Experts are warning of a matcha shortage after the global demand for the viral drink started going through the roof thanks to social media sites like TikTok.
Matcha is a powdered form of green tea, which is known for its vibrant hue and its bright, earthy flavour, as well as various supposed health benefits thanks to being rich in antioxidants.
It’s believed to have originated in China, but later became a staple of the Japanese tea ceremony after being brought over to the country in the 1110s.
It’s now become a highlight of modern-day coffee shop menus across the world, where it’s often combined with milk, ice and flavoured syrups for a highly Instagrammable pale green iced latte – not dissimilar, you’ll notice, to the equally aesthetic and equally in vogue pistachio nut, which surely can’t be a coincidence.
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But what does matcha's status as the new ‘it girl’ of 2025 mean for the industry, which now seems to be bowing under the pressure?
Whispers of a shortage started to surface last autumn, prompting tea companies in Japan to impose strict purchase limits on consumers, as the Guardian reports.
Naoto Sakayori, the director of Chazuna – a park and museum in Kyoto centred on local tea culture – told the outlet that matcha workshops have been fully booked for weeks, with about 90 percent of those coming to make and drink their own tea hailing from overseas.
“We opened in 2021 and for the first two years we didn’t have many visitors,” Sakayori said.
“Then everything changed in March last year and, since August, interest has rocketed. It’s all about matcha, matcha. People think that if they come to Kyoto on holiday, then they absolutely have to come here for a matcha experience. And then everyone posts their photos and videos online.”
Further hype in Europe, the US and Australia has now also prompted fears of ‘further shortages’ this year, with estimates that the global matcha market will surge from $2.8 billion in 2023 to about $5bn by 2028.
While Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries says matcha production has tripled in the country over the past decade, taking it to 4,176 tonnes, it still doesn’t appear to be enough for what Fumi Ueki – chief of Leaf Brand Group, one of Japan’s largest tea companies – described as a ‘record high’.
Speaking to the Japan Times, he explained: “It seems that people drink matcha not only because it tastes good but also because they expect it to be healthy. We believe that if we can widely promote the health benefits of matcha to the rest of the world, we can expect to see even greater global demand for matcha.”
Thankfully, this year’s tea harvest starts this month to replenish stocks – although some fear this relief may only be temporary.
The Global Japanese Tea Association said in a blog post in January: "While it is not unusual for matcha reserves to dwindle during the colder months, replenished only with the new harvest, this time something felt different.
"At the same time, we were puzzled by the international buzz around a shortage, especially when high-quality matcha was still readily available from various producers."
It added: "Not all Japanese tea produced in spring becomes matcha – in fact, matcha accounts for only about 6% of Japan’s total tea production. This makes it naturally scarce. To add to that, matcha must be ground into powder, and the grinding process takes time. Usually, tencha tea (the leaf material used for matcha) is ground gradually, not all at once. When demand suddenly spiked, grinding facilities could not keep up, requiring more time than the market was willing to spare."
Ultimately, however, it remains optimistic about the spring harvest that is 'just around the corner', calling on consumers to 'sip it mindfully and savour it fully' - shortage or no shortage.
Topics: Food and Drink, World News
Jess Hardiman