Explore Ku Cha’s DIY Matcha Program for Holiday Gifts!
Every once in a while a category of tea gains momentum and turns into a trend sensation. Iced tea, for example, was a curiosity around much of the world until Americans embraced it with passion across the 20th century. Today, it’s a $52 billion market, and far removed from the days of being a flash-in-the-pan trend. The Taiwanese first started making boba tea in the 1980s, and the drink largely remained on the island until the past decade or so. Now, boba tea places pop up all over the place—including in strip malls from Maine to California.
And then there’s matcha, the traditional powdered green tea that Chinese artisans first made in the 12 century. Chinese monks brought matcha with them to Japan, and then the style of tea really took off. The vivid green tea serves as the centerpiece of the elaborate Japanese tea ceremony, and is for sale everywhere from vending machines to gas stations to Michelin star restaurants across the island nation.
The rise of matcha
During the past 15 years or so, matcha merged with the zeitgeist internationally. Baristas in coffeeshops use the powder to make matcha lattes—complete with foam designs on top of the hot liquid. Bakers incorporate matcha in their batters for cupcakes, scones, cookies and more. Chefs use it as an ingredient in soup, pasta and even hummus. And the rising consumer category of “wellness beverages”—drinks containing botanicals like ashwagandha, turmeric, magnesium and electrolytes—has also turned to matcha for wellness benefits and flavor.
Amidst the parade of cakes, breakfast bowls, energy powders and cosmetics (hello matcha face masks!), however, matcha’s original method of consumption continues to thrive. Crafting traditional matcha involves using a bamboo whisk to blend hot water and matcha powder in a ceramic matcha bowl. When done properly—it’s not complicated—the process yields a creamy, luxurious beverage that is a joy to sip and savor.
Beautiful matcha accessories make it special
One of the grand things about making matcha the OG way is the tidy but beautiful array of accessories designed to turn that powder into a silky drink. Sure, you could plop some matcha in a cup, pour hot water over it, blend with a small whisk and sip away. But then you’d be missing out on the beauty of making matcha. And it wouldn’t be quite as good—the bamboo whisk and ceramic bowl make a difference!
We think matcha and matcha accessories make a fabulous gift. The tools are beautiful, the tea is one of a kind and the practice of making proper matcha can easily turn into a lifelong passion. Good news, gift seekers—we have all of that you need to start crafting gorgeous mugs of matcha, with all of the beauty and simple ceremony that matcha-making implies. When it comes to matcha and gifts, our DIY matcha program is here for you!
Holiday Tea Gifts: Matcha
The tea itself, of course, is the centerpiece of a drinking matcha. You can buy sacks of matcha for big discounts at big box stores, but this is ill-advised if the goal is drinking matcha. The powder in the bag might work fine for a batch of cupcakes that you’d like to turn green for St. Patrick’s Day. But for sipping? Stay away!
For sipping, you want high-quality matcha. We offer two grades, regular and premium. Both are outstanding candidates for brewing.
Both of our styles are 100% matcha, which is ground tea powder. After harvest, tea artisans steam the tea leaves and process them into what is called “tencha,” which is processed tea leaves that eventually get turned into matcha. Incidentally, tencha tea—which is whole leaf, rather than ground—is excellent. But for matcha, the tencha gets ground into a powder, at which point it becomes matcha.
One distinct matcha advantage for health: vitamins, minerals and other botanicals. All other teas are brewed, meaning hot water draws flavor and botanical compounds out of the leaves. But the leaves eventually head to the compost pile. With matcha, however, sippers consume the entire leaf, including all of its health properties.
Our regular grade matcha has a bright, sweet, grassy flavor and bold green color. It’s outstanding brewed, and it works well, too, with cooking. Poor quality matcha will of course turn things like scones green. But it also will impart subpar flavors. Our regular matcha adds rich color while also introducing excellent flavor to the cooked dishes. Either way, this is high quality matcha. For cooking that requires larger amounts of matcha it may not be the best solution.
Our premium grade matcha is a step above. And given its status, probably not the best choice for cooking. Once brewed, this matcha yields a creamy, umami-rich tea that possesses an especially vivid green color.
Holiday Tea Gifts: Matcha bowls
Matcha delivers many pleasures, and the bowl is important. Most matcha bowls are made by potters out of clay, and are irregular in shape. The unique vessels address a philosophical tenet that matters to Japanese: In imperfection, we find perfection.
When you hold a matcha bowl, you feel the indentations and dimples, the bumps and ridges. The bowls help ripen a tactile experience. In addition, the wide bowls invite eyes to peer into the pool of green, while also helping to broadcast more aroma out of the bowls and into the inhalations of the sippers.
We offer a range of matcha bowls, all of them beautiful and perfect in their imperfections.
Holiday Tea Gifts: Traditional bamboo matcha whisk
Sure, you could yank a metal whisk from one of the kitchen drawers and commence frothing hot matcha, but it just won’t be the same. Bamboo whisks meant for matcha, which are called “chasen,” include many more loops than standard baking whisks. As a result, they better suspend and separate the matcha, and eliminate clumps. In addition, they don’t scrape the bottom of the matcha bowl—very important!
Holiday Tea Gifts: Whisk stand
After you’re done transforming so much tea powder and hot water into a velvety drink you’ll want a place to temporarily park the bamboo whisk. That’s what a whisk stand is for!
Holiday Tea Gifts: Traditional bamboo matcha spoon
To complete your DIY matcha gift, don’t forget the matcha spoon. The spoons are designed to capture perfect amounts of matcha powder for brewing. They also are quite fetching—aesthetics are important for matcha!
