Faced with exponential demand for matcha, fueled by social media and influencers, the tea world is experiencing a shortage, as the trend has become global. This primarily affects ceremonial grade matcha, traditionally used for tea ceremonies. Today, producers' stocks are low, or even depleted. In the manner of the luxury industry, major tea houses in Kyoto, where some matcha originates, have been forced to limit the sale of the famous green powder.
The situation is so critical that even tea lovers in Japan (e.g., school tea clubs) lack matcha to practice and perpetuate their art. Even more concerning, this craze for matcha is leading to a reduction in the production of other tea leaves (sencha or gyokuro) in its favor, and is causing price increases.
Matcha production requires as much human as temporal investment. In this, it is not very different from the conditions experienced by winemakers in Lavaux: little mechanized work for harvests that cannot immediately adapt to demand. Indeed, converting a sencha plot to matcha takes at least five years. Such an investment is no longer within the reach of many growers – who are elderly and often in a complicated financial situation.
At Marutcha, we pay particular attention to this situation and wish to be part of the solution.
We have therefore decided to offer sustainable solutions to our customers:
- For matcha lattes, it is not necessary to use "ceremonial" grade matcha, so we suggest a blend of second and first harvests. The one we offer is of excellent quality and should satisfy the most demanding enthusiasts. Other Japanese green teas remain relatively unknown, despite their quality.
- This is why we have decided to launch a major tasting campaign starting in May that will unveil the full range of flavors that Japanese green tea can offer. These will be loose-leaf teas – sencha, kukicha, and kabusecha – cold-brewed.
Read our press release (FR, DE, IT, EN, JP)
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