The vibrant green color is irresistible–from pastries to uniquely flavored lattes, matcha is nearly everywhere. Within this year, matcha popularity has skyrocketed, leaving a lingering question, is this world-renowned tea reaching a shortage?
Only a few years ago matcha was considered a niche beverage, primarily used in Japanese tea ceremonies, but now is seen on flashy signs outside of nearly every coffee shop across the USA. This new ‘trend’ is mainly thanks to TikTok, with matcha being advertised as a healthy and aesthetically pleasing beverage. Due to this, the earthly powder has reached a demand like never before, making it difficult for matcha-producing companies to keep up.
Most matcha is produced in Japan, and this is because of the country’s ideal climate and soil composition, which are not present in any other country. Japan’s climate is considered cool, humid, and subtropical, with the country having a high annual rainfall (over 1,3000mm), and acidic, well draining soil with a pH of around 5-6 , according to Ujido. With these specific circumstances needed to grow matcha, it is difficult for any other country to similarly replicate. China and South Korea are also known for growing matcha, however, as reported by the company Sugimoto Tea, “true” matcha must be grown in a special way that can only be done so in Japan.
The production of matcha is an extremely intricate and difficult process, and the tea is typically harvested once a year towards the beginning of May. Matcha derives from the tea plant camellia sinensis, a shrub native to East Asia. Whilst being cultivated, Japanese matcha requires a specific shading process that increases the chlorophyll and L-theanine content, giving the drink its unique color and sweet, umami taste.
Once the plant is grown, only the smallest and youngest parts are picked, and are then steamed and thoroughly dried in large cages with heated blowers, as stated by Breakaway Matcha. When the leaves are fully dried, they then get sorted for grade, and the ‘youngest and greenest’ leaves earn the highest marks. The final process, and also the most time consuming, involves destemming and devening the leaves. After this is completed, the remaining leaves, known as ‘tencha’ (碾茶), must be ground using slowly rotating, large granite wheels, which take over an hour to grind only 30g of matcha.
One vital component to matcha is its grade, which is the primary factor that draws consumers to purchase this vibrant drink. As described by Ujido, the highest grade matcha varieties include samidori, okumidori, and yabukita. For high ranking matcha, the key principles include brilliant color intensity, superior umami, excellent terroir, dreamy frothability, and a long, smooth finish with crema to the very last drop.
Overall, the two primary grades of matcha include ceremonial and culinary. These two are relatively similar, however serve two different purposes. Ceremonial matcha’s use is solely for drinking, and contains a sweet taste with a thick texture, according to Ujido. On the other hand, culinary matcha is for cooking and baking purposes, has a higher antioxidant level, and is quite bitter since it is meant to be combined with other ingredients. Culinary matcha is also further categorized into five different groups: premium, cafe, ingredient, kitchen, and classic.
Evidently, the process of harvesting and sorting matcha is a complex procedure, leading to issues as its popularity surges. As reported by FoodDive, “the matcha market generated $478.8 million in 2024 and is projected to reach $762.6 million by 2030,” and “retail sales of the tea powder increased 86% from three years ago.”
As mentioned, this boom in popularity is mainly credited to TikTok, and matcha is now considered a widespread drink in the U.S. With matcha flushes now occurring up to three times a year, not every cup of this tea is considered satisfactory. Instead, “most matcha nowadays is mass produced and contains a dull color, with a rather bitter than umami taste,” states Breakaway Matcha.
With this decline in quality and competition between companies and consumers, the lasting supply of matcha is yet to be questioned. Many prominent news outlets, including BBC, stress how the high demand for this fine powder is “drying out” the global supply. Like any trend, matcha is bound to die down, but will time or resources cause it to diminish?
