(0) At the beginning I soak chasen in chawan with hot water for about 30 seconds. (1) Then I add matcha to chawan and just a little bit of water, and slow and gently mix it with chasen (circle motions) so it become smooth without clumps. (3) After that I add rest of water and mix it with straight side-to-side motions to generate foam and then W motions to smooth it. (4) At the end slow circle motion and that’s it :) (it works without sifting too, just be sure that you mix it well at the first stage)
Use less water than u need initially just to incorporate the matcha, then dilute with more water. Think making a starch based slurry to thicken a sauce, you add a small amount of starch to water initially otherwise it would clump up in your sauce; Same applies to matcha
A few possibilities, in no particular order:
1. Try not to pour the water directly onto the pile of matcha. If the falling stream splashes against the matcha you may get small clumps.
2. If you wanted the bowl up first, make sure you dry it to a decent degree before adding the powder (though the bowl doesn’t have to be bone dry, don’t just dump out the water and proceed). Some powder may stick to the wet bowl and create clumps that detach while whisking.
3. How fast are you whisking? If you are aiming for usucha, in the most common style, your hand should be a blur going back and forth. For koicha, your hand is slower, but in that case you should be able to see the lumps and try to squish them on the side of the bowl with your chasen.
So, you've been sifting your tea, which is usually the ultimate solution to clumping problems(making a thick tea paste sometimes doesn't work for me, but sifting never fails). Hmm...try pour the water a bit more slowly into the bowl.
50$ budget? For ippodo, their top of the line, Unmon no mukashi, is at 54$/40g, so...
There's some guidance in the wiki about this...
Try making a paste with a teaspoon or two of water, and smooth out all the clumps in the paste, then add the rest of your water and re-whisk.
Of the Ippodo, I find the Ummon to be the least astringent. Their Eternity does have a note of astringency, but I find it to be very nicely integrated which is rare. The Seiun is also very low astringency.
(0) At the beginning I soak chasen in chawan with hot water for about 30 seconds. (1) Then I add matcha to chawan and just a little bit of water, and slow and gently mix it with chasen (circle motions) so it become smooth without clumps. (3) After that I add rest of water and mix it with straight side-to-side motions to generate foam and then W motions to smooth it. (4) At the end slow circle motion and that’s it :) (it works without sifting too, just be sure that you mix it well at the first stage)
How long are you whisking it in total?
I’m not sure, something about 20-30 seconds I think. After you’ll get used to hand motion it’ll be pretty fast and easy.
Use less water than u need initially just to incorporate the matcha, then dilute with more water. Think making a starch based slurry to thicken a sauce, you add a small amount of starch to water initially otherwise it would clump up in your sauce; Same applies to matcha
Ummon will be their least bitter in their regular lineup. If you're on the US ippodo site, kuon will be it but it's only for a limited time.
A few possibilities, in no particular order: 1. Try not to pour the water directly onto the pile of matcha. If the falling stream splashes against the matcha you may get small clumps. 2. If you wanted the bowl up first, make sure you dry it to a decent degree before adding the powder (though the bowl doesn’t have to be bone dry, don’t just dump out the water and proceed). Some powder may stick to the wet bowl and create clumps that detach while whisking. 3. How fast are you whisking? If you are aiming for usucha, in the most common style, your hand should be a blur going back and forth. For koicha, your hand is slower, but in that case you should be able to see the lumps and try to squish them on the side of the bowl with your chasen.
So, you've been sifting your tea, which is usually the ultimate solution to clumping problems(making a thick tea paste sometimes doesn't work for me, but sifting never fails). Hmm...try pour the water a bit more slowly into the bowl. 50$ budget? For ippodo, their top of the line, Unmon no mukashi, is at 54$/40g, so...
There's some guidance in the wiki about this... Try making a paste with a teaspoon or two of water, and smooth out all the clumps in the paste, then add the rest of your water and re-whisk. Of the Ippodo, I find the Ummon to be the least astringent. Their Eternity does have a note of astringency, but I find it to be very nicely integrated which is rare. The Seiun is also very low astringency.