His Matcha Milka coffee is becoming more expensive and more difficult to get as a shortage of supplies and shoot the demand expulsion coffees.
Matcha, the bright green dust turned in drinks, ice cream and cakes, has shot in popularity in recent years, driven by social networks and a post-pondemic tourist boom in Japan.
But Japan’s supply is drying with record heat and a shortage of tea producers, increasing prices that could increase further with new 15% tariffs in Japanese imports in the United States. Tea experts say that True Matcha is only grown and produced in Japan. The shortage has made it difficult for cafes to obtain Matcha.
“Normally, when we asked for our dust, it should take between a month to two months,” said Alfred Chan, manager and co -founder of Urban Matcha, a Las Vegas coffee that opened in 2023. “But at this time it takes about six months to reach us.”
Matcha comes from the tea plant, camellia sinensis. The plant was brought from China to Japan around 750 CE, according to Rebecca Corbett, professor of Japanese studies at the University of Southern California. But, he said, Matcha itself was not done in Japan until around 1250 EC and finally occurred only there.
Matcha’s manufacturing is a specialized art: a traditional cup involves grinding the shadow -grown tea leaves in a fine powder, then mixing that dust in hot water with a bamboo whistle. The drink is used in Japanese tea ceremonies and is appreciated for its apparent health benefits, with some evidence that Matcha could help reduce blood pressure, reduce inflammation and improve concentration.
“People like Matcha’s health benefits, and that’s not new,” said Corbett. “In 1200, 1300, people in Japan were talking about that and promoting drink Matcha as a cure for the hangover, for example.”
Now, Matcha is a global sensation, with customers waiting in long queues in coffees to have a cup.
“I have Matcha all the time,” said Emma Willingham, a customer of Matcha Cafe Maiko in New York City. “Every time someone else is drinking coffee, I say, ‘ok, give me the matcha’.”
Tea experts say that social networks helped feed Matcha’s madness, with people publishing their colorful creations.
“If you look at Instagram and Tiktok, Matcha’s bright green color is very visually attractive,” said Corbett. “And there is also the great factor of Japan, the type of aesthetics of modern minimalism. Everything is packing around Matcha.”
Tourism in Japan has risen in recent years, with 36.9 million people who visit in 2024, according to the National Tourism Organization of Japan and the Tourism Agency of Japan. Some of those travelers have returned home with bags full of Matcha.
The demand has become so high that some Japanese companies have begun to limit the amount of matcha that people can buy.
It is not only a great demand that permanent the industry, but it is also a limited offer. The number of tea farmers has fallen dramatically in the last two decades: between 2000 and 2020, 4 out of 5 tea producers or farmers stopped preparing tea, according to the global Japanese tea association.
“There are not many people to take care of the fields,” said Lauren Purvis, president and executive director of Mizuba Tea Co., who works with Japanese producers to sell Matcha and other online teas and coffee shops. “As farmers grow old, tea fields were abandoned.”
The record heat also harmed the harvest of this spring in Japan. Purvis said some farmers report that their harvest decreased 20% to 30% from last year due to heat.
“Just a couple of years ago, we were really worried about existing Japanese tea, and now everyone wants,” Purvis said. “We were just dealing with abandoned fields, and now Japan can’t do enough.”
It is not easy to expand production: only a small fraction of the earth of Japan can be cultivated, and experts say Matcha takes a long time. Purvis said some farmers are working to turn their fields to make more tancha, the leaves used to make matcha, but that takes time.
At this time, Matcha’s supply is not enough to turn off the world thirst, since Matcha companies like Mizuba Tea de Purvis say they are running out.
“We have our 1,000 units, and it’s like, Poof are out of the door,” Purvis said.
Kettl, a company that sells Japanese online and in its New York and Los Angeles coffees, has had record sales as Matcha flies the shelves.
“We have seen an extreme demand,” said Zach Mangan, founder of Kettl. “Recently 200 cans uploaded, and they left in approximately 16 hours.”
Stores like Kettl are spending more than ever in some of their matcha options. Mangan said that most Kettl suppliers doubled their prices last year, and the company has had to pass some of those additional costs to consumers. He worries that Kettl needs to increase prices even more with the new 15% tariffs on Japanese products.
“If it were only 15%, and the shortage was not causing demand and increased prices, we could say: ‘whatever, we will take care of it,” said Mangan. “But it makes it more complicated when both tariffs and the increase in raw material costs in Japan are taking into account.”
American consumers are already disbursing more for their matcha lattes. Lattes average $ 6.15 per cup, according to the Square Payment Processing Company, compared to $ 5.84 last year.
While US consumers are withdrawing spending on the main food chains such as McDonald’s, Chipotle and Wendy’s, they are investing more money in drinks. It is forecast that sales in American drink chains will grow 4.5% this year, according to the Technomic Food Research Company.
“You have this type of super cheap bar effect, without bells and whistles, and then do everything possible in that unique experience instead of perhaps a type of continuous expense,” said Ming-Tai Huh, head of food and drinks in Square.
Even as Matcha prices increase, he hopes that consumers continue to buy it.
“It is a flavor that is attractive in color, in flavor, in health,” said Huh, “and those are good recipes for long -standing success.”
