Why does matcha need to be sifted before whisking?

Why Sift Matcha Powder Before Brewing?

Sifting matcha powder before brewing is a crucial step in the Japanese tea ceremony, primarily for the following reasons:

• Breaking Up Clumps: Matcha powder is extremely fine and prone to clumping due to moisture or compression. Sifting breaks up these clumps, ensuring a uniformly fine powder.
• Improving Texture & Dissolution: Sifted matcha dissolves more readily in water, preventing a gritty texture and resulting in a smoother tea with richer foam (especially important in traditional ceremonies where foam is a key indicator of quality).
• Promoting Even Mixing: Fine powder integrates with water faster, making it easier to whisk into a smooth, frothy consistency with the bamboo whisk (chasen), enhancing the tea's aroma and flavor.
• Removing Impurities: While modern matcha is high quality, sifting can filter out any potential tiny impurities or coarse particles, ensuring purity.
• Following Tradition: Within tea ceremony culture, sifting demonstrates attention to detail, is part of the ritual, and enhances the overall experience.

In summary, sifting significantly improves the brewing result, ensuring each bowl of matcha achieves optimal quality.