Macha faces deficiency, high prices, and definitions
It increases in the middle of the day, it becomes more expensive and more difficult as a palaces of supply and high pressure cafes.
The popularity of Macha, the bright green powder in drinks, ice cream and pastries, has increased over the past few years, which are fueled by social media and tourism boom after the guardianship in Japan.
But Japan’s supplies dries with standard heat and a lack of tea farmers, as they outperform prices that may rise more with a 15 % new tariff on Japanese imports in the United States. Tea experts say that the real Matta Machha is grown only and produced in Japan. The deficiency has made it difficult for cafes to get a check.
“Usually when we ask for our powder, it should take about one to two months,” said Alfred Chan, director and co -founder of URBAN Matcha, Las Vegas Café, which opened in 2023.
Macha comes from the tea factory, Camellia Seninsis. The factory was brought from China to Japan about 750 m, according to Rebecca Corbit, a professor of Japanese studies at the University of South California. But she said, Macha herself was not made in Japan until about 1250 AD, and in the end it was only produced there.
Matcha Make is a specialized art: it includes a traditional cup of tea tea that cultivates shade in a soft powder, then this powder is mixed in hot water with bamboo whisk. The drink is used in Japanese tea ceremonies and is estimated for its clear health benefits, With some evidence Macha can help lower blood pressure, reduce inflammation and improve concentration.
“People love the health benefits of Matha, and this is not new,” said Corbit. “In 1200 and 1300s, people in Japan were talking about it and encouraging drinking Macha as a remedy, for example.”
Now, Matcha is a global feeling, as customers are waiting for long lines in cafes to get their hands on a cup.
“I get Macha all the time,” said Emma Willingham, a client at the Machia Café, Miko Cafe in New York City, New York City. “Every time someone gets coffee, I am like,” well, give me a walk. “
Tea experts say social media helped fuel the madness of the Matha, as people publish their colored creations.
“If you look at Instagram and Tiktok, the bright green color in Matcha, it is very attractive,” said Corbit. “There is also a cold Japan factor, a type of aesthetic of its modern simplicity. All of this is filled around Macha.”
Tourism in Japan has risen over the past few years, with standard destruction 36.9 million people visit in 2024According to the Japanese National Tourism Organization and the Japanese Tourism Agency. Some of these travelers returned home with bags full of Marka.
The demand has increased to the point that some Japanese companies I started to limit The amount of matches can buy.
It is not only the high demand for the industry industry – it’s also limited supply. The number of tea farmers has decreased significantly over the past two decades: between 2000 and 2020, 4 out of 5 producers or farmers stopped, according to the Japanese Global Tea Association.
“There are not many people to care for the fields,” said Lauren Porvis, President and CEO of Mizoba Tae, who works with Japanese producers to sell Match and other online tea and cafes cafes. “As farmers are old, tea fields will be abandoned.”
The registry heat also recorded this spring harvest in Japan. Porvis said that some farmers report their harvest decreased by 20 % to 30 % from last year due to heat.
“Just two years ago, we were really worried about the presence of Japanese tea, and now everyone wants it,” said Porvis. “We were only dealing with abandoned fields, and now Japan could not make enough.”
It is not easy to expand production: only a small part of the lands of Japan can be grown, and experts say that Macha is taking a long time. Portica said that some farmers are working to transform their fields to create more Tencha, the papers used to make Matcha, but that takes time.
Currently, Matcha supplies are not enough to extinguish global thirst as Matcha companies like Purvis’ Mizuba Tea say it is running out.
“We got 1,000 units, which are like, pooof, they are outside the door,” Porfis said.
Kettl, a Japanese tea company online and at the New York and Los Angeles Café, has recorded standard sales while Matcha fly from the shelves.
“We have seen a very request,” said Zac Manjan, founder of Kettl. “200 cans rose, and they went in about 16 hours.”
Specific stores like Kettl are spending more than ever on some Matcha options. Mangan said that most Kettl suppliers doubled their prices from last year – and the company had to transfer some of these added costs to consumers. It is concerned that Kettl will need to raise prices with new tariffs by 15 % on Japanese goods.
“If it is only 15 %, and the shortage does not cause demand and increase prices, we may be able to say only,” whatever it is, we will take care of it. “But this makes it more complicated when you explain both the definitions and increase in the costs of raw materials in Japan.”
American consumers are already bombing more for Matcha Lattes. The average number of cups is $ 6.15 for a cup, according to Paymenting Company Square, an increase of $ 5.84 last year.
While consumers in the United States retreat from spending on major food chains such as McDonald’s, Chipotel and Windy, they pour more money in drinks. Sales in American drinks chains are expected to grow by 4.5 % this year, according to the Food Research Company.
“You have this type of iron effect of very cheap, without bells and lamps, then you go to that experience once instead of a kind of continuous spending,” said Ming Tae, head of food and drinks in the box.
Even with the high prices of Macha, consumers are expected to continue to buy.
Huha said: “It is an attractive flavor in color, in flavor, in health, and these are just good recipes for long -term success.”