Good matcha deserves more than a quick stir into oat milk.
These are five recipes that hold up, drawn from Japanese tradition and adapted for a kitchen in Australia. Each one starts with the same principle: use ceremonial grade. Culinary grade exists for a reason, but today we are focusing on making the most of ceremonial grade matcha.
1. Traditional Usucha (Thin Tea)
The one that started everything. Sift 1.5g of Meiso into a warmed chawan. Add 70ml of water at 75°C — never boiling! Whisk in a brisk W-motion until a fine foam sits on the surface. Drink immediately. No milk. No sweetener. Just the matcha.
2. Ceremonial Matcha Latte
Whisk 2g of matcha with 30ml of 75°C water into a smooth concentrate. Steam or heat 150ml of your milk of choice — oat runs cleanest. Pour slowly. The foam does the rest.
3. Matcha Hojicha Layered Latte
Brew a strong hojicha base. Let it cool. Pour over ice, then layer your matcha concentrate over the back of a spoon. Two flavours, one glass. Neither one overpowers the other.
4. Matcha Rice (Ocha-zuke inspired)
Stir half a teaspoon of Meiso through hot Japanese short-grain rice with a splash of dashi and a pinch of salt. Finish with toasted sesame and nori. Quiet. Warming. Deeply savoury.
5. Frozen Matcha Coconut Cups
Blend 2 tsp matcha with full-fat coconut milk, a touch of honey, and freeze in moulds. The fat in coconut milk rounds out the umami. Four hours in the freezer. Gone in two minutes.
Not every recipe needs to be fancy or complicated. What it does need is matcha worth starting with.