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There are some products you try once, and suddenly realize there’s just no going back. Once you have a robot vaccuum, it’s hard to imagine that you ever had a little electro-buddy buzzing around to pick up your crumbs, and once and Instant Pot is in the equation, you’re dinner game will never be the same. But there are some products that we never would have guessed we would end up considering essential. One we’re adding to the books? The Cuzen Matcha Maker.

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Courtesy of Cuzen. Cuzen Matcha Starter Kit $299.00 Buy now Sign Up

I was given a Cuzen Matcha Maker to review, and I have to admit that at first, I was skeptical. In the past, I had mostly enjoyed matcha at boba places or from the Starbucks drive-thru, while at home I mostly rely on coffee or espresso to give me my daily caffeine boost. But as I learned, there’s a reason why celebrities like Carey Mulligan, Cindy Crawford, and Shaun White all love the Cuzen Matcha Maker.

First things first, it’s gorgeous. As soon as I took it out of the box and put it on the counter, it immediately became the nicest looking thing in my kitchen. The machine is a sleek white square, with a silver mill shaft that stores and grinds matcha leaves, and there’s a circular opening in the center of the machine for the spinning matcha cup. It’s modern, space-efficient, and totally worthy of that coveted space on the counter.

But more importantly, it truly made it easy for me to start including matcha as part of my daily ritual. Matcha has lots of health benefits — it’s a type of green tea, after all. I also loved having an option that would give me a bit of an energy boost without the shaky, slightly nauseous feeling I can get if I have too much coffee. It helps that Cuzen’s matcha is also totally delicious.

Cuzen’s Matcha Starter Kit comes with three 4oz packets of matcha leaves: Premium Matcha Leaf, Signature Matcha Leaf, and Latte Matcha Leaf. The leaves are high-quality, organic, and shade-grown with a clean, fresh flavor. The Premium Matcha is intended to be sipped as-is, but since I usually drink matcha as a latte, the Latte Blend Matcha Leaf is the one I’ll be re-ordering.

Courtesy of Cuzen. Cuzen Organic Latte Blend Matcha Leaf $17.00 Buy now Sign Up

To make a serving of matcha, you pour the contents of the matcha leaf pouch into the mill. You can add all of the leaves at once, and they’ll stay fresh for up to two months. Fill the included whisking cup to the line with water and place it on the base of the circle in the machine. Then, select your preferred matcha strength by pressing a button at the top of the machine 1-3 times, and press start to make your matcha. There are only two buttons, and it’s really easy to figure out.

As the whisk in the small cup begins to spin and whir, the mill grinds the matcha leaves and releases them into the cup below. It’s so much easier than whisking your own matcha at home, and because the leaves are freshly ground, the matcha has a much better flavor than instant matcha products I’ve tried in the past.

When your matcha is done, you can sip it straight, use it to make a latte, use it in cocktails, or however you see fit.

There are only a couple of potential cons I see with this product. It is a bit expensive, at $299. However, that’s about what you’d expect to pay for a basic espresso machine, and a lot more affordable than a fancier espresso machine. If you love matcha, or know someone who does, I think it’s well worth the splurge. It’s also a nice gift for people who drink green tea but don’t like coffee. They even offer a Gift Starter Set that includes the Cuzen matcha machine, a 20 gram bag of each variety of matcha leaf, and an organic cotton reusable furoshiki gift wrap.

Courtesy of Cuzen. Matcha Maker Gift Starter Kit $389.00 Buy now Sign Up

The other thing to note is that Cuzen’s own matcha leaves are the only ones recommended for use with the machine. That being said, I did some price checking, and Cuzen’s matcha leaves are actually about the same price per ounce as many of the whole leaf matcha options I could find online (a 20 gram packet of their Latte Blend is just $17). Since I’ve tried Cuzen’s matcha and really liked the flavor, I don’t see a reason to try to get a bargain basement matcha to try with the machine that might end up clogging the mill or breaking it.

If you love matcha and have been wanting to make it at home to save on those pricy cafe drinks, or have a loved one who drinks green tea all the time that you want to buy a nice gift for, check out the Cuzen matcha maker.

Before you go, check out our roundup of summer cocktails below:

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