Why does my matcha taste bitter? Causes and fixes

Is matcha naturally bitter?

A little astringency is part of it, since matcha is a green tea. But good matcha tastes smooth and naturally a little sweet, with bitterness in the background.

Two groups of compounds are mainly responsible. Catechins taste bitter and astringent, caffeine tastes bitter. Theanine is an amino acid that shapes the umami taste. How you prepare matcha and how fresh it is decides which side comes forward.

Is your water too hot?

This is the most common cause. For leaf tea, the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture describes the effect like this: the umami compounds dissolve from about 50°C. Catechins and caffeine dissolve mainly at 80°C and above.

With matcha you drink the whole leaf, so the effect is smaller than with steeped tea. In our experience, though, matcha made with boiling water still tastes more astringent. That is why our standard is no more than 80°C.

To get to roughly 80°C without a thermometer, let boiled water stand for a few minutes, or pour it into a cup first and then into the matcha bowl (chawan). A kettle with temperature settings makes it easier.

Is your matcha to water ratio right?

Our standard is 2g matcha to 40ml water. 2g is about one level teaspoon, and a small kitchen scale is more precise.

With too much powder or too little water, matcha becomes very concentrated and the bitterness stands out. With too much water it tastes thin, and the smooth, sweet side gets lost.

For a latte the base stays the same: 2g matcha to 40ml water, whatever the size of the glass. Extra volume comes from the milk, not the water. You can't make a cappuccino out of an americano.

Is your matcha old or stored open?

Matcha changes once it is opened. A Korean study shows that the warmer and longer matcha is stored, the more its green tone and catechins decline. What remains tastes flat and astringent instead of fresh.

How to spot old matcha: the colour turns duller or more yellowish, and the smell becomes flat or musty. After opening, matcha is best used within 3 months. How to store it properly is in How to store matcha.

Is your matcha from a later harvest?

Then it tastes more astringent even when perfectly prepared. Leaves from summer and autumn have had more sun. They contain more catechins and less theanine than the young shoots of the first spring harvest (ichibancha).

For baking that is no problem, since the astringency hardly shows next to sugar and fat. Straight or in a latte, the harvest makes a clear difference. More in First spring harvest vs. later harvests.

Are there clumps in your cup?

Dry clumps of powder burst open in your mouth and taste intensely bitter. They form when matcha isn't evenly dispersed in the water.

Very finely ground matcha clumps easily because the tiny particles stick together. If needed, sift it through a fine tea strainer before adding water. Always put the powder in the bowl first and the water second.

Did you whisk long enough?

Stirring isn't enough. Matcha doesn't dissolve, it gets suspended in the water. Only brisk whisking spreads the particles evenly and builds a fine foam that softens the texture.

Whisk for 10 to 15 seconds with a bamboo whisk (chasen) in a zigzag, an M or W motion. Circling creates large bubbles and less foam. An electric frother works too, and we compare them in Bamboo whisk, frother or shaker?

How do you make matcha without bitterness?

1. Moisten the bamboo whisk briefly in warm water so the fine prongs don't break.
2. Put 2g matcha in the bowl. Sift it if it clumps.
3. Add 40ml water at no more than 80°C.
4. Whisk for 10 to 15 seconds in a zigzag until a fine, dense foam forms.
5. Drink it straight or make a latte with 80 to 120ml (oat) milk. Hot: matcha first, then the foamed milk on top. Iced: ice and milk in the glass first, then the matcha on top.

If you like it sweeter, that's fine. Syrup or purée goes in the glass first.

What if it still tastes bitter?

If you have checked every point above and it still tastes bitter, the matcha itself is the cause. It is either old or from a later harvest.

Our certified organic matcha comes from the first spring harvest in Uji and is ground on granite stone mills so finely that it needs no sifting. To prepare it, you also need a bamboo whisk. Every step is in our preparation guide.