Why is matcha so difficult to produce?
Matcha isn't just "powdered green tea." Its production requires highly specialized cultivation and processing methods. The main reasons are:
1. Special cultivation of tencha (the raw material for matcha)
Shade-grown: Several weeks before harvest, tea fields are covered with reed screens or cloth to block sunlight.
This reduces the production of catechins (bitter compounds) and preserves more theanine (umami compound).
It requires extra labor, cost, and skill compared to ordinary tea cultivation.
2. Unique processing
To make tencha, leaves are steamed and dried without rolling (unlike sencha, which is rolled).
This makes the leaves flatter and easier to grind, but achieving even drying requires expertise.
3. Grinding with a stone mill
Traditional matcha is ground with a stone mill, producing an ultra-fine powder.
A single mill can only produce about 40 g per hour (2–3 servings).
Grinding must be slow and steady to avoid heat, which would damage aroma, flavor, and color.
4. Fragile quality
As a powder, matcha is extremely sensitive to air, light, and humidity.
It oxidizes and loses its vivid green color and fresh flavor quickly.
Strict low-temperature storage and airtight packaging are essential.
5. High standards of taste and texture
For
tea ceremony use, matcha must whisk into a smooth foam with rich aroma and umami.
This requires precise collaboration between farmers, tea processors, and tea merchants.
Simply grinding tea leaves isn't enough — the whole chain must be carefully managed.
Special cultivation (shade-grown)
Delicate tencha processing
Slow stone-mill grinding
Strict quality preservation
Flavor and aroma standards for tea ceremony
All these factors combined make matcha production challenging, labor-intensive, and expensive.