Matcha Kit — Whisk, Holder, Scoop & 30g Matcha

Everything you need to start, in one box — except the bowl, because you already have one. $149, or $168 if you bought each piece on its own.

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 $57 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:

1. Sift or spoon 2g of matcha into a wide bowl
2. Add 60ml of water just off the boil
3. Whisk fast in a W motion, 15 seconds, until a fine foam sits on top
4. 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. We do not use the phrase for our own tea, though it does point at a real difference: shade-grown and made to be drunk on its own rather than through milk. What the label actually means.

What’s inside

• Takayama chasen, 100 tines — made in Takayama, Nara, which has made whisks for about 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 months or weeks
• Uji matcha "Murasakino", 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 molds where the bamboo stays damp. On the holder it dries through and keeps its curve. A good whisk lasts a few months 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 — $30

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

Shipping to the US is calculated by weight at checkout. Packed to order in Tokyo and dispatched within 5 business days, then usually 1–2 weeks in transit by Standard airmail (tracked), or 3–6 days by Express EMS (tracked and insured), chosen at checkout. Since the $800 de minimis exemption ended, every parcel into the United States is dutiable regardless of value. We declare every parcel accurately and pay that duty before it leaves Tokyo, so there is nothing for you to pay on delivery — Shipping & duties.

The Matcha & Wagashi Box — the season, delivered

Matcha and seasonal Japanese sweets 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.