diff --git a/service/matching/matchingEngine_test.go b/service/matching/matchingEngine_test.go
index 4a86bc04162..0557ca3b845 100644
--- a/service/matching/matchingEngine_test.go
+++ b/service/matching/matchingEngine_test.go
@@ -491,7 +491,7 @@ func (s *matchingEngineSuite) TestSyncMatchActivities() {
 	dPtr := _defaultTaskDispatchRPS
 	mgr := newTaskListManagerWithRateLimiter(
 		s.matchingEngine, tlID, s.matchingEngine.config,
-		newRateLimiter(&dPtr, dispatchTTL),
+		newRateLimiter(&dPtr, dispatchTTL, _minBurst),
 	)
 	s.matchingEngine.updateTaskList(tlID, mgr)
 	s.taskManager.getTaskListManager(tlID).rangeID = initialRangeID
@@ -648,7 +648,7 @@ func (s *matchingEngineSuite) concurrentPublishConsumeActivities(
 	dPtr := _defaultTaskDispatchRPS
 	mgr := newTaskListManagerWithRateLimiter(
 		s.matchingEngine, tlID, s.matchingEngine.config,
-		newRateLimiter(&dPtr, dispatchTTL),
+		newRateLimiter(&dPtr, dispatchTTL, _minBurst),
 	)
 	s.matchingEngine.updateTaskList(tlID, mgr)
 	s.taskManager.getTaskListManager(tlID).rangeID = initialRangeID
diff --git a/service/matching/service.go b/service/matching/service.go
index cfa8fa4a273..fb6958ebe0d 100644
--- a/service/matching/service.go
+++ b/service/matching/service.go
@@ -35,9 +35,10 @@ type Config struct {
 	LongPollExpirationInterval time.Duration
 
 	// taskListManager configuration
-	RangeSize         int64
-	GetTasksBatchSize int
-	UpdateAckInterval time.Duration
+	RangeSize                  int64
+	GetTasksBatchSize          int
+	UpdateAckInterval          time.Duration
+	MinTaskThrottlingBurstSize int
 
 	// taskWriter configuration
 	OutstandingTaskAppendsThreshold int
@@ -54,6 +55,7 @@ func NewConfig() *Config {
 		UpdateAckInterval:               10 * time.Second,
 		OutstandingTaskAppendsThreshold: 250,
 		MaxTaskBatchSize:                100,
+		MinTaskThrottlingBurstSize:      5,
 	}
 }
 
diff --git a/service/matching/taskListManager.go b/service/matching/taskListManager.go
index 7b725e71f34..c953ba25b7c 100644
--- a/service/matching/taskListManager.go
+++ b/service/matching/taskListManager.go
@@ -74,16 +74,19 @@ type rateLimiter struct {
 	ttl      time.Duration
 }
 
-func newRateLimiter(maxDispatchPerSecond *float64, ttl time.Duration) rateLimiter {
+func newRateLimiter(maxDispatchPerSecond *float64, ttl time.Duration, minBurst int) rateLimiter {
 	rl := rateLimiter{
 		maxDispatchPerSecond: maxDispatchPerSecond,
 		ttl:                  ttl,
 		ttlTimer:             time.NewTimer(ttl),
 	}
 	// Note: Potentially expose burst config in future
-	limiter := rate.NewLimiter(
-		rate.Limit(*maxDispatchPerSecond), int(*maxDispatchPerSecond),
-	)
+	// Set burst to be a minimum of 5 when maxDispatch is set to low numbers
+	burst := int(*maxDispatchPerSecond)
+	if burst <= minBurst {
+		burst = minBurst
+	}
+	limiter := rate.NewLimiter(rate.Limit(*maxDispatchPerSecond), burst)
 	rl.globalLimiter.Store(limiter)
 	return rl
 }
@@ -130,7 +133,7 @@ func newTaskListManager(
 	e *matchingEngineImpl, taskList *taskListID, config *Config,
 ) taskListManager {
 	dPtr := _defaultTaskDispatchRPS
-	rl := newRateLimiter(&dPtr, _defaultTaskDispatchRPSTTL)
+	rl := newRateLimiter(&dPtr, _defaultTaskDispatchRPSTTL, config.MinTaskThrottlingBurstSize)
 	return newTaskListManagerWithRateLimiter(e, taskList, config, rl)
 }
 
@@ -626,7 +629,10 @@ deliverBufferTasksLoop:
 				c.logger.Info("Tasklist manager context is cancelled, shutting down")
 				break deliverBufferTasksLoop
 			}
-			c.logger.Warnf("Unable to send tasks for poll, rate limit failed: %s", err.Error())
+			c.logger.Debugf(
+				"Unable to send tasks for poll, rate limit failed, domain: %s, tasklist: %s, error: %s",
+				c.taskListID.domainID, c.taskListID.String(), err.Error(),
+			)
 			c.metricsClient.IncCounter(metrics.MatchingTaskListMgrScope, metrics.BufferThrottleCounter)
 			continue
 		}
diff --git a/service/matching/taskListManager_test.go b/service/matching/taskListManager_test.go
index 3a17b32ee6c..19a43e0d4a4 100644
--- a/service/matching/taskListManager_test.go
+++ b/service/matching/taskListManager_test.go
@@ -23,6 +23,10 @@ package matching
 import (
 	"sync"
 	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+	"golang.org/x/time/rate"
 
 	"github.com/uber/cadence/common/mocks"
 
@@ -31,6 +35,8 @@ import (
 	"github.com/uber/cadence/common/persistence"
 )
 
+const _minBurst = 5
+
 func TestDeliverBufferTasks(t *testing.T) {
 	tests := []func(tlm *taskListManagerImpl){
 		func(tlm *taskListManagerImpl) { close(tlm.taskBuffer) },
@@ -51,6 +57,13 @@ func TestDeliverBufferTasks(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestNewRateLimiter(t *testing.T) {
+	maxDispatch := float64(0.01)
+	rl := newRateLimiter(&maxDispatch, time.Second, _minBurst)
+	limiter := rl.globalLimiter.Load().(*rate.Limiter)
+	assert.Equal(t, _minBurst, limiter.Burst())
+}
+
 func createTestTaskListManager() *taskListManagerImpl {
 	logger := bark.NewLoggerFromLogrus(log.New())
 	tm := newTestTaskManager(logger)