Sifting Matcha: The Key to a Great Brew- The Art of Japanese Green Tea

Sifting matcha is a step sometimes overlooked. However, it is incredibly important to preparing a great bowl of matcha.

Why Bother Sifting?

Matcha has a tendency to clump together. Some of these clumps will survive through the whisking process. If you don’t sift, you risk being left with bitter little clumps in your drink, and even stuck to your tea bowl.

Materials Needed

There are sifters made for this specific task called furui. (You can check out this matcha furui sold by O-Cha.com for more details.) However, the sifting process can be achieved with normal household items.

The items you will need are two pieces of paper, a small household strainer, a matcha canister, a spoon, and some tape.

Making a Paper Tray and Funnel

Begin by utilizing the two pieces of paper. The first sheet you will use as a tray for transferring the matcha from the container into the sifter. Fold a crease down the middle of the sheet.

Make the next piece of paper into a funnel. You can use an actual plastic funnel, but make sure the bottom hole is large enough. Typical kitchen funnels that only have a hole of 1/2 inch in diameter will not work and clog.

The Matcha Sifting Process

Begin by pouring out any unsifted matcha from your container. In my case, I try to only sift a little more than I think I need at a time. I store the rest of my matcha in a different container (hence the two containers in the first image).

Now place your strainer inside your funnel, and have that sit on top of your matcha container. Cautiously pour the matcha into your sifter, and push it through the strainer with a spoon. You may want to only do a little at a time, in order to prevent matcha getting flicked over the sides of the strainer.