Look after your bamboo matcha whisk
(so you bamboo matcha whisk looks after you!)
You’ve made your matcha and, as you sipped through the perfectly whisked-formed froth, the zen-like pause in your schedule has helped you achieve clarity for whatever tasks lie ahead.
YOU NEED TO CLEAN YOUR BAMBOO MATCHA WHISK AFTER EACH USE
Once you’ve finished drinking your tea, cleaning your bamboo matcha whisk is an essential task for a number of reasons.
There’ll still be some matcha residue clinging to the most inaccessible nooks of your whisk. If you ignore it will grow stale, coming loose the next time the whisk is used and impacting the flavors of tomorrow’s brew.
And our hand-made Bamboo Matcha Whisk - while very reasonably priced - is an investment that should pay dividends for at least two years. Hand-made by master craftsman Nara Takayama, they’re a work of art in their own right, too. Cleaning and drying them properly will help maintain their shape and keep them looking wonderful.
So don’t think of cleaning your whisk as a chore, per se. Instead, imagine it as the final stage of your daily matcha ritual, where everything is restored to order in readiness for the next time.
HOW TO CLEAN YOUR BAMBOO MATCHA WHISK
Wash your matcha whisk under a warm, slow stream of water to expel any clumps of matcha powder still clinging on.
You don’t need soap (even if it’s dried off, it could affect the flavor of your next brew), or cloth (which risks bending those delicate tines).
Just gently run your fingers down the prongs to collect any remaining residue.
Once you’ve washed the bamboo matcha whisk, carefully, we’d go as far as saying, lovingly, pat dry your bamboo matcha whisk with a paper towel. Pat drying is important, moisture encourages mold on natural materials like bamboo which in turn shortens the life span of your whisk.
Now simply leave the whisk to properly air dry.
HOW TO DRY YOUR WHISK
Technically speaking these, often made of porcelain, holders are actually whisk-shapers (Kuse-naoshi) designed to ‘train’ the matcha whisk to keep that lovely fully bloomed tulip shape and, therefore, keep the whisk fully functional. That said, Kuse-naoshi work brilliantly for air drying the whisk, and - when bamboo matcha whisk and holder are united on a shelf or a sideboard for storage - they have a wonderfully sculptural effect.
WHEN SHOULD I REPLACE MY BAMBOO MATCHA WHISK
If you take care of your bamboo matcha whisk it should last you about two years.
Bamboo is hostage to climate and moisture in the air It expands and contracts all the time - but even if over time the handle succumbs to the effects of the air and tiny fissures evolve into visible splits, the whisk is still useable and the patina that has developed makes it all the more aesthetically pleasing - think of it as a badge of honour.
But nothing, of course, lasts forever, and when the tips of the prongs have started to wear down or break off it’s time to think about a replacement. You know where to look (hyperlink to shop)
CHECK OUT HOW IT IS DONE
One of our customers sent us a video showing us how he cleans his whisk. Click the link to go to the video.
