The Camellia sinensis plant, from which matcha originates, was first cultivated for use in tea in China in the 3rd century BCE, but it wasn’t until the 7th to 10th centuries that the practice of consuming the leaves in the form of matcha was first documented. Matcha, unlike the infusion process of its black and green tea sisters, is made by finely grinding the tea leaves into a powder that is mixed with hot water and consumed in its entirety. It is thought that a Japanese Buddhist monk brought matcha to Japan
sometime around the 12th century, where it was considered highly valuable and coveted and therefore necessitated a careful preparation method, and so its consumption and preparation developed into a spiritual practice by the 16th century, the whisking of powdered green tea into hot water a meditative ritual. Since matcha began as a rare and premium product, the ceremony of its preparation became
entrenched in its consumption. In modern day Japan, matcha tea ceremonies are still widely practiced, and while it is no longer reserved for the elite or ‘ruling class’, it is still deeply ritualistic with specific implements such as the bowl and bamboo whisk, and even particular whisking motions or patterns.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in Japan, the matcha latte has become extremely popular, commercialised
and readily available, and co-existing alongside its traditional consumption in the country.

Matcha Migrates West

Western countries have long since been discovering and adopting Japanese culture and cuisine, and matcha is no different, with it seeing a marked rise, particularly in the US. Future Market Insights (FMI) reports that the matcha market in 2023 was worth USD $2.7 billion and is expected to reach $7.1 billion by 2033 — a CAGR of 10.2 percent. FMI attributes this growth to the interest in its health benefits, use in skincare and culinary applications such as confectionery. The latter of which is driving
its popularity in the Indian market, according to Fact MR , while the health benefits are driving the market in the US.

Japanese tea company, Ippodo, was founded in 1717, “when the [matcha] tea ceremony had begun to be enjoyed by other elites like warrior families and high-class townsfolk,” said Tomoko Honda, head of global operations, Ippodo. In 2001,Ippodo began selling its matcha overseas as the number of international visitors to its Kyoto shop had begun to increase.

The growing interest in matcha was also noted by Germany-based tea supplier, Wollenhaupt, which had previously only been including matcha in its catalogue as a ‘marginal phenomenon’, said Marco Sinram, head of tea trading and sustainability, Wollenhaupt, but recognised that demand was developing ‘dynamically’, and therefore now offer three different types of matcha to its customers.

“Ten years ago, very few people had heard of matcha and now the market is absolutely exploding. So many new matcha brands have popped up in the last couple of years and you can find matcha on menus in more cafés and restaurants. The UK is now following in the steps of places like New York and Los Angeles with matcha bars popping up across the country,” said Katherine Swift, founder and CEO
of OMGTea, a UK-based specialist matcha green tea company.

One such place is Blank Street coffee chain, which began in Brooklyn, New York, in August 2020, and now has locations across New York; Boston, Massachusetts; Washington, DC; and in 2022 debuted in London. While Blank Street serves an array of café and coffee shop offerings, some of its most distinguishable and popular products are its matcha beverages.

When Blank Street launched in London in Summer 2022 ,matcha wasn’t a widely accessible drink. There were limited places to get matcha on the high street, but most of those places offered either expensive or low-quality matcha. We wanted to disrupt the market by launching exciting flavour combinations that made a niche category into one that is more fun and accessible for everyone,” explained Ignacio Llado, UK managing director at Blank Street. “In Spring of 2023 we launched our Blueberry Matcha, joining the classic Matcha Latte on our menu. This drink was the first of its kind in London, and […] immediately caused a huge buzz, with TikTok and word of mouth helping it to quickly climb to become a Blank Street best seller.”

Matcha’s vibrant green colour affords it a social-media-ready aesthetic for consumers, fuelling its popularity among influencers and the younger generation. Blank Street has recognised this in its marketing strategy, making use of clear cups and contrasting colours to bring its matcha drinks to life.

While many of the high-street iterations of matcha lattes and frappés may be heavy on sugar or cream, matcha itself is considered a remarkable health food, with this being another, perhaps the largest, draw to the product for consumers. “Matcha aligns well with overall wellness trends and appeals to those looking for more specific benefits such as a healthier alternative to coffee or energy drinks, detox,
increased antioxidant intake, weight management, etc,” said Swift.

A Healthy Shade of Green

The way in which the Camellia sinensis plant is grown in order to produce matcha, allows for the accumulation of catechins, (−)-epigallocatechin-3 -gallate (EGCG) in particular is most abundant in matcha. It is these catechins that provide high antioxidant properties and give matcha its reputation as a health drink. It has been found that “regular consumption of matcha may have a positive effect on both physical and mental health,” according to the report Health Benefits and Chemical Composition of Matcha and Green Tea: A Review by Joanna Kochman, Karolina Jakubczyk, Justyna Antoniewicz, Honorata Mruk, and Katarzyna Janda, published on PubMed Central.

It is the health benefits of these antioxidants found in matcha that encouraged Swift to establish OMGTea. She began researching its benefits after her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, then both she and her mother began routinely drinking matcha green tea. Five years later, Swift launched OMGTea, and a year after that she founded The Healthy Life Foundation, a charity that funds research into age-related diseases, including cancer.

Swift emphasised, however, that the quality of the matcha consumed is essential to reaping its health
benefits. While matcha is generally considered a premium product, there are more affordable blends
available; these are the kind often used as ingredients in confectionery or desserts where the matcha taste need not be so refined. Matcha can be tested for its quality by examining the colour and texture, as well as the taste. She explained that they quality check their matcha regularly using the ‘finger/stroke test’, whereby matcha powder is placed on a white piece of paper and, using a finger, is pulled across the page to observe its colour and texture alongside others. The brighter the green colour, the higher quality the matcha, also the particle size of high-grade matcha ought to be between five and ten microns, as fine as baby powder, said Swift.

This essential colour and texture gauge all comes from the farming process, which has specific methods to ensure these attributes. “For around three weeks before harvest, shades are put over the tea fields to block out the sunlight, which increases the amount of flavourful, umami-rich components in the tea leaves. After the leaves are harvested in the beginning of May, the leaves are steamed, cooled and dried, baked, and sorted. […] The leaves are then ground with stone mills to produce the fine powder called matcha,” explained Honda. Shading the tea leaves is a traditional characteristic of matcha production, and is a method invented centuries ago in Kyoto, Uji, Japan, and is now widespread, she noted.

It is the shading that boosts the leaves nutrient levels, causing an overproduction of chlorophyll, contributing to its bright green colour, added Swift. The stone mills are also what produce the silky, fine texture of quality matcha, whereas lower grades are cut and blended using steel, which, she noted, reduces the flavour and bio availability of the matcha’s nutrients.

The location where the matcha is grown is also crucial to its quality and flavour. There are specific areas that are known for their matcha production, such Uji, Japan, “one of the most renowned regions for matcha growing in the world,” said Llado, and it is around this area that Wollenhaupt, Blank Street and Ippodo source their matcha. The region of Kagoshima, Japan, is also particularly suited to matcha production, benefitting from its volcanic soil and climate, commented Swift, and is where OMGTea sources its products.

Sustaining Production

With such specific regions and fastidious productions techniques, are matcha’s producers prepared to meet the surging global demand from the product, not just domestically in Japan, but as far away as the US and UK? Sinram explained that, while Wollenhaupt believes that the highest and most authentic quality of matcha can be found only in Japan, it is possible to source it from other producing countries,
depending on the requirements of the customer.

Meanwhile, Swift noted that in the Kagoshima region, practices are being undertaken to increase production in order to meet demand, “Farmers in Kagoshima have been adopting advanced agricultural techniques to enhance matcha. These innovations help increase yield and improve the quality of the tea leaves. Some tea farms are converting or expanding their fields specifically for the cultivation of tencha, the raw material used to make matcha. Local government initiatives and support for the tea industry have also played a role in encouraging the growth of matcha production in the region.”

Honda added that as global climates change, areas that are suitable for production are shifting and will continue to shift. “Areas where tea can be grown will likely change or expand as well, whether inside or outside of Japan. We are not sure what the future will bring, but it is key to plan for and adapt to changes.”

This growth in demand has created a broad market for matcha with varying requirements and uses. Where it has historically and traditionally been an exceptionally premium and ceremony-bound product, it is now a commercialised and accessible product for many consumers, posing the question of how far it can be removed from its origins and cultural significance? “While it’s great that matcha is going more mainstream, we want to make sure that it still feels special and comes with the holistic experience that has been central to Blank Street since we first launched,” noted Llado.

So where perhaps the ceremonial aspect of matcha may no longer be a necessity, it still can add something to the experience of consumers, if they engage with it, encouraging more mindful consumption, said Swift.

Honda added that, while consumers may not know of its ceremonial or spiritual origins, “during the tea ceremony and in Japanese society in general, when drinking matcha it is considered important to feel gratitude for the person who made the matcha for you and for those who produced it. We think it would be wonderful if that sentiment grew alongside the increasing popularity of matcha worldwide.” Therefore, its marketing is crucial, to not only offer consumers a brightly coloured health drink, but also a moment of reflection on both the beverage and the process that went into every sip.

• Kathryn Brand is an associate editor with T&CTJ, while still writing for several of Bell’s
  other magazines. She joined Bell Publishing at the beginning of 2022 after graduating from
  the University of East Anglia with a degree in English Literature and Creative Writing.

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