2025 Matcha Industry Update

2025 Spring Harvest Report

A Rare Harvest. A True Farmer. The Real Story Behind Your Matcha.

 Over the last twelve months, Japan’s matcha industry has faced unprecedented challenges. A powerful typhoon, record-breaking heat, and a surge in pests devastated tea fields across the country. Many organic farmers lost up to 50% of their crop.

Our farm in Kirishima, Japan, made the hard choice to protect the integrity of the tea - refusing to use chemical pest control - despite losing half the harvest.

At the same time, global demand for matcha has skyrocketed, pushing prices up an astonishing 170%. And unfortunately, with the shortage has come deception. After speaking with my broker and Sommelier in Japan, I have learned what is presently happening amongst many companies. Some companies are:

·       Importing lower-grade matcha from China, shipping it to Japan, milling it there  and labeling it “Japanese”.

·       Grinding Sencha leaves (loose-leaf green tea leaves that were never grown for matcha and are not meant to be ground up but only for steeping) and selling it as ceremonial matcha. Matcha is made from specially grown Tencha leaves, ground into a powder to drink as a whole food. Sencha and Tencha are not the same thing!!!

About our Pricing

A few weeks ago, the Japanese Global Tea Trade Association set the new nationwide pricing - requiring all farmers to charge the full 170% increase for their matcha harvests. There is no way around this for any authentic Japanese matcha. Even so, at Got Matcha, we are absorbing all tariffs and only raising our prices enough to keep the business sustainable. We decided to only pass on a smaller increase of around 50% instead of the full market jump - because we believe matcha lovers deserve access to the highest - quality tea without unnecessary markup

At Got Matcha, we refuse to compromise. We partner exclusively with one of the top organic ceremonial matcha farms in all of Japan - authentic, chemical-free, lab-tested, and harvested by true soil masters.

Right now, knowing your matcha’s true origin, farmer and grade is more important than ever. We are proud to offer matcha you can trust - pure, vibrant, and deeply authentic.

The spring harvest is now cured and is currently being milled and will arrive the last week of August, so be the first to get your dibs!