspend the tiny particles evenly, while oxygenating the mixture, creating that characteristic creamy layer of fine foam on top. A traditional matcha bowl is wide enough that you can move the whisk super quickly without constantly bumping into the sides. And a rounded bottom gives the whisk room to move through the liquid. The relatively low, broad shape lets you hold the whisk comfortably and work with your wrist, always keeping it in the liquid.
If you try doing the same thing in a narrow mug and you’ll immediately understand the problem. The whisk hits the sides. Your movement gets cramped. You end up stirring around the perimeter instead of making the quick back-and-forth motion that creates good aeration. And you’ll probably splash some right out of the mug. The bowl (Chawan) gives the whisk (chasen) just enough runway.
How to make matcha in a bowl
When I teach people to whisk matcha, I often see them make the same mistake: they stir it like they’re adding sugar and milk to a cup of tea. That’s totally understandable—we are used to putting a spoon into a cup and making circles since childhood tea parties with our bears. But a bamboo whisk is designed for something different.
I hold the chasen lightly and whisk briskly back and forth, mostly from the wrist (piano training comes in handy here). Think of a “W” or “M” motion across the surface rather than big circular stirring. You don’t need to mash the whisk against the bottom of the bowl. In fact, you really don’t want to. The fine bamboo tines are doing the work. That rapid movement breaks up little clumps, distributes the matcha particles through the water and pulls air into the mixture. When you get it right, the surface becomes covered with very fine bubbles.
Seeing your matcha as you whisk
And this is another reason I like a bowl: I can actually see what is happening. I can see my matcha. This sounds trivial, but it isn’t. When I make matcha in a bowl, I can see the color, the consistency and the foam developing as I whisk. If there are stubborn clumps, I can see them, and when I’ve whisked enough, I know it. That visual feedback is almost impossible to get when you are making matcha in a tall, narrow cup.
There’s also something satisfying, even therapeutic, about watching that fine, bright green powder transform. A little water, a little whisking, and suddenly you have this smooth, vivid suspension that smells fresh and grassy and looks almost impossibly green. Then I add my steamed or frothed milk. Voila — Matcha latte.
Good matcha gear is engineering, not decoration
After twenty+ years in the tea business, I have come to appreciate these small physical details, and we obsess over them with every article of Steepware we design.
Good tea equipment is so much more than beautiful objects. It is engineering in service of the drink. That is probably why I am so fond of a bowl for matcha. It makes the mechanics easier, the whisking better and the whole process a little more enjoyable. And I’m gaga over our new matcha kit’s bowl, which has a satisfying weight, dimensions, and that great spout, for those who prefer to drink their matcha latte in a glass—like all of my colleagues at work. The matcha kit bowl is my go-to at work. At home, where no one is watching, my matcha latte always goes in a bowl.