Matcha has been a journey this year — and not the zen kind.

Matcha isn’t supposed to be dramatic.
It’s supposed to be whisked, sipped, savored — not caught in a bureaucratic gladiator match between global shortages, tariff policies, and customs paperwork. And yet… here we are.

So here’s what really happened.

A Worldwide Shortage + a 5× Spike in JP Demand

Matcha has been in short supply globally, and while we did order extra for 2025… we didn’t expect matcha to suddenly become one of our fastest-growing teas. Our sales jumped to five times their usual volume — wonderful, but also a little terrifying, like watching your favorite houseplant grow into a triffid overnight.

Since matcha can only be produced during a short seasonal window each year, we place our orders annually in one big batch. Even with that foresight, we were headed for unexpected outages.

Priority Access — But No Fast Lane

Fortunately, our long relationship with our producer in Japan meant we had priority access to this year’s harvest. That solved one problem — but not the biggest one:

Matcha grinding is slow, artisan work.
You simply cannot rush it without sacrificing quality.
(Trust us, we’d never ask them to.)

So production took time… as it should.

The “Patch-In” Shipment That Became a Hostage Situation

To keep us afloat until the main ocean shipment arrived, we ordered a small advanced batch to be sent 2-day air freight.

And then:
Tariff policy shifted.
The ports clogged.
Customs backlogs became a maze from which nothing escaped.

Our “2-day shipment” sat in limbo for months, trapped in customs and carrier paperwork. Not only that — 50 lbs of matcha was destroyed in the process. That’s about $9,000 of bright green heartbreak.

The Arrival (Finally!)

At long last, the patch-in shipment arrived.
And just a few weeks later — the full ocean shipment rolled in behind it.

The best news:
We were able to secure significantly more matcha than last year, so we’re in a much better position for 2026.

Looking Ahead

Our hope is that the tariff-related gridlock smooths out and we can return matcha to its rightful place as a drama-free daily pleasure. We’re grateful beyond words for your patience while we wrestled paperwork dragons like green-tea samurai.

Now… let’s whisk something beautiful.