Coffee nerds (myself not included) have loved the design-centric brand Fellow since its launch over five years ago. The California company specializes in practical minimalist gear, from kettles—the aspirational kettle of choice in most sleek coffee shops and beautiful boutique hotels—to coffee grinders and espresso machines. My white Fellow Corvo EKG kettle is one of the appliances that I intentionally leave out on my kitchen counter for when I make tea and, more specifically, matcha. Fellow has continued branching out, creating a seamless branded matcha experience with their five-piece matcha set, which is just as beautiful and meticulously thought out as one would expect from the brand.
The kit targets those who subscribe to the matcha craze in more ritualistic ways than those simply ordering the aesthetic strawberry matcha lattes with cold foam tops. It’s for those of us who actually indulge in the method of matcha, or at least aspire to. The kit, which comes in four colors—matte white, desert rose, matte black, and hazy blue—comes with a chawan (bowl) with a pouring spout, a naoshi (whisk stand), a chasen (bamboo whisk), a tea tray, a stainless-steel spoon, and a sifter. Each item has a place on the tray, and the design feels meticulous and intentional. Plus, most of the set is dishwasher-safe, excepting the whisk and tea tray.
Let’s break down each part of the kit.
- Chawan: The ceramic bowl has a capacity of 380 ml, big enough to fit two servings of matcha, and allows for easy whisking and seamless pouring (the pouring spout makes the experience pretty much spill-proof). I also love the weight and feel of the ceramic. It manages to be lightweight while still boasting a nice ceramic heft.
- Whisk and whisk stand: As for the whisk, it’s similar to what you’ll find in most other matcha kits, but I love the whisk stand. It’s a chic ceramic piece that matches the rest of the set and it allows the whisk to dry properly, which it won’t if you throw it back into a cabinet or drawer. That improper drying can lead to a whisk with broken prongs, full of gunk.
- Tea tray: This is the ceramic stage where the whole matcha ritual happens. It has silicone feet so it stays in place, which is especially important while you’re whisking.
- Stainless-steel spoon: Most matcha scoops I’ve encountered are bamboo, so the stainless-steel feels like a meaningful upgrade because it has a particularly luxurious weight to it. Of course, functionally it’s very similar to those light bamboo spoons. You can’t measure the matcha exactly using the scoop, but I use around three scoops, which gave me roughly two grams.
- Stainless-steel sifter: The sifter is also stainless steel and is designed to sit right on top of the bowl. It has finely etched holes so that you can sift your matcha, using the spoon, right into the bowl.
If you’re considering buying the matcha set, either for yourself or as a gift, there are also options to add on a kettle—the Stagg EKG with its gooseneck pour spout or a Corvo EKG with a wide spout—and a 20 g jar of matcha from one of our favorite matcha makers Kettl. Fellow smartly partnered with Kettl for this launch and even had founder Zach Mangan demo the set. And while it’s featuring Kettl right now, Fellow plans to rotate matcha offerings the way it ships beans from different coffee roasters every week with its Fellow Drops program.
I’m a huge fan of my new Fellow matcha kit and love how it looks on my counter. That being said, there are two things I’d note before you buy one too. First of all, it’s not cheap. The five-piece matcha set is $130. Adding the Kettl matcha adds another $33. If you want a true matcha starter kit—adding the Kettl matcha and a Fellow hot water kettle—the total price tag jumps to $294.
One more drawback for me was the stainless-steel sifter. It’s gorgeous and practical in that it fits right on top of the bowl for easy sifting, but I found that some of the matcha got stuck in the sifter, meaning that I was leaving some matcha on the table, and it was harder to clean out.
Would I be thrilled to receive this kit for the holidays? Yes. Would I gift it to my matcha pals? Also, yes. Ever since I’ve had it out on my counter, every guest to my apartment has remarked on its beauty, and I’m reminded every time I look at it to slow down and to delight in the ritual of matcha making at home.
Get Fellow’s matcha set on your counter.