On a frigid morning last February, a small black bag was left at my New York City doorstep by a friend. In it were three items devoid of instructions: a small container holding a generous dose of jade-green powder; a clear bowl, which I surmised was for drinking from; and a little white ceramic stand that looked like a lemon squeezer, on which rested what appeared to be a multipronged brush for dolls with crimped hair. This, it turned out, was a bamboo tea whisk. If I had a dog named Toto, this is when I’d tell him we weren’t drinking Tazo anymore.
At the time, I knew almost nothing about matcha, the powdered form of green tea, and even less about how it is prepared and consumed. Still, this struck me as an invitation to drink interactively, and in spite of my laughable inability to so much as prepare a glass of water, I was willing to try.
With a small serving spoon, I dropped a ration of the powder into the bowl, filled it with hot water, and began the task of mixing the two. Until that point in my life, I had used two whisks: metal and electric. Now I was presented with an archaic tool that seemed to be a totem of tea drinking: Do it right or don’t do it at all.
I whisked faster and more assiduously as the narrow, bendy prongs bounced up and down, creating an inviting layer of foam. I deemed the tea ready for drinking when I realized that my arm was exhausted. It’s now been nine months since the ultrahealthy matcha and I first fell in love. In that time, I have attempted to take our relationship to the next level—mastering matcha smoothies, matcha yogurt, matcha cupcakes, and matcha meatloaf (a mistake), much to the fascination of those around me. The way I see it, in nine months you can effectively do two things: have a baby or get to know your matcha really, really well.
For a matcha made in heaven, follow these three steps to steamy, foamy, green-mustachioed perfection:
1. Place one teaspoon of matcha into a small bowl and use whisk to gently break up clumps.
2. Slowly pour cup of not-quite-boiling water into the center of the bowl. (You can also use milk or your alt-milk of choice.)
3. Whisk briskly in an up-and-down motion (like writing the letters M and W) until the tea is bright green and frothy, 15-20 seconds.
Leandra Medine is the founder of manrepeller.com, a humorous website about serious fashion.