Matcha Batch Calculator for a Crowd

How much matcha for a group?

Multiply the per-serving recipe by the number of people. Using Ippodo Tea's recipes:

• Matcha lattes: about 3 g matcha, 100 ml (3.4 fl oz) water, and 100 ml milk per person, so 8 lattes need about 24 g of matcha (12 level teaspoons, or 4 tablespoons), 800 ml (27 fl oz) of water, and 800 ml of milk
• Usucha bowls: 2 g matcha and 60 ml water per person, so 10 bowls need 20 g and 600 ml (about 20 fl oz) of water
• Koicha: 4 g and 30 ml per person, usually prepared in one shared bowl

Those conversions use Ippodo's guidance that 2 g equals one level teaspoon. For batches, a kitchen scale is much faster and more accurate than counting spoons.

Will one tin be enough?

Matcha is commonly sold in 20 g, 30 g, 40 g, and 100 g sizes. A 30 g tin covers about 10 lattes or 15 usucha bowls. For a party of 20 latte drinkers you need about 60 g, so buy two 30 g tins or one 100 g bag. Ippodo recommends drinking matcha within about a month of opening, so a large bag only makes sense if you will use it up.

Whisking big batches without clumps

A bamboo whisk works best on one to three servings at a time. For more:

• Sift everything first, into a large bowl or straight into a pitcher
• Make a paste with a small amount of the 80 °C (176 °F) water, then add the rest gradually while whisking
• Use tools that scale: an immersion blender or a lidded jar shaken hard both make a smooth base for lattes
• Whisk in rounds of two or three servings if you want traditional foam on usucha

Keep it fresh during service

Matcha settles out of suspension within a few minutes, and it loses its bright color and aroma as it sits warm. Whisk bases in rounds rather than an hour ahead, and stir or re-whisk before pouring. For iced drinks, keep the base and milk separate and combine over ice per glass.

Water temperature in volume

A full kettle takes longer to cool. To bring boiling water to about 80 °C quickly, mix roughly four parts boiling water with one part cold tap water, which lands around 80 to 85 °C, then check with a thermometer if you have one.

Sources

• Ippodo Tea — matcha preparation (Ummon-no-mukashi)
• Ippodo Tea — matcha latte recipe
• Ippodo Tea — how to keep your matcha fresh