First things first, a tea strainer is like a sieve but much smaller and made of very fine mesh. Exactly what you need for your very fine matcha.
Is it the experience and flavour or the health benefits which you seek from matcha? Well, ideally, both right? Then you need to sieve your matcha. This is due to the way matcha is processed, it’s very fine and therefore electrostatic, just like flour. Once the leaves are hand-picked and freeze-dried, they are ground in a granite stone mill (one 30g tin takes around 1 hour to grind!) turning it into a very fine powder.
Why is my matcha lumpy?
The lumps come from the static electricity created when placed in a tin or pouch. Even when whisked, you may find your matcha experience ruined by lumps. It is important to note that the higher the quality the finer the matcha is and therefore the more important it is that you sieve it.
The matcha experts in our tea farm in Japan always recommend sifting your matcha as the first very important step to making your cuppa.
What are the benefits of using a tea strainer?
When matcha is sieved it actually mixes into the water a lot easier and therefore it’s more likely to froth as there are no lumps getting in the way. Getting rid of those pesky lumps also makes it a beautifully smooth experience.
What if I don’t want to sieve my matcha?
It’s not mandatory, it just makes it a better experience all around. However, if you find that you don’t have the time of the tools, it’s even more important to create a paste with your water. You might find that this takes a little more time and practice to get the right amount of water to create the paste.
Here at OMGTea we absolutely love our sieve, it’s our second favourite thing, after matcha of course! And remember to make the perfect cup of matcha you really do need to start with a quality powder so make sure do your research and select well.
Get your very own tea strainer here (link).
