Making traditional matcha is not cooking -- it is closer to meditation. Sift the powder through a fine mesh, listen to it fall softly. Pour 70-80 degree water -- slowly, just enough. Hold the chasen (bamboo whisk), whisk in a W-motion until the surface is covered in jade-colored foam, velvety and fine. It takes less than two minutes, but those two minutes belong entirely to you.
Why 70-80 degrees? Because matcha is exquisitely sensitive to heat. Too hot and it turns harsh, losing all that gentle umami sweetness. The Stagg EKG gives you degree-by-degree control, so temperature is never guesswork.
Use ceremonial grade matcha. Drink from a chawan or thick ceramic cup. Nothing else is needed. The matcha itself is enough.
