I Was the Drinks Editor atFood & Wine. Here’s How I Make Matcha at Home.

It’s easy to spend a lot of money on matcha, and when I first started making it at home, I foolishly assumed I had no option but to buy the expensive stuff to produce café-level lattes. As a result, I wasted a fair bit of top-notch matcha that I either underwhisked or burnt — so don’t be like me. I have Matchaful’s Hikari matcha on rotation at home and find it perfect for the entry-level drinker or someone who prefers making matcha lattes with milks and syrups. It’s a single-origin tea sourced from Shizuoka, Japan, and gets super-creamy when whisked properly. Its smooth, nutty flavor plays especially nicely with oat or almond milk.

Once I got serious about my matcha-making, I started buying this rich, full-bodied tea from Ippodo; it’s an ideal option for sipping solo and has a pronounced savory, almost tannic backbone to it that makes it a little less beginner-friendly but packs a ton of complexity in each sip. Ippodo has been the source for some of the best-quality teas from Japan since the early 18th century, so whether you opt for the Ummon or another one of its matchas, you really can’t go wrong. There’s even this handyquizto help you pick the best option for your palate and needs.

If I were to pick justonething on this list to start making better matcha at home, it would be a bamboo whisk, which is not the same as the metal whisk you have in your crock. Sure, you could use an electric frother, but you’ll lose some of the meditative, analog joy of the ritual,andchances are the resulting cup won’t be quite as smooth. There are plenty of bamboo whisks on the market that will do the trick, but I like this one from Kettl for its especially durable bamboo tines (no bending or breaking, even if I’m a little distracted and rough with my whisking). It’s lasted me well over a year with regular use.

Over time, I’ve learned that the key to velvety, smooth matcha isn’t splurging on the most expensive tea you can find — it’s sifting, ideally with this $15 metal sifter. Matcha tends to clump up into tight balls and lumps in the tin over time, and this sifter helps get those particles out so your cup doesn’t taste coarse or sandy (especially once you get to the bottom).

I’ve splashed various hues of emerald and neon green on my countertop, pants, and hands more times than I can count, and upgrading from a regular mixing bowl to a vessel with a spout was an obvious game changer. This little stoneware piece from Farmhouse Pottery is dishwasher safe and also works well for whipping up a little vinaigrette or marinade, which you can pour right over your dish without making a mess.

The ability to precisely control the water temperature is the No. 1 thing I care about in a kettle, and if you’re someone who makes any kind of tea (black, green, oolong, jasmine) or coffee, it should be a top priority for you, too. There are some excellent options in the Strategist guide toelectric kettles, but I prefer this one from Balmuda, which looks like an old-school stove-top model. Its soft light and chime features (instead of a jarring whistle) let you know when your water is at a temperature that will extract all the flavors and tannins from your tea without scorching it.

The Strategist pick forbest handheld milk frother(and the one sold in Blue Bottle shops) is lightweight and comes with three different screen attachments to let you choose between fine, superfine, or ordinary foam in your drink. It’s both quiet and powerful, takes up minimal counter space, and fluffs up even the smallest splash of oat milk to surprising proportions. While I wouldn’t recommend using it in place of a bamboo whisk for matcha, it’s my go-to for making lattes, as well as any other drink that calls for cold (or hot) foam.

While you can certainly use a regular teaspoon to measure your matcha, I like that this scoop lets me adjust my drink by half-teaspoon increments. Plus, since it’s just for dispensing matcha, I don’t have to wash it after each use like I would if I used my regular measuring spoons. It conveniently lives on my matcha tray, ready for the next brew.

While I don’t personally own this, I think this hand-blown glass whisk stand from Tyler Barry is a great gift for someone who wants to take their matcha-making a little more seriously. It looks beautiful on display and keeps your bamboo whisk in mint condition and at arm’s reach.

Undeniably the least “necessary” thing on this list, but hear me out — having all of your tools in one neat place, as opposed to scattered about in different drawers and cabinets, will make you much more likely to makeanything, and matcha is no exception. The tray looks especially chic stored next to my coffee machine. It easily holds my whisk, handheld frother, and bowl and wipes down with ease.