Matcha, the bright green tea powder from Japan, has become much more popular around the world. In the United States, sales of matcha products rose 86% from 2022 to 2025, according to Nielsen IQ data reported by ABC News. Japan is also exporting more tea than before. In 2024, the country’s tea exports reached 36.4 billion yen, and the government says it wants to expand production of tencha, the special tea leaves used to make matcha. (abcnews.com)
However, this boom has created a problem: there is not enough high-quality matcha. Making good matcha takes time, skill, and the right land. Farmers must grow tencha carefully, and production cannot increase very fast. In Kyoto, the average price of tencha at the first auction of 2025 reached 8,235 yen per kilogram. That was 1.7 times higher than the year before and higher than the old record set in 2016. (abcnews.com)
Prices are rising in stores too. One tea seller in Uji told ABC News that the price of tencha had almost doubled in one year. A matcha café in Kyoto also said its prices had already gone up and might rise again. Demand from overseas buyers, tourists visiting Japan, and social media trends are all pushing prices higher. Climate change is another reason. Experts told ABC News that some farmers harvested fewer tencha leaves because of big temperature changes. (abcnews.com)
Because of these shortages, some famous tea companies have limited sales. Marukyu Koyamaen announced purchase limits for matcha at its direct shops in March 2025. Ippodo later said that “unprecedented” price increases and shortages were affecting not only matcha but other teas as well. So, matcha’s success is bringing both hope and stress: it is helping Japan’s tea business grow, but it is also making this traditional drink harder to find and more expensive to enjoy. (marukyu-koyamaen.co.jp)










