Matcha Kit — Whisk, Holder, Scoop & 30g Ceremonial Matcha
Matcha Kit — Whisk, Holder, Scoop & 30g Ceremonial Matcha
Everything you need to start, in one box — except the bowl, because you already have one. $65.
The whisk is the part that matters. A 100-tine Takayama chasen makes dense microfoam in about 15 seconds. A cheap 80-tine whisk cannot, and it splits within weeks. This is the single biggest difference between matcha you like and matcha you give up on.
Why no bowl? Any wide mug or small cereal bowl works — the whisk needs room to move, not a specific object. Skipping it saves you $30 and a kilogram of shipping weight. If you decide you want a proper Mino-yaki chawan later, it is here.
In 90 seconds, from opening the box:
- Sift or spoon 2g of matcha into a wide bowl
- Add 60ml of water at 80°C — not boiling
- Whisk fast in a W motion, 15 seconds, until a fine foam sits on top
- Drink it while the foam is still there
About the term. “Ceremonial grade” is the American name for it, not a Japanese standard — no official grade exists in Japan. I use the phrase because it is the one you searched for, and because it does describe a real difference: shade-grown, stone-milled, made to be drunk on its own rather than through milk. What the label actually means.
What’s inside
- Takayama chasen, 100 tines — hand-split in Nara, the region that has made whisks for 500 years
- Bamboo scoop (chashaku) — one scoop is about 1g, two scoops is one bowl
- Whisk holder (kusenaoshi) — the thing that decides whether your whisk lasts a year or a month
- Ceremonial-grade Uji matcha, 30g tin — about 15 bowls
- Method card · hand-packed in Tokyo
Why the holder is in the box
A chasen left lying in a drawer dries with its tines splayed and closed in on themselves, and it moulds where the bamboo stays damp. On the holder it dries through and keeps its curve. A good whisk lasts one to two years that way, and weeks without. It costs us little to include, so it is in the box rather than sold to you later.
Add the sifter — $26
Matcha clumps in the tin, and those clumps never whisk out. Sifting takes two seconds and it changes more than it looks like it should. The least glamorous thing here and quietly the most useful. Add the sifter.
Shipping & duties
Flat $9.90 to anywhere in the US. Packed to order in Tokyo and dispatched within 3–5 business days, then 2–3 weeks in transit. US import duties are prepaid — there is nothing to pay when it arrives, and no broker will call you.
Monthly Matcha Club — the season, delivered
One tin and a seasonal sweet each month, chosen to the old Japanese calendar of twenty-four seasons. It is not open yet. Leave your email and you will hear before anyone else.
Specifications
| Whisk | Takayama chasen, 100 tines, hand-split from white bamboo |
|---|---|
| Whisk origin | Takayama, Ikoma City, Nara Prefecture, Japan |
| Whisk size | Approx. 11 cm overall, tine head approx. 6 cm across |
| Scoop | White bamboo chashaku, approx. 19 cm. Two scoops is about 2 g, one bowl |
| Contents | Takayama chasen, bamboo chashaku, matcha for whisking 30 g tin, and a method card |
| Matcha | 30 g, about 15 bowls |
| Origin | Uji, Kyoto Prefecture. Whisk and scoop from Nara |
| Not included | Bowl and sifter |
| Expected life | The whisk 1–2 years with daily use. It is a consumable; the scoop should outlast it by years |
| Care | Whisk: rinse in warm water only, never soap or dishwasher; dry standing tines-up |
| Keeping it | Sealed, 7–8 months. Once opened, 4–6 weeks for best flavour; keep it cold and closed |
| Packing | Packed by hand in Tokyo, in washi paper |
| Ships from | Tokyo, Japan |
Add this too
Matcha Sifter (Furui) $26.00
Matcha clumps in the tin. Sift it first and it whisks smooth in fewer strokes.
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Which box is yours
The four boxes differ in one thing only: how much of the equipment you already own. The matcha is the same in all of them.
| What is included | Two Matchas$45 | Whisk & Matcha$65 | The Whole Setting$95 | Matcha & Sweets$65 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matcha to whisk, 30 g tin | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Everyday matcha for milk and ice, 20 g | Yes | — | — | — |
| Takayama whisk and bamboo scoop | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Mino-yaki bowl | — | — | Yes | — |
| Seasonal sweets and kaishi paper | — | — | — | Yes |
| You will still need | A whisk and a bowl | A bowl | Nothing | A whisk and a bowl |
| Best if | You already have the tools and want the tea | You have a bowl at home you like | You are starting from nothing | You want the pairing, not the equipment |
A bowl is the one piece you can improvise — any wide cup will do to begin. A whisk is the one you cannot: a fork drags and a milk frother beats in air, and the powder stays at the bottom either way.
Before you buy
How long does the whisk last?
One to two years with normal use. Rinse in warm water only, never soap, and let it dry fully.
Do I need a sifter?
Not required, but matcha clumps in the tin and those clumps never whisk out. The $26 sifter fixes it in two seconds.
Can I make lattes with this?
Yes, though the tin in this box is the delicate one and milk will mask most of what you paid for. For lattes the Two Matchas box is better value, because it includes a stronger everyday grade made to survive milk.
Monthly Matcha Club
One tin, and the sweet that belongs to the month
I am putting together a monthly box: matcha for whisking, and a seasonal Japanese sweet that changes as the year does. It is not open yet. Leave your email and you will hear first, before it goes to anyone else.
No newsletter. One message when it opens, and you can leave at any time.
Tomari (とまり) is an old word for a mooring — the place a boat ties up for the night. A bowl of tea is meant to be the same: a few minutes to put the day down. You do not need to know the rules to begin.
Who chose this
I choose everything here by hand, in Japan. I practise tea rather than simply selling the tools for it — I am not a tea master and I do not claim to be. I am a practitioner, which mostly means I have ruined enough bad whisks to know what a good one feels like in the first second of holding it.
Nothing is drop-shipped and nothing passes through a third warehouse. I pack each order in Tokyo and post it from Japan, ceramics double-boxed by hand. If something arrives broken, send me a photograph and post the piece back — I cover the return postage — and I replace it. Who writes and chooses all this, and the longer version of why this shop exists.