Six pieces. Two of them are the ones most sets leave out.
A sifter, so the powder goes into the bowl without lumps. A cloth, so there is something to dry the bowl with. Neither is hard to live without, and both are the difference between doing this properly and improvising every morning.
The bowl has a spout. That sounds minor until the first time you pour matcha into a glass of milk and none of it runs down the side.
Deep matt green outside, black inside. The glaze varies from piece to piece.
What is included
Chawan with pouring spout — 5.4 in (13.7 cm) across, 2.8 in (7 cm) tall, 14 fl oz
Chasen — bamboo whisk, 4.1 in (10.5 cm)
Kusenaoshi — whisk holder, keeps the tines in shape between uses
Chashaku — bamboo scoop, 7.5 in (19 cm)
Sifter — 7.2 in (18.2 cm)
Tea cloth — 13 in (33 cm)
How to make it
Boil the water, then let it stand. Matcha wants 70–80°C (160–175°F) in summer, 75–85°C (165–185°F) in winter. Never straight off the boil.
Warm the bowl and stand the whisk in the hot water until the tines soften. Pour it away and dry the bowl with the cloth.
Sift 1.5 g of matcha into the bowl — two scoops of the chashaku.
Add about 2.4 fl oz (70 ml) of the water. Stir slowly to lift the powder off the bottom, then raise the whisk clear of the base and shake it briskly back and forth from the wrist — not in circles. When the foam rises, bring the tip up to the surface and move it slowly to break the bubbles finer. Lift the whisk quietly from the centre.
Looking after the whisk
Stand it on the kusenaoshi to dry. It keeps its shape that way and lasts several times longer.
Care
Hand wash the bowl. Rinse the whisk in warm water only — never soap — and let it dry on the holder.
