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BBC News
4 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Why di demand for matcha tea dey dry up global supply
Matcha mania dey sweep di world. Dem fit see di bright green Japanese tea in everytin from Starbucks' lattes for UK to Krispy Kreme doughnuts for Singapore. Social media dey drive di global craze for matcha, as influencers dey share brewing tips, reviews and recipes. Di "Matcha Tok" hashtag don get up to tens of millions of views. Matcha growing popularity also dey linked to Japan post-pandemic tourism boom, as di kontri weak currency dey make am attractive destination as well as boosting demand for Japanese goods. For di middle of di hype, demand for di powder dey rise. US-based tea importer Lauren Purvis tell BBC say her customers dey see once as month supply of matcha running out in days. "Some cafes even dey ask for one kilo per day. Dem dey desperate to keep up," Ms Purvis, wey dey run Mizuba Tea Co tok. But di high demand, combined wit smaller tea crops sake of heatwaves and US tariffs on Japan, also dey push up matcha prices. Traditionally, Matcha - wey pipo dey use sake of im health benefits, caffeine and flavour - na di product of one centuries-old and highly-specialised process. Dem dey make am from green tea leaves called na tencha, wey dem dey keep under shade for weeks as dem still dey grow. Dis step dey very important for developing di tea signature "umami" flavour - one ogbonge taste wey complement dia natural sweetness. Dem go harvest di leaves, dem go use stone mills dry and ground dem into powder, wey fit produce just 40g (1.4oz) of matcha one hour. But in recent months growers dey struggle, as record-breaking heatwaves dey affect crops. For di Kyoto region, wia about one quarter of Japan tencha come from, hot weather don lead to poor harvests even as demand increase. Di kontri also dey face shortage of farmers as dia population dey old and younger pipo wey dey go di industry no plenty. Shops for Uji, one city for Kyoto famous for matcha, dey always see dia shelves go empty as tourists dey enta to buy once dem open dia doors. Sake of day, many retailers don set limits on how much customers fit buy. Kyoto-based Camellia Tea Ceremony dey allow customers buy only one tin of matcha each as visitor numbers doubled ova di last year, director Atsuko Mori tok. Tea master Rie Takeda also tok say she gatz closely monitor her stocks of matcha, as orders wey go bifor arrive in just days now dey take more dan one week. She dey work for Chazen, one tea ceremony chain for Tokyo, wey dey host traditional rituals serving matcha to guests. Shortages mean tea prices for Chazen outlets don rise by around 30% dis year. "[Di demand] dey good," Ms Takeda tok through one translator. "Na gateway for more pipo to sabi about Japanese culture." E also don attract more growers. Matcha production nearly triple between 2010 and 2023, according to Japan agricultural ministry. Dem also tok say green tea exports, including matcha, also rise 25% last year to 36.4bn yen (£180m; $250m). Savour, not hoard Di craze for matcha craze don spark one movement to promote more mindful consumption. Advocates don call out pipo wey dem see say dey hoard matcha or dey profit from dia popularity. Odas don ask tea drinkers to dey careful about how much dem dey use, and to savour matcha for dia purest form instead of as ingredient in recipes. E dey "a bit sad" to see how pipo dey use high-grade matcha to cook – as dia delicate flavour often no dey show - or stockpiled for resale, Ms Mori tok "Matcha na di highest grade of tea and e dey so special to us. So a bit of a contradiction dey wen I hear stories about how dem dey resell am or use am for food." Di Global Japanese Tea Association dey encourage pipo to use lower grade matcha from later harvests, wey plenty and good for cooking. High-grade matcha dey often lose dia delicate flavour wen dem use am in drinks like lattes, dem add. "Promoting awareness of these distinctions dey help ensure say Japanese tea dey enjoyed wit respect, while supporting di craft and tradition behind am," di association tok. Dem also say di prices of matcha dey likely to rise further sake of tariffs US dey impose on Japan. On Tuesday, Washington and Tokyo bin announce one trade deal wey go mean a 15% import tax on Japanese products wey dey enta US. Matcha distributors like Ms Purvis dey ready for di impact. Di Oregon-based entrepreneur say orders go up by more dan 70% for early July ahead of one deadline for di two kontris to reach trade agreement. "As dem no dey grow Japanese tea for US, no American industry dey under threat wey tariffs need to protect," she tok. "We hope say dem go realise say dem need to exempt specialty tea." Even as soaring demand and limited supplies push up prices, some light dey on di horizon. At least one matcha cafe chain dey reason say prices go come down in di future - although not for a while. "Pipo dey buy am well-well at di demand and di demand dey grow rapidly, but we think say e go calm down a bit in two to three years."
Japan Times
06-07-2025
- Business
- Japan Times
Global matcha 'obsession' drinks Japan's tea farms dry
At a minimalist Los Angeles matcha bar, powdered Japanese tea is prepared with precision, despite a global shortage driven by the bright green drink's social media stardom. Of the 25 types of matcha on the menu at Kettl Tea, which opened on Hollywood Boulevard this year, all but four were out of stock, the shop's founder Zach Mangan said. "One of the things we struggle with is telling customers that, unfortunately, we don't have" what they want, he said. With its deep grassy aroma, intense color and pick-me-up effects, the popularity of matcha "has grown just exponentially over the last decade, but much more so in the last two to three years," the 40-year-old explained. It is now "a cultural touchpoint in the Western world" — found everywhere from ice cream flavor boards to Starbucks. This has caused matcha's market to nearly double over a year, Mangan said. "No matter what we try, there's just not more to buy." Thousands of kilometers away in Sayama, Saitama Prefecture, Masahiro Okutomi — the 15th generation to run his family's tea business — is overwhelmed by demand. "I had to put on our website that we are not accepting any more matcha orders," he said. Producing the powder is an intensive process: The leaves, called tencha, are shaded for several weeks before harvest, to concentrate the taste and nutrients. They are then carefully deveined by hand, dried and finely ground in a machine. 'Long-term endeavor' "It takes years of training" to make matcha properly, Okutomi said. "It's a long-term endeavor requiring equipment, labor and investment." "I'm glad the world is taking an interest in our matcha ... but in the short term, it's almost a threat — we just can't keep up," he said. Tea farm owner Masahiro Okutomi works at his farm in Sayama, Saitama Prefecture, on June 4. | AFP-JIJI The matcha boom has been fueled by online influencers like Andie Ella, who has more than 600,000 subscribers on YouTube and started her own brand of matcha products. At the pastel-pink pop-up shop she opened in Tokyo's hip Harajuku district, dozens of fans were excitedly waiting to take a photo with the 23-year-old Frenchwoman or buy her cans of strawberry or white chocolate flavored matcha. "Matcha is visually very appealing," Ella said. To date, her matcha brand, produced in Mie Prefecture, has sold 133,000 cans. Launched in November 2023, it now has eight employees. "Demand has not stopped growing," she said. In 2024, matcha accounted for over half of the 8,798 metric tons of green tea exported from Japan, according to agriculture ministry data — twice as much as a decade ago. Tokyo tea shop Jugetsudo, in the touristy former fish market area of Tsukiji, is trying to control its stock levels given the escalating demand. "We don't strictly impose purchase limits, but we sometimes refuse to sell large quantities to customers suspected of reselling," said store manager Shigehito Nishikida. "In the past two or three years, the craze has intensified: Customers now want to make matcha themselves, like they see on social media," he added. Tariff threat Anita Jordan, a 49-year-old Australian tourist in Japan, said her "kids are obsessed with matcha." "They sent me on a mission to find the best one," she laughed. Okutomi presents the steps of tea processing in a factory in Sayama on June 4. | AFP-JIJI The global matcha market is estimated to be worth billions of dollars, but it could be hit by U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs on Japanese products — currently 10%, with a hike to 24% in the cards. Shortages and tariffs mean "we do have to raise prices. We don't take it lightly," said Mangan at Kettl Tea, though it hasn't dampened demand so far. "Customers are saying: 'I want matcha, before it runs out.'" At Kettl Tea, matcha can be mixed with milk in a latte or enjoyed straight, hand-whisked with hot water in a ceramic bowl to better appreciate its subtle taste. It's not a cheap treat: the latter option costs at least $10 per glass, while 20 grams of powder to make the drink at home is priced between $25 and $150. Japan's government is encouraging tea producers to farm on a larger scale to reduce costs. But that risks sacrificing quality, and "in small rural areas, it's almost impossible," grower Okutomi said. The number of tea plantations in Japan has fallen to a quarter of what it was 20 years ago, as farmers age and find it difficult to secure successors, he added. "Training a new generation takes time. ... It can't be improvised," Okutomi said.
South China Morning Post
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong's new openings, from a Japanese bar to a pastry pop-up
Madara Madara uses premium Japanese teas in its bespoke cocktails. Photo: Madara This new Japanese craft-cocktail bar in Causeway Bay's Yorucho izakaya is led by Rayven Leung, founding bartender of the nearby Takumi Mixology Salon. Drawing inspiration from the Asagimadara (chestnut tiger butterfly), the bar's warm, wood-accented space accommodates only 10 seats, creating an intimate hideaway in which to enjoy fresh fruit cocktails in the Ginza tradition or more experimental concoctions such as sakura-infused shochutinis and hojicha cosmopolitans. 16/F, Wing Kwong Centre, 28 Tang Lung Street, Causeway Bay Butterfly Patisserie Pop-Up The Hokkaido taro flan from Butterfly Patisserie. Photo: courtesy Rosewood Hong Kong Rosewood Hong Kong's pastry shop brings its take on Japanese-style flans to Central with a pop-up at Lane Crawford in IFC Mall. Indulge in the silky Hokkaido custard flan or the rich and velvety Hokkaido taro offering, each limited to 150 pieces daily. Lane Crawford, Podium 3, IFC Mall, 8 Finance Street, Central Next Shikaku Next Shikaku's clear oyster broth ramen. Photo: courtesy Next Shikaku Following a brief renovation, the ramen joint is back with a refreshed menu celebrating its signature Osaka-inspired oyster ramen. For the rest of the month, patrons can enjoy no service charge while slurping on bowls of clear oyster broth ramen and the heartier oyster dipping ramen, paired with wine-steamed oysters and smoked chashu pork.
South China Morning Post
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong's new openings, from a Japanese bar to a pastry pop-up
Madara Madara uses premium Japanese teas in its bespoke cocktails. Photo: Madara This new Japanese craft-cocktail bar in Causeway Bay's Yorucho izakaya is led by Rayven Leung, founding bartender of the nearby Takumi Mixology Salon. Drawing inspiration from the Asagimadara (chestnut tiger butterfly), the bar's warm, wood-accented space accommodates only 10 seats, creating an intimate hideaway in which to enjoy fresh fruit cocktails in the Ginza tradition or more experimental concoctions such as sakura-infused shochutinis and hojicha cosmopolitans. Advertisement 16/F, Wing Kwong Centre, 28 Tang Lung Street, Causeway Bay Butterfly Patisserie Pop-Up The Hokkaido taro flan from Butterfly Patisserie. Photo: courtesy Rosewood Hong Kong Rosewood Hong Kong's pastry shop brings its take on Japanese-style flans to Central with a pop-up at Lane Crawford in IFC Mall. Indulge in the silky Hokkaido custard flan or the rich and velvety Hokkaido taro offering, each limited to 150 pieces daily. Lane Crawford, Podium 3, IFC Mall, 8 Finance Street, Central Next Shikaku Next Shikaku's clear oyster broth ramen. Photo: courtesy Next Shikaku Following a brief renovation, the ramen joint is back with a refreshed menu celebrating its signature Osaka-inspired oyster ramen. For the rest of the month, patrons can enjoy no service charge while slurping on bowls of clear oyster broth ramen and the heartier oyster dipping ramen, paired with wine-steamed oysters and smoked chashu pork.
CNA
14-06-2025
- Business
- CNA
He made matcha cool: Meet the founder of Kyoto specialty teashop Yugen
As a child, teatime was an important part of the day for Tadayuki Sudo, who grew up in Osaka, Japan. Every afternoon, his mother would brew him a cup of hot matcha, which he would slowly savour. The founder of Japanese specialty tea store Yugen in Kyoto missed the drink when he left for San Diego in the US to study sociology in university. 'But whenever I went home – matcha!' laughed Sudo. For Sudo, drinking matcha is associated with the comforts of home. I met him in his casual, chic shop-cum-gallery that also sells its teas online, as well as to retailers, cafes and restaurants in more than 40 countries. Even after graduating and moving to Tokyo where he founded two companies (one in advertising, the other in branding and human relations) with friends, he looked forward to teatime. 'I was very busy and whenever I felt exhausted, I always made myself a cup of hot matcha,' said Sudo. 'I love matcha,' he reiterated. FROM BRANDING TO BREWING This affection for tea led him to swop his fast-paced life in Tokyo to become an advocate for the Japanese tea industry. It started when Sudo was working on an advertising project for a big tea company. 'I was helping to promote its tea products, but these were matcha sweets and bottled matcha, not [pure] matcha for drinking,' he shared. The frequent tea drinker could not understand why consumers preferred the processed products until a colleague analysed that drinking tea was not in vogue anymore – brewing tea was also time consuming for busy urbanites who regularly had their coffee on the go. Not long after, Sudo chanced upon a farmer's market at Omotesando Station. He struck up a conversation with a tea farmer who bemoaned the industry's decline. 'The farmer didn't want his son to take over his plantation; he wanted him to go to university to work in a big company,' recalled Sudo. Unsure of how to help the farmers who faced challenges due to low demand, he started by supporting the farmer he had met, creating pro bono branding and marketing collateral that highlighted the benefits of tea. It's delicious and very good for health. It also has a long history and culture,' said Sudo. As a drink for relaxation, tea also contains less negative side effects. 'When I drink a few cups of beer or black coffee, I don't feel so good. But two or three cups of tea a day feels okay,' Sudo commented. Despite his efforts, Sudo felt that a quicker remedy was necessary to help the ailing industry. The Eureka moment came when Sudo realised there were few casual, modern places to enjoy a good cup of matcha or tea. Most places serving high-grade matcha were formal venues, such as traditional teahouses. 'There were so many good coffee shops in Japan and also the world, but not many modern teahouses,' he said. 'I wanted people to feel that it's not difficult to enjoy tea, so I opened my shop.' THE RITUAL OF MATCHA Seven years on, modern teahouses and drinking matcha have become trendy. Like Yugen, many of these teahouses pair the drinks with wagashi (traditional Japanese confectionery) and serve them in an aesthetic, kaiseki style. Sudo shared that acquaintances and even coffee shop owners have asked him to teach them how to make a good cup of coffee using the correct steps and techniques. As an intentional, precise ritual, the tea ceremony has become the poster child for the slow living trend – not unlike the pour-over coffee experience. Making matcha forces one to put aside other thoughts in order to focus on the visceral actions of measuring, scooping, pouring, stirring and swirling a chawan. It involves all the senses – sight, sound, smell, touch and taste – with the final sensation being the warm, slightly bitter and umami drink flowing down the throat and warming the stomach. Yugen's success also stems from Sudo's keen business sense. The entrepreneur saw that the steep prices of good-quality matcha discouraged common folk from drinking it on a daily basis. This was partly due to the many entities it takes to get the harvested leaves from the farmer to the customer, with tea-processing factories, and retailers and restaurants in between all adding to the costs. Sudo chanced upon a tea-processing factory that was closing and approached the owner. 'I told him that I was going to start my own business, where people can enjoy tea like in a coffee shop,' said Sudo. He encouraged farmers in Kyoto and Uji to plant good-grade tealeaves before purchasing directly from them and sending them to this particular factory for processing at competitive rates in order to reduce overall prices. 'Now he is very, very busy,' chuckled Sudo on the factory owner. Drawing on his creative background, he packaged Yugen's tea in attractive, minimal casing with clear graphics. Sudo also created four original blends, simplified into Matcha #01 to #03. The higher the number, the better the grade. For instance, #01, which is mixes five leaf types, is a light tea blend; its natural sweetness makes it a popular choice for everyday drinking and making matcha wagashi. Meanwhile, blend #3 mixes Asahi and Samidor tea leaves, and is typically enjoyed as a koicha (thicker tea) using a larger amount of matcha powder. Each packaging come with information on the tea's origins, picking methods and tealeaf varieties, as well as information on how to brew a cup. In the same spirit of education, Yugen's website provides detailed instructions on how to brew the different teas and blends. For instance – the first brew of sencha requires four to six grams of tea leaves per 1,000 ml of hot water at 85 degrees Fahrenheit for 90 seconds. View this post on Instagram A post shared by YUGEN (@yugen_kyoto) On the increasing popularity of drinking matcha, Sudo believes that the COVID-19 pandemic was a catalyst. 'During COVID, people started caring more about their health. They realised tea can help them become more resistant to viruses so they drank more. Aside from having a lot of nutrition, tea also makes one more relaxed. So now many people make matcha to drink, not just make matcha ice cream or sweets,' observed Sudo. He is most happy for the farmers, many of whom were initially only interested in growing quantity, not quality. 'But now, it's different. The farmers try to improve in their jobs, learning how to grow good tea leaves,' said Sudo proudly. BUSINESS WITH PURPOSE In Singapore, Yugen is served in some Japanese fine-dining restaurants. Japanese cafe Kurasu also uses Yugen's single-origin variety matcha known as Okumidori to make its matcha latte, matcha latte espresso and ceremonial matcha that is whisked using the usucha (classic matcha) method. Beyond making tea-drinking fuss-free and offering good tea at affordable prices, Sudo believes that Yugen offers something 'meaningful'. Back in Tokyo, his businesses were thriving and he had fun running them, but he had questioned if they brought meaning to his life. As long as Yugen brings positivity to the lives of the people who consume the teas or matcha, Sudo is grateful. Now, he is applying the same approach to supporting related craftsmen and ateliers, whose fate was suffering alongside the declining tea industry. These include those who make metal tea scoops, chawan pottery, glass bowls and so on. Sudo contemplated that if they are more affordable priced and well made – just like the matcha – more people can purchase them and use them at home. 'There are many expensive [crafts] but there are also many that are not so expensive but still of high quality,' said Sudo, whose shop sells many of these intricate pieces. This was why in 2022, he moved Yugen from the more touristy Kawaramachi area to a quieter location near the Kyoto Imperial Palace. It is also much bigger with a cafe on the first floor, a gallery for changing exhibits on the second, and a retail space on the third. While I was there in September 2024, the gallery was exhibiting the works of glass artist Aki Sakaida. 'Tourist areas are good for business but I moved here so people can enjoy a slower, calmer teatime, and see these handicrafts and artisanal objects,' said Sudo. The interiors have a wabi sabi aesthetic, with paint stripped from the concrete surfaces. Marks and stains of time are streaked and scratched across the grey walls. Resin coats the raw cement floor on the upper levels to capture the memory of the rain-glossed floor Sudo encountered on his first visit to the building. Panels of translucent fabric draped along the floor like the ends of dresses, contrasting the beton brut (raw concrete). A SPACE TO SLOW DOWN After our interview, I took a long time to peruse the store on the third storey. There are Goto Yohei's coloured glassware, ceramics from Nishi Takayuki's Blade series with sky-blue glaze frozen in mid-drip, Miyo Oyabu's glass plates and bowls with bubbling from the glass-making process that forms unique shadows with sunlight, Akira Arakawa's glass pitchers and dishes and teapots by Saori Yamazaki with a distinct black lacquer. Sudo recommended not treating the objects like precious displays but that they are used daily as they were originally intended. This also increases the attachment between user and object. Sudo uses many of these pieces in the teahouse. While making matcha for me, he greeted a customer. It was a friend from Tokyo who is a model-turned-skincare brand founder. She had her matcha, a plate of wagashi and a short chat with Sudo before continuing her day. I got the feeling that regulars come to Yugen for that homely feeling, the sense that every process is cared for – much like what Sudo experienced as a child when his mother made him his daily matcha. In traditional Japanese aesthetics, 'yugen' refers to a kind of subtle gracefulness too deep and overwhelming to put into words. Perched on my shadowed spot at Yugen, sipping my delicious, warm matcha tenderly brewed for me, no words were needed.
