Koicha Ratio Calculator

What is the koicha ratio?

Koicha, or thick tea, uses 4 grams of matcha with 30 ml (about 1 fl oz) of water at 80 °C (176 °F) per serving, according to Ippodo Tea's preparation guide. That is roughly 1:7.5 by weight, compared with about 1:30 for everyday usucha. In teaspoons, 4 g is 2 level teaspoons, or 3 heaped chashaku scoops.

The result is a glossy, almost syrupy tea with no foam. It is the centerpiece of a formal Japanese tea gathering, where a single bowl is traditionally shared among guests, but many matcha drinkers also make it for themselves as an occasional treat.

Knead, don't whisk

The technique is the opposite of usucha. Instead of a fast M-shaped whisk, you:

• Add only enough water to cover the powder and work it into a paste
• Move the whisk slowly back and forth and in gentle circles, about 15 seconds
• Add the rest of the water if needed and keep kneading until smooth and shiny
• Avoid bubbles. Foam on koicha usually means it was whisked too fast

Choose the right matcha

Because koicha is about four times as concentrated as usucha, bitterness and astringency are magnified. Tea houses designate certain matcha as suitable for koicha; these are typically their higher grades, made from the youngest shaded leaves. A 2025 comparison of matcha grades published in *Plants* found that the top grade had the most theanine, the amino acid linked with matcha's savory sweetness, while food-grade matcha had far less. Culinary matcha that tastes fine in a latte can be harsh as koicha; see ceremonial vs culinary matcha and usucha vs koicha.

Caffeine in a bowl of koicha

At 4 g of powder, a bowl of koicha delivers more caffeine than usucha. Published lab analyses put matcha at 18.9 to 44.4 mg of caffeine per gram, so one serving is roughly 76 to 178 mg. Use the matcha caffeine calculator if you are counting toward a daily total.

Scaling for guests

For a shared bowl, multiply by the number of guests: three guests need about 12 g of matcha and 90 ml of water. Prepare it in one bowl, kneading a little longer as the volume grows. Pre-sifting the full amount is especially important at this concentration because lumps are easy to see and taste.

Sources

• Ippodo Tea — matcha preparation (Ummon-no-mukashi)
• Toniolo et al. (2025), Characterization of Different Grades of Matcha Tea, Plants
• Kochman et al. (2020), Health Benefits and Chemical Composition of Matcha Green Tea, Molecules