Too Much Matcha…Where is this Leading?

“Matcha this, Matcha that….” is hardly a reel script now but has become an emotion — clearly, an emotion of disgust for Matcha. However, it can’t deny what is prevailing both in reels and the real lives of, at least, metro cities in India — all of which is about the popular trend of consuming matcha. 

Meanwhile, the source of production is showing contrary reports to the horror of the ones who have developed a taste for this powdered green tea already.

The buzz about the newly-favourite greens

Along with the health influencers who advocated for the benefits of Matcha a few years ago, the rise in tourism to Japan in recent years, as well as the cultural shift in anime shows and manga comics, has contributed to the recent demand for the product. What accelerated the demands, however, has been the social media push, not just in India but globally. 

Clinical & Sports Dietitian-Nutritionist, Aditi Prabhu, explains, “Matcha is a form of powdered Japanese Green tea (Scientific name: Camellia sinensis). The Matcha leaves are rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties, mainly due to the presence of catechins, which help fight against oxidative stress and may support liver health. It supports brain health through its neuroprotective and cognitive functions by improving focus, attention, and memory, and reducing anxiety due to the presence of theanine and caffeine.” 

“It also improves heart and metabolic health by improving lipid profile and glucose metabolism,” she further says.

Currently, there are reports coming in from the source country — Japan — where the sellers like Ippodo, which has been producing Matcha since 1717, and Marukyu Koyamaen, another biggest producers, are flagging concerns of shortages. As per reports in July, Ippodo stated: “To get our matchas to as many customers as possible, we’ve temporarily limited both the varieties and quantities available.” 

On similar lines, Marukyu Koyamaen’s website states that owing to “unexpected high volume of orders”, matcha products will be available in limited quantities. 

As per a report by The Japan Times, around half of the matcha produced in Japan is exported. The data from Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) shows that exports of Japanese green tea (including matcha) have grown by 40 per cent between 2020 and 2024, in terms of quantity. 

A recent MAFF report has also flagged the decline in cultivation area, which states that between 2008 and 2023, the cultivation area reduced from 48,000 hectares to 36,000. The same report has also mentioned that the number of farming households has decreased from 46,000 to just 20,000.

Add to it the global demand that has made the suppliers look for procuring matcha from other countries like China and South Korea. While these countries also grow the plant, they do not meet Japan’s quality standards.

Indian businesses on Matcha amidst the chaos

It has been six months since Ruhi Gupta, founder and the chef of Mumbai’s August café, has dealt with the Japan-based suppliers, and she says that the effect of the shortage of Matcha leaves has not yet come to affect. “The suppliers are likely to raise the prices if the shortage affects them, and subsequently, we will have to raise the price of our products too,” she says, adding that with the demand, the price can be raised even next month. 

Currently, the café is sourcing the Matcha leaves from rural regions of Kagoshima, and is generating 20% of the revenue from Matcha items like tea and coffee from the entire beverage section. While the founder is using ceremonial Matcha for the products, she says that the increase in the price due to the shortage will lead businesses to opt for premium quality or even lesser qualities to keep up with the demand. 

Citing an example of the Champagne, Gupta, 40, says, “The actual European wine is very expensive, hence, there came a lot of alternatives that people could afford. Similarly, when or if the prices for the Japan-based ceremonial Matcha will be increased, there would be a lot of other options to fall back on.”

Another Mumbai-based eatery, Sante Spa Cuisine, aims to stock Matcha on the pretext that “Matcha is always short-lived, which again is why Matcha drinks and dishes are comparatively in high demand”. 

Sonal Barmecha, the co-founder at Sante Spa Cuisine, believes that the demand for Matcha is here to stay for the time being, and after Hojicha, a Japanese green tea, is being introduced to many other outlets, Matcha will be incorporated in the menus even more than now. 

While she counts the news of the shortage to be concerning, Barmecha also says, “One thing previous trends have taught us, that nothing is permanent. Trends, adapt and change over time, and so do brands.” 

Owing to the increased demand for Matcha, and having multiple options of Matcha items, as much as Sante Spa uses ceremonial Matcha in the cooked dishes that are used for Smoothie bowl, Pistachio, and Matcha Suprema or Emerald Miso matcha Cheesecake, they use Premium in their Iced Matcha Guarana. 

Delhi-based The Tiny Café is yet another place with multiple options in the Matcha beverages, for which it uses ceremonial Matcha, and claims that it has not been facing any problems with the shortage, but cautions that “any delay in orders” from their side might cause issues in the case of the shortage.

At least 35% of the revenue for The Tiny Café is being generated by the Matcha items. However, the café has been offering Matcha since its inception, which was three years ago. “Then, I had to make people understand the culture of Matcha for people to try it. The scenario has entirely changed now when people already come informed about it,” says Rohan Singla, 36, the founder of the café. 

He also shares a view that “the demand for Matcha was not there, but was created”, striking a chord on the very old and popular discussion over whether or not demands can be created in the market.

Culture appropriation, a question

With the increased demand and the notices raised by the above two companies, it certainly means limited quantity of availability for the origin country. Matcha is a part of the Japanese culture and specifically, of the tea ceremony, wherein at the core of the ceremony lies the philosophy of ichigo ichie, which means that “this moment will never come again”. 

What is clear is that for the cherishing of Matcha to continue worldwide with the current pace, Japanese culture of “encouraging cherishing each tea gathering and wholeheartedly embracing hospitality” with Matcha will have to be compromised, posing a question on how much an ingredient should be exploited without hampering its original culture.

Singla, from The Tiny Café, is very clear. “That is the business, not just for us, but also for the Japanese, who have also been using the Matcha for more than just tea,” he says, adding that Indian business owners did not have an idea that the demand for Matcha would grow like this. 

Influencers, who have been one of the major reasons for accelerating the growth through social media, also view it as a ‘demand and supply’ mechanism. Bengaluru-based influencer, Shivaprasad Rai, with 288k followers, went to try Matcha at a place along with a friend who was also a Matcha fan, even though he claims that it was not to follow the trend. 

While Rai did not search “extensively” about the Matcha culture, he had the basic idea. “Matcha isn’t just any green tea—it’s made from shade-grown leaves, traditionally from Japan, and the entire process has a deep cultural and ceremonial significance. I didn’t study it in depth, but there’s more to it than what social media usually shows,” he says, adding, “It is important to enjoy these things without forgetting where they come from or how much effort goes into making them”. 

Similarly, the Hyderabad-based sustainable content creator, who has been highlighting the significance of drinking Matcha since before it became a trend, might have got the highest engagement on her recent Matcha reel, but she feels the guilt that comes with it. “Such posts further instigate the aspirational value attached to it, and not everyone can afford it, but keep seeing such posts creates unnecessary pressure,” Vyshnavi Gudivala, who is also a behavioural psychologist, says. 

While the high engagement on her post has brought her good business, and her audience is also asking for more such recommendations, she can see how the Matcha is being used in her city. “Places in Hyderabad are not getting it right (on the ways of using Matcha for drinks), which also includes Third Wave Coffee and Starbucks, and people just want to drink it for the popularity,” says the 26-year-old.

“There are a lot of alternatives to use if you just want the green pigment in your drink to look that way, rather than exploiting a resource,” she adds. 

What, if not a Matcha?

Commenting on how the Matcha has gone beyond consuming for its health benefits, Aditi Prabhu, also the founder of a Mumbai-based Clinical & Sports Nutrition Clinic, says, “While I support innovation and fusion, certain foods like matcha need to be consumed in a specific quantity and way to get maximum nutritional and functional benefits. The addition of matcha to dairy and sugar-loaded desserts or beverages dilutes those benefits,” adding, “unfortunately, these days, it's used more as a flavour rather than a source of nutrients. 

Stating that Matcha is still a relatively new concept in India, and, hence, the shortage of matcha leaves may not affect us much, the nutritionist suggests that India has many local, regional and wild ingredients that offer similar benefits, for the people who might have developed the habit for health reasons. 

“They can use tender green tea leaves, tulsi, mulethi, moringa, gotu kola, amla, giloy, black orthodox tea or fermented teas from the northeast,” she says. “We also have herbal preparations such as Kashmiri kahwa from the north and kashayams for the south. These may not sound exotic, but are affordable, accessible and culturally rooted.”

As per a few reports, some Indian tea gardens have also been producing matcha, like Chota Tingrai in Assam, wherein they are using the Japanese techniques and machinery. However, as experts warn, they may not match the quality of Japanese Matcha.