Matcha is undoubtedly the beverage of the moment. It’s almost impossible to scroll on social media without catching glimpses of bright green, sipped out of glass straws or takeaway cups. In Japan, however, the matcha industry is struggling to keep up with soaring demand.
“POV: The girls have caused a matcha shortage in Japan,” says one viral TikTok post. The clip shows a sign at a tea shop in Japan that reads: “It is currently very difficult to buy matcha.” The sign goes on to explain that, due to high sales over the summer, the shop had run out of the raw materials necessary to create the drink. “Not wasting a single particle of matcha after I heard about the matcha shortage in japan,” posted another TikToker.
@runawaywithk not y’all came to Japan and wiped out the Marukyu Koyamaen matcha for the next 6 months! #matchalover #matchatok #japanvlog #matcha
♬ Yasashi – CXSPER
The drink has blown up in the U.S. too, where matcha sales have reportedly reached beyond $10 billion over the past 25 years. The hashtag #MatchaTok has more than 40,000 posts on TikTok with matcha lovers sharing their morning matcha routines, home setups, and latte recipes.
Dating back to 8th century China, matcha begins as shade-grown tea leaves known as tencha, now mostly produced in Kyoto, Japan. The highest-grade tencha leaves are harvested once a year, typically between mid-April and the end of May.
And as Eater recently reported, insatiable demand for the latest wellness must-have is having a knock-on effect on the industry. Thanks to its virality online, the matcha brand Marukya Koyamaen did six months of sales in less than a month, according to Eater. Other popular brands include Ippodo Tea, Yamamasa Koyamaen, and Rocky’s Matcha, many of which sell out as soon as they are restocked. Due to seasonal harvesting and changes in climate, supply simply is not enough to meet rising demand.
These shortages have created a divide within the #MatchaTok community. “POV you’re a matcha lover and you went to Japan,” one TikTok post reads over a haul of powders and matcha-related products that required an extra-large suitcase and a carry-on bag to bring home. “This is so greedy and embarrassing,” reads one comment posted under the video.
Another added: “With the matcha shortage going on, I think you may be suspect number one girl.”
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