How to Make Matcha at Home: Hot, Iced, Latte, and Without a Whisk
By Kiyomi Koike, Founder and ITMA Certified Tea Master · Updated October 2026
How do you make matcha? Put 1.5 g of matcha (one stick or ¾ teaspoon) in a bowl or mug, add a splash of water at 145°F (63°C) or below, whisk briskly for fifteen to twenty seconds until it is smooth and lightly foamed, then top up to 6 to 12 oz of water and drink. That is the whole method, and it takes about a minute. Everything else on this page is detail: the right water, what to do without a whisk, how to make it iced or as a latte, how to prepare our other teas, and why a cup sometimes comes out bitter or clumpy. If you came here to make matcha powder from tea leaves, that is a different project, and I describe it on how to make homemade matcha from the leaf.
| Matcha | 1.5 g a cup: one stick or ¾ teaspoon. Adjust to taste once you know the cup you like |
| Water | 6 to 12 oz, at 145°F (63°C) or below, never boiling; less water for a richer cup, more for a lighter one |
| Tool | A bamboo whisk (chasen) or an electric frother; a shaker bottle or blender works too |
| Time | About one minute |
| Iced | The same 1.5 g in 8 oz of cold water, shaken or stirred, then ice |
| Latte | 1.5 to 2 g whisked with 2 oz of water, then 6 to 8 oz of hot or cold milk |
| Our other teas | Sencha 0.75 g at 165°F or below; hojicha and genmaicha 1 g at 185°F or below; the decafs follow their regular versions |
What you need
Matcha is the simplest tea to make because there is nothing to steep and nothing to strain; the leaf is the drink. You need four things.
- Matcha. A ceremonial grade if you are drinking it with water; the difference between grades shows most in a plain cup. Our Organic Matcha comes in single-serve sticks of 1.5 g, which takes the measuring out of it, or a 50-serving pouch with a ¾ teaspoon as the measure.
- Water. Filtered if your tap water is hard or tastes of chlorine; matcha is mostly water, and it shows. Heated to 145°F (63°C) or below. Without a thermometer, boil the kettle and let it stand with the lid off for ten minutes or so, or pour it into a cold cup and let it sit for a minute before it goes on the tea.
- A bowl or a wide mug. A traditional bowl (chawan) gives the whisk room to move; a wide mug does the same job.
- A whisk or a frother. The bamboo whisk makes the finest foam and is a pleasure to use; a handheld electric frother gets you ninety percent of the way in ten seconds. If you have neither, see the section on making matcha without a whisk.
How to make matcha, step by step
This is usucha, thin tea, the everyday cup. It is the way to taste a matcha properly and the base for everything else on this page.
- Warm the bowl. Swirl a little hot water in the bowl or mug and pour it out. A warm bowl keeps the tea warm and softens the whisk's tines if you are using bamboo.
- Measure the matcha. Empty one stick, or measure ¾ teaspoon (1.5 g), into the bowl. If the powder has clumped in the pouch, press it through a small sieve first; stone-milled matcha clumps because the particles are so fine, and sifting makes the whisking easier.
- Add a splash of water. Pour in about 2 oz (60 ml) of water at 145°F or below. Starting with a small amount lets you work the powder into a smooth paste before you dilute it; this is the step most people skip, and it is the one that prevents lumps.
- Whisk. Hold the bowl with one hand and whisk briskly from the wrist in a zigzag, an M or a W, not in circles, for fifteen to twenty seconds, keeping the tines just off the bottom. The tea will turn glossy, then foam. With a frother, hold it near the bottom of the bowl and move it slowly around for about ten seconds.
- Top up. Add the rest of your water, 4 to 10 oz depending on how strong you like it, and give the bowl one more gentle pass with the whisk to bring the foam back. Lift the whisk out slowly through the center of the bowl to leave a smooth surface.
- Drink it soon. Matcha is a suspension, not a solution; the powder settles within a few minutes. Swirl the bowl or stir as you drink, and finish it while it is warm.
The water temperature matters more than anything else in this list. Hot water pulls the bitter catechins out of the leaf quickly and scalds the aroma; at 145°F or below the sweetness and umami come forward and the bitterness stays in the background. Our Organic Decaf Matcha is made exactly the same way, with the same 1.5 g serving and the same water.
How to make iced matcha
Cold water extracts very little from the leaf, so iced matcha tastes lighter and greener, with almost no bitterness, and it is the easiest version of all.
- Shake it. Put 1.5 g of matcha and 8 oz of cold water in a bottle or a jar with a lid and shake hard for ten seconds. Or whisk it in a bowl with 2 oz of cold water first, then pour over ice and add the rest.
- Add ice and drink within a few minutes, swirling as the powder settles.
- For a sweeter glass, a little honey or maple syrup dissolves better if you stir it into the 2 oz of water before the ice; my notes on which sweeteners suit green tea are on sweetening green tea without losing the taste.
Cold water will not dissolve the powder any more than hot water does, so expect to swirl. A sparkling version with ginger is on our sparkling iced green tea recipe.
How to make a matcha latte
Milk softens matcha's umami and its bitterness, so a latte tastes sweeter and creamier than matcha with water; it also hides a weak matcha, which is why so many cafe lattes taste of milk and sugar. Use a full serving and the tea comes through.
- Make a concentrate. Whisk 1.5 g of matcha, or 2 g if you want the tea to lead, with 2 oz of water at 145°F or below until smooth and foamy.
- Add the milk. Pour in 6 to 8 oz of hot milk for a hot latte, or cold milk over ice for an iced one. Oat and almond milk suit matcha well; dairy makes a richer, sweeter cup.
- Sweeten if you like, lightly, so you can still taste the tea.
The version one of our customers sent us, made with our sencha or matcha and coconut milk, is on our matcha latte recipe.
How to make matcha without a whisk
A bamboo whisk is the traditional tool, not the only one. Any of these makes a smooth cup.
- Electric frother. The best substitute. Ten seconds in 2 oz of water, then top up.
- Shaker bottle or jar. Powder, water, lid, ten seconds of hard shaking. Works for hot water too if the bottle is heat-safe; leave the lid loose for a moment to let the steam out.
- Blender. A few seconds on low; good when you are making several cups or a latte.
- A fork or a small spoon. Work the powder into a paste with a teaspoon of water first, pressing out the lumps against the side of the cup, then add the rest of the water a little at a time, stirring. Slower, but it works.
- A sieve. Sifting the powder into the cup before you add water removes most of the clumps before they form, whichever tool you use next.
Why your matcha is bitter, clumpy or flat
- Bitter. Water too hot, too much powder, or a lower grade than the label suggests. Check the water first; most bitter cups are a temperature problem. If the water and the amount are right and it is still bitter, the leaf is the problem; I explain how to tell on how to choose the best matcha.
- Clumpy. The powder went into too much water at once, or was not whisked. Start with 2 oz, whisk to a paste, then dilute. Sift if the pouch has compacted.
- Flat, no foam. Too much water for the powder, or whisking in circles rather than a zigzag. Foam is not essential to the taste, but it tells you the powder is evenly suspended.
- Settles fast. Normal. Matcha does not dissolve. Swirl and keep drinking; a powder that dissolves completely is not whole leaf.
- Tastes like hay or cardboard. Old or badly stored powder. Keep matcha sealed, away from light and heat, and drink it while it is fresh; it loses aroma steadily once opened. What fresh matcha should taste like is on what matcha tastes like.
Our matcha, measured for you
Everything on this page assumes a 1.5 g serving, because that is what we pack in each stick of our Organic Matcha, Ceremonial Grade A: shade-grown first-harvest tencha, stone-milled, certified organic, with its lab results published. The sticks make the morning cup a thirty-second job and travel well; the pouch is the better value if you drink it every day and do not mind a measuring spoon. Either way, start with one serving in 8 oz of water at 145°F and move the water up or down from there until the cup is yours.
Shop Organic Matcha, Ceremonial Grade A
How to make our other teas
All of our teas are whole-leaf powders, so the method is the same: powder in the cup, a splash of water, whisk, top up. Only the amount and the water temperature change, because each leaf is different. Sencha is sun-grown and finer in body, so it takes a smaller serving; hojicha is roasted and a good share of genmaicha is toasted rice, so they take hotter water without turning bitter.
| Tea | Per cup | Water |
|---|---|---|
| Matcha and Decaf Matcha | 1.5 g, one stick or ¾ tsp | 6–12 oz at 145°F (63°C) or below |
| Sencha and Decaf Sencha | 0.75 g, one stick or a heaping ¼ tsp | 6–12 oz at 165°F (74°C) or below |
| Hojicha | 1 g, one stick or ½ tsp | 6–12 oz at 185°F (85°C) or below |
| Genmaicha | 1 g, one stick or ½ tsp | 6–12 oz at 185°F (85°C) or below |
| Any of them, iced | The same serving | 8 oz of cold water, shaken or stirred, then ice |
None of them should meet boiling water. If you are deciding between our two most popular powders, sencha vs matcha compares them on taste, caffeine and price; the toasty teas have their own guides, hojicha and genmaicha, and the two low-caffeine options are explained on decaf green tea, explained. How much caffeine each cup carries, so you can place your cups through the day, is on how much caffeine is in green tea; our guidance for any of them is four or five cups a day, an hour or two apart.
Cooking with matcha and our other powders
Because they are whole-leaf powders, all of our teas go straight into food: a teaspoon into a smoothie or oatmeal, a tablespoon into cookie or brownie batter, a pinch into a salad dressing or over rice and fish for a savory green note, and hojicha into ice cream and custards. Heat dulls the finer qualities, so there is no need to use your best cup for baking, but the taste and color are unmistakable. Our recipes, from lattes to soups, are on our recipe pages, and the long history behind the bowl is on our complete guide to matcha.
Making matcha FAQ
How much matcha powder do you use per cup?
1.5 g, which is one of our sticks or ¾ of a teaspoon, in 6 to 12 oz of water. Less water makes a richer cup, more makes a lighter one. Use 2 g for a latte if you want the tea to come through the milk.
What temperature should the water be for matcha?
145°F (63°C) or below. Hotter water draws out the bitter catechins and flattens the aroma. Without a thermometer, let a boiled kettle stand with the lid off for ten minutes or so, or pour the water into a cold cup and let it sit for a minute first.
Can you make matcha without a whisk?
Yes. An electric frother is the best substitute; a shaker bottle, a jar with a lid, a blender, or a fork and a little patience all work. Make a paste with a small amount of water first, then add the rest.
Can you make matcha with cold water?
Yes, and it is the easiest way: 1.5 g in 8 oz of cold water, shaken or stirred, then ice. Cold water extracts less from the leaf, so the cup tastes lighter and greener with almost no bitterness.
How do you make matcha with the powder, not from leaves?
Matcha powder is the finished tea: whisk 1.5 g with a splash of water at 145°F or below, top up to 6 to 12 oz, and drink. Making the powder itself from fresh leaves is a separate, much longer process, described on our homemade matcha page.
Why is my matcha clumpy?
Stone-milled matcha is so fine that it clumps in the pouch and when it hits too much water at once. Sift it, start with 2 oz of water, whisk to a smooth paste, and then add the rest.
Why does my matcha taste bitter?
Usually the water was too hot. Check the temperature, then the amount (1.5 g in 6 to 12 oz), then the whisking. If all three are right and it is still bitter, the matcha itself is the problem.
Can I use boiling water for matcha?
No. Boiling water scalds matcha and makes it bitter and harsh. 145°F or below for matcha and decaf matcha, 165°F for sencha, 185°F for hojicha and genmaicha, none of them boiling.
How long does it take to make matcha?
About a minute with a whisk or a frother, including heating the water if your kettle is quick. Iced matcha in a shaker takes thirty seconds.
Can I make matcha ahead of time?
You can keep a shaken iced matcha in the fridge for a day; shake again before drinking, because the powder settles. Hot matcha is best within a few minutes of whisking, when the foam and the aroma are at their peak.
