Usucha (薄茶, thin matcha)

Matcha makes people sit up straight before they've even touched the bowl. The whisk looks ceremonial, the powder looks expensive, and suddenly a cup of tea is made to sound like an examination. It isn't. Usucha, thin matcha, is the lighter bowl of chanoyu, the tea practice, and it is made one serving at a time.

The first secret is water temperature. Boiling water bruises matcha, making the cup harsh and chalky; water around 80 C wakes the tea without punishing it. The second secret is the dose: about 2 grams of sifted powder to 60 ml of water. Too much powder and the cup turns heavy. Too much water and the tea loses its shape.

Sift the matcha, add a little water first to make a smooth paste, then whisk with the chasen, the bamboo whisk, in small quick strokes until fine bubbles cover the surface. You're not beating air for sport. You're suspending the powder evenly so the tea feels soft on the tongue and tastes green, sweet-edged, and clean. Serve it at once, with a small sweet beside it if you like. The sweet isn't decoration. It prepares the mouth for the tea's bitterness, which is the way we keep the cup honest.