Global Matcha Craze Pushes Up Prices, Sparks Debate Around Tradition
The global matcha craze is driving demand from New York cafés to Uji, Japan, the birthplace of matcha, where centuries-old tea producers are struggling to keep up with demand. Raw matcha leaf prices have nearly doubled in a year, forcing even long-established tea companies to buy from outside sources. As the drink goes mainstream and evolves, tea ceremony masters are divided over what the trend means for tradition, with some seeing an opportunity to introduce the culture behind matcha to a wider audience.
Matcha's Global Rise Pushes Prices, Sparks Debate in Japan
REPORTER:
In New York City, the matcha craze that took the world by storm is in full effect.
REPORTER:
Matcha devotees form long lines at a local hot spot.
Nicole (UNIVERSITY STUDENT):
I'm trying to find the best matcha spot in New York. So I'm finding the lines because usually the lines are like, that's where the good stuff is.
Kat Derespino (CONTENT CREATOR):
I’m gonna say this is definitely the best matcha I've had in New York. I've had a lot of matchas.
REPORTER:
The owner of this matcha café says it's about more than a drink — it's a Japanese art form going mainstream.
Alan Jiang (MATCHA CAFÉ FOUNDER AND CEO):
The matcha latte allows, everyday people in New York, but also in the modern day, to be able to incorporate matcha into their everyday lifestyles.
REPORTER:
However, in Uji, the birthplace of matcha just south of Kyoto, the trend is putting pressure on a market and tradition dating back to the 12th century.
Koyama Motoya (TEA COMPANY PRESIDENT):
Last year, raw matcha leaf was already 2.7 to 3 times higher than the year before, and this year it has risen further, it is around 1.8 times higher than last year.
REPORTER:
Despite owning its tea fields, this three-centuries old company says that it now has to buy from other sources to meet demand.
REPORTER:
Meanwhile, purists are questioning the evolving ways matcha is consumed.
Yamada Sohen (GRAND MASTER, TEA CEREMONY SCHOOL):
If you’re going to drink it with milk, it’s better to opt for a matcha that allows the bitterness or distinct flavor profile to come through, which is why I think it makes more sense to use a less expensive grade.
REPORTER:
For tea grand master Yamada Sohen, matcha is central to a ceremony meant to elevate the body and spirit.
REPORTER:
But not everyone sees the matcha trend as a break with tradition — his daughter, the school's next-generation successor, sees an opportunity instead.
Yamada Soui (12TH-GENERATION SUCCESSOR, TEA CEREMONY SCHOOL):
I'm generally happy to see the growing interest in matcha around the world. But, at the same time, many people know matcha as a product, but not necessarily the culture behind it. I see this global trend as a great opportunity for them to actually get to know Japanese culture and also a deeper understanding of the aesthetics.
REPORTER:
The tea ceremony school successor says she's developing a matcha powder made specifically for lattes. She is part of a shift that is playing out in Japan and the rest of the globe.
REPORTER:
In New York, the café is adding matcha drinks without dairy and sugar to its menu — a nod back to the traditional way of drinking it.
REPORTER:
And in Uji, producers are adapting too, making kosher and halal matcha for overseas markets.
REPORTER:
At home and abroad, local traditions and global trade are converging — opening the latest chapter for an ancient tea culture.
