BambooMN Matcha Whisk Set - Golden Chasen (Tea Whisk) + Chashaku (Hooked Bamboo Scoop) + Tea Spoon - 1 Set - Premium Matcha Set to Prepare a Traditional Cup of Matcha

The Matcha Whisk Set arrived quickly, and exactly as expected and advertised. High quality 'golden' bamboo, well made. This is hard to beat for the price/quality. The reseller BambooMN enjoys a high rating for good reason.The Chashaku (measuring scoop) is quite long, and nicely curved. I really like the ergonomics of this one. Most that you find are straight handled, with only the scoop curved up. This has a nice long sweeping curve along the handle that makes scooping and pouring out the powder very easy. The first time I attended a family tea ceremony in Japan they used this curved, ergonomic style, so it's authentic.The whisk itself is good quality. The tips are having a little difficulty recurring themselves on the ceramic holder I purchased for it, but it's nothing extraordinary. In fact the entire set is above average quality all around. Highly recommended to start your Matcha explorations with!If you are looking for high quality Matcha, some of the best Matcha (and Japanese green teas in general) in the world are produced by the Ippodo Tea Company out of Kyoto. They're a 300-year-old company, and 6th generation just since they changed their name to Ippodo.Their teas can get a little pricey at the higher end, but even their medium-quality teas are head and shoulders above the rest.I had the great pleasure of visiting their main tea house in Kyoto earlier this year. Fantastic teas. You can order their products in North America (at pretty close to the same price you'd pay in Japan), from an authorized outlet called "Menos Store" (search online). A number of resellers offer it here on Amazon as well.When ordering here, my only caution would be to make sure you check the "best by" dates when you receive them. If it's too near or past that date, send it back! That said, Ippodo teas tend to have a shorter 'best by' period because of their quality and utter lack of additives.Enjoy!

Very nice beginners matcha set

I had no idea how badly I needed this until I bought it! I had previously just assumed matcha will always have some clumps in it until I came across this product and decided to give it a try and oh my goodness it is a complete game changer!!Full disclosure, I did have to watch a YouTube video to see exactly how I'm supposed to use this. So for anyone as clueless as me, use the hook to scoop up your matcha into a small bowl (this works as a great way to ensure you're not using too much because when it comes to matcha, less is more, so 1-2 scoops is all you need depending on your preference), then pour just a little bit of hot (not boiling water) into the bowl and use the whisk to--- surprise-- whisk the matcha vigorously until all of the chunks are broken up and you see tiny bubbles (which if you lift the whisk up a bit you can whisk those out as well). Then pour into your mug, fill with water (and if you're like me, a lot of honey) and enjoy :) Of course, I'm no expert, but this is at least how I use it. To my understanding, the spoon is just to be used for mixing anything into your matcha or just as an extra spoon to have.Also, keep in mind that the bamboo will absorb liquid, so do not leave any of this in the sink or run through the dishwasher. The whisk really only needs a nice rinse anyway.

Even though this unit is made in china, it still works really well as a chasen. I find it works really well to help forth up matcha as well as any powder mix. It makes a huge difference! I used to use a balloon whisk to mix matcha and while it does its job, I always found clumps and specks of matcha/powder left over in the bowl. But this whisk absolutely mixes the finer powder and no residue is left behind. It's perfect to use when making green tea brulee, pudding, and flan. Keep in mind, the bristles are really thin so make sure you're not using it on extremely hot liquids as it will warp the bristles. Also, bamboo is prone to crack when its too dry, so make sure you wet the bristles before each use to keep it's longevity. In fact if you're worried about keeping its shape invest in a Whisk Keeper (Kusenaoshi), it really helps. All in all, a cheaper alternative to actual chasen made in Japan but great non the less.

I really love this set. I use the spoon every day for all my beverage stiring (coffee and tea). The chashaku is pretty awesome as well. It measures out about 1/4 tsp to 1/2 tsp depending on how much you heap. I basically scooped and then tapped into a measuring spoon to learn the "eyeball" measurement and now I use it whenever I need 1/4 or 1/2 teaspoon of tea.The whisk is nice. I have had a pleasant experience with it. This is how I take care of it: after using it, rinse and wrap your fingers around the whisk part to re-shape and set back into the plastic container it came it. The first use I did not do that and it expanded out while on my dish rack and would not go back in the container. But I used it again and again and after a few times it went back into shape. I lost the lid so the whisk has stayed about 1/4 inch longer than the tube but that does not bother me at all.My suggestions to others is to not leave the bamboo item in any liquid for longer than the amount of time you are stirring/whisking/washing it. Only wash by hand. I use mine every day (for the past 5 months), several times a days, and there is zero cracking or breaking or anything of the sort.Overall, a great set of Bamboo tools for my tea and coffee!!!! Also, I just discovered a good matcha powder that mixes with cold liquids here on Amazon [Premium Organic Matcha Green Tea Powder 2oz Thailand - Award Winner Tropical Green Color, Dissolve in Cold Water Easy to Drink, Make Latte, Smoothies, Baking Brownie- USDA Certified Coffee Alternative ] that works well with this set.