Matcha Mill
To say that freshness is an important component of matcha quality is an understatement. Of all the teas in the world, matcha is surpassed only by
fresh leaf tea (the just-harvested leaves of the tea, brewed without any drying or processing) in terms of a direct relationship between quality and freshness. This is because matcha is finely ground and its large surface area is exposed to far more air, light and moisture than other teas.
At some point, all serious matcha drinkers consider the question of how to enjoy fresh matcha year round. After all, quality tencha (the dry leaf material used to make matcha) is usually grown once a year and the freshness of matcha begins to deteriorate the moment it is ground.
At Samovar, we have contemplated the issue of matcha freshness, too, and we offer you the Matcha Mill as a solution. It brings the tradition of fresh-ground matcha (which dates back to ancient China and was brought to Japan by early Japanese Buddhist monks) into your home, allowing you to savor the incredible flavor and the ritualistic beauty of truly fresh matcha all year.
Our matcha mills are small and simple enough to use at home. Each one has a solid-granite grinding column that is 20 cm wide by 13 cm tall. The base is also solid granite. It has radiating grooves that grind the matcha and then channel it into a moat-like tray in the base that holds the powder until you are done grinding.
The mill is hand-cranked with a wooden handle. Hand-cranking matcha means slowly grinding matcha. This allows for the complex flavor of matcha undamaged by the heat of friction that is all-too-common with machine-ground matcha.
To make matcha with this mill, simply place tencha tealeaves (which we carry specifically for making matcha) in between the column and the base, grind with the wooden handle and allow the ground matcha to fall into the moat-like tray in the base. Collect your powder and enjoy the rare treat of truly fresh-ground matcha... made by your own hands.
Once your matcha is ground, use a
chashaku (
matcha scoop) to measure it and a
chasen (
matcha whisk) and
chawan (
tea bowl) to prepare and serve it. Savor the vibrant color and flavor of your own, homemade matcha.
To learn more about the tradition of preparing Matcha, check out the video of Jesse's visit to the Urasenke Foundation school of Chado.
More about Matcha At Samovar,
Hekusui Matcha, the
matcha scoop, the
chawan (tea bowl) and the
chasen remind us of why tea, human interconnectedness and spirituality are so intrinsically intertwined in Japan and in
chado (the way of tea).
Here is how you can experience the elegant-yet-simple beauty of matcha for yourself:* Rinse your utensils and tea bowl in very hot water. Never use soap, as it will taint the flavor of your tea.
* Use the tea scoop to place two tea scoops of matcha into your tea bowl. Alternately, you can use three knife tips of matcha.
* Pour four ounces hot (below boiling) filtered water into the bowl.
*
Hold the whisk so it is partially submerged in the tea bowl’s water.
Using your wrist to move the whisk, blend the tea rapidly, making small
“W” shapes in the tea.
* As you whisk, introduce air into the mixture for a frothy, delicious brew.
*
Make sure to whisk the bottom of the bowl and run the whisk over the
sides of the bowl where it meets to water – this will help remove any
clumps from your tea.
* When the matcha is pale green, frothy and thick, it is ready to drink.
* Enjoy your tea.
*
When you are done, re-rinse your bowl and utensils in hot water
(without soap). Store your whisk in its packaging to help it keep its
shape and to prevent broken tines.
To learn more, check out the video of Jesse's visit to the Urasenke Foundation school of Chado to see a Bai Chasen Matcha Tea Whisk in action.
