Lovers of Matcha Lattes may be surprised to find out that their tall, bright, milky-green drinks are a pretty modern phenomenon. Traditionally, matcha was always prepared with only 2 ingredients – matcha powder and warm water – despite this, two distinct traditional preparation methods emerged: Usucha & Koicha.
But if they’re both just matcha and water, what’s the big deal? The difference is in the dose.
“Cha” is the Japanese/Chinese word for “tea” (Sound familiar? Ever heard of “Chai”? It’s a small world after all!). “Usucha” literally means “thin tea”. It is usually prepared with a ratio of about 70mls of warm water per gram of matcha, and is vigorously frothed with a bamboo chasen to create a smooth foam. Usucha is the more common preparation method for casual matcha consumption.
“Koicha”, on the other hand, means “thick tea”, and is much more intense. Typically, Koicha is prepared with approximately 35mls of warm water per 2g matcha (4 times as concentrated as usucha!) and has a texture more closely resembling honey or melted chocolate. Due to the significantly richer flavour, the highest grade matchas are generally reserved for koicha, with some only using matcha sourced from 30+ year old tea plants.
Wanna try them out for yourself? Here are the ratios:
Usucha
1g Matcha Powder
±70ml water at 75℃
Whisk vigorously until frothy
Koicha
2g Matcha Powder
±35ml water at 75℃
Whisk gently until incorporated
