In 2020, when everything shut down and I suddenly had a ton of time on my hands, I sought a new challenge (besides finally beating Dark Souls, obviously). In the evenings, I made pizza; but in the mornings, I got into the habit of making fresh matcha. It felt like a nice change of pace and became the sort of meditative practice I needed to stay grounded in what was otherwise… uh, not such a great time. I bought a nice ceramic bowl and a high quality whisk, and I started ordering and trying different kinds of matcha. Kettl was one of the main high quality purveyors I enjoyed buying from, due to both its commitment to artisan farmers and the earthy deliciousness of its tea.
Making matcha at home is a precise process, and it’s not for everyone. For one, mastering the technique is not easy—as far as I learned, you basically mix hot water and matcha in an ergonomic bowl with a whisk, using a sort of Z-shaped whisking technique where you mix quickly but also very precisely and thoroughly. The goal is a beautiful bowl of green tea that has bubbles from edge to edge across the top layer. For a long time, I found it hard to produce enough bubbles, or to have them evenly distributed without any holes where you could see through to the liquid. Another issue, not unlike in the world of coffee, is that matcha can be expensive. Granted, you can also get totally fine matcha online, at a tea shop, or at an international grocery store for a very reasonable price, but if you want super good stuff, it’ll cost you. When it comes to food and drink, I’m not cheap (since it’s literally my job); that said, I just read through some texts I sent to another matcha-making friend in 2020, discovering this complaint I registered at the time: “I want to be able to have one or two matchas a day without spending $40 or more a week, but IDK if that’s possible.” Maybe I just have expensive tastes. For these and other reasons—[Arnold Schwarzenegger voice in my head] you lack discipline!—I eventually stopped making it and just doubled down on coffee. It could have been so much easier to feed my habit if I’d just had, say, a gadget or machine to make the process quicker and more seamless.
Enter: the Cuzen Matcha Maker
Recently, I had the opportunity to test out the Cuzen Matcha Maker, which is basically like the matcha equivalent of a high-level Breville espresso machine.
This was the first time I’d seen a high-end machine specifically designed for brewing perfect matcha, and I was super excited to give it a whirl (or 10). Tea heads, rise up—here’s my honest review.
What’s the point of a machine when you can just use your hand?
I think there are a few answers to this question. First, like I said earlier, brewing a perfect matcha isn’t exactly easy—it’s something that takes time and technique to master, akin to pulling a perfect espresso or cooking a killer pizza. That’s why we invent devices to make those things easier for casual home users. And fortunately for us, while the Brevilles and Oonis (we can afford) might not immediately give us access to world class, championship level products at home, we’ve reached the point where the home amateur, with a bit of work, can actually reach a pretty respectable level. This is also true of the Cuzen.
The deal here is that you use put whole matcha leaves (aka tencha, a green tea leaf) into the machine, which grinds them fresh for each brew; below the grinder, you pour hot water into a bowl that uses magnet technology to “whisk” the matcha into a tasty glass of antioxidant-rich, caffeinated goodness that our friendly Goop overlords would almost definitely approve of. The brand has three of its own matcha blends that you can use for different kinds of drinks.
But before we get to the final brewed product, let’s address some other aspects of this admittedly hella bougie machine.
First impressions
Matcha machine. Photo by the author.
First, the machine itself looks like a spaceship from Interstellar fucked an Apple desktop computer. When we were unboxing it, my girlfriend literally said, “This is like if Apple made a matcha maker.” (I’m not saying Siri is integrated into the machine, but don’t be surprised if things you mention in your kitchen suddenly begin showing up in your Instagram ad roster.) With regard to the object itself, there were literally only three components—the base, the magnetic bowl, and a cord—which is to say that it’s incredibly easy to set up and use. And once you get past the fact that this thing looks like it will be penning and starring in Hollywood blockbusters within a couple years (too soon?), it’ll be a handsome addition to your kitchen counter. So, in short, you can spend time buying matcha gear and getting your technique to a solid place—which IMO is totally worth doing even if you have the Cuzen—but this machine wants to help you get straight to the good, healthy, green gold that is matcha.
Is the matcha itself actually good? Do you actually need to grind your own?
I don’t presume to be an expert in matcha, so I’ll let the brand speak for itself. Cuzen offers three different blends: Premium (for making straight matcha), Signature (to make mixed drinks, like a matcha tonic), and Latte (meant to be blended with milk). Cuzen describes these as “premium single-origin teas, available on a limited basis”; and the good people of Cuzen appear to be, like great coffee roasters, visiting farming partners and selecting the best quality produce available. In my experience buying nice matcha, it tends to come pre-ground, but I like the idea that I can grind fresh matcha at home—I’d think it would make for very satisfying extraction and flavor. I have yet to try the Cuzen machine with other brands of matcha, but the brand’s own stuff tastes pretty fresh and has a lovely aroma.
Brewed matcha. Photo by the author.
The results
The Cuzen allows for three levels (or, in coffee speak, ratios) of strength: one gram, one and a half grams, or two grams of matcha to six ounces of hot water. It took a minute to brew matcha on the Cuzen in a way that reminded me of doing it by hand. My first couple brews were with the premium blend, and using the lowest setting (one gram). I ultimately found it to be a bit watery and not strong enough for my taste, so I did a brew with one and a half grams and immediately found the viscosity and the grassy-rich flavor that I recognized as “good matcha.” Having achieved, and rather quickly, a satisfying brew, I moved on to the hot matcha latte, which required me to switch to the latte blend and to steam some oat milk in my Breville espresso machine. I love a matcha latte, and a military latte (matcha + espresso) I think is one of the greatest pre-noon (non-alcoholic) beverages in the world. (If you’ve never had a military latte, visit a Sawada Coffee ASAP, where it’s the signature drink.) Anyway, the matcha latte was creamy, airy, umami perfection. Delicious.
TL;DR: For tea drinkers and those seeking to mix up their morning routines, the Cuzen Matcha Maker is a pretty nice thing to have, especially if you love matcha and don’t want to risk a wrist sprain making your own every day. Naturally it’s sort of a luxury experience, but, frankly, so is hand-brewing your own single-origin matcha at home every day. Yes, the device looks like a Goop x Apple collab directed by Christopher Nolan, but that’s exactly why the machine is the kind of thing you’ll be proud to have on your counter next time you have tea-enjoying houseguests.
I can’t say that matcha fans should no longer learn to brew their own, because that’s a meditative and enriching process, but the Cuzen is a good argument for why you don’t necessarily have to do that every day.
Buy the Cuzen Matcha Maker on Amazon.
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