Global thirst for matcha strains Japan’s tea industryーNHK WORLD-JAPAN NEWS
the frothy green tea matcha needs no introduction not if you’re on social media people across the globe are putting their own spin on the beverage made from leaves ground into powder fans here in the matcha heartland are getting just as creative with Japan’s traditional drink but as NHK World’s John Leoo found out the industry is also facing some challenges this Tokyo event offers all your matcha green tea favorites and more from traditional whisked tea to ice cream and even matcha wab moji confection oh that’s amazing of course all the sweets with matcha including this mlong covered ice cream which is incredible by the way but they also offer a lot of things that you would not normally associate with matcha i’m going to try them all some of the fusion efforts might look strange at first but seem to be popular especially matcha beer is actually a really really good combination i could see this as a new kind of craft beer i’m going to try this matcha curry looks amazing m that’s incredible you get the smooth velvety richness of the matcha but also the spice of the curry it’s actually a really really good combination the many foreign faces in the crowd gave me a glimpse of matcha’s global popularity we got here yesterday and Matcha Fest at Yoy Yogi Park is the first thing in our itinerary and it’s actually the reason we stayed in Tokyo i feel like several years ago if you would mention matcha in America some people would know what it was but now I feel like it’s as common as coffee eric Gower runs a matcha sourcing and distribution business based in California he credits much of the boom in demand to social media people would take pictures of this stuff and they’d post it on Instagram and they posted on Facebook and it it was the kind of it became the it drink who doesn’t want a drink that that’s going to make you calm and serene and you know have this perfect body and uh you know you look cool while you drink it and it’s beautiful and um you know it’s a fairly compelling story [Music] the matcha market is now worth an estimated 4.2 billion last year Japan exported over $250 million in green tea much of it matcha that’s 2 and 1/2 times what it exported 10 years ago but the surging global demand has suppliers here scrambling to keep up this company had to build another factory just to handle new orders we’ve been receiving a lot of requests for our matcha from countries other than the US and Germany which were our main export markets until now but unfortunately we’ve had no choice but to turn down these requests because we just can’t keep up with the demand tea making requires intensive labor and Japan faces a shortage producers are starting to automate in an attempt to keep up with demand i was told sometime around uh January of this year that that you know I want might want to prep my customers to the notion that they can’t drink as much of the good stuff as they’re used to you got all these people with their credit cards out wanting to buy really nice matcha and you can’t can’t fulfill it for tea farmers the supply crunch is not the only challenge china South Korea and Vietnam are producing more matcha raising concerns about price competition with so many new producers entering the market prices could drop sharply Japan’s matcha industry needs to tread carefully in moving forward so how to stay ahead of the competition this Tokyo company believes the answer is authenticity it invites tourists to experience matcha the traditional way through a tea ceremony [Applause] thanks to record tourism participation in the ceremony is up fourfold from last year up and down back and forth not around okay the hour-long ceremony offers much more than a drink it introduces guests to matcha’s rituals and refined tastes focused on a specific process of preparation this matcha the the bitterness enhances the flavors of the the floral and fruiness of the tea instead of overpowering or hiding them where most matcha I’ve had uh just from commercial stores uh the bitterness is the primary flavor the matcha we use at this tea ceremony is aged for 6 months placed in a jar and further matured this process takes time but it brings out the true depth of matcha tea we offer this experience so people can taste that difference as the world’s appetite for the vibrant emerald drink grows Japan’s tea makers are working to keep matcha true to its roots crafted with care just as it always has been and NHK rolls John Leoo joins us now looking good in that matcha green tie john you know it matcha love everybody so you took part in that tea ceremony it’s not just about making a drink is it can you tell us more about the spiritual element to the matcha tradition sure one thing that stuck with me uh is the tranquility the small tatami mat t-room offered an instant oasis from all the noise and intensity of Tokyo city very zen uh you probably noticed the tiny entrance to the t-room it’s kept low so guests have to bend down stressing humility and equality uh for everyone who steps inside the that idea was unprecedented in 16th century Japan when uh feudal lords and commoners would come together for a matcha ceremony as complete equals so many reasons to love matcha but exposure to that tradition really helps fans appreciate the deeper meaning behind the drink um but the bitter note in your story is that the industry is struggling to supply enough matcha and that’s very disheartening can you tell us more about what the government might be doing to help with this well the agricultural ministry is offering subsidies for farmers who expand their green tea orchards and also funding for companies that shift to growing matcha quality leaves now producers want to boost exports without compromising quality uh the focus is on scaling up while preserving the high quality matcha Japan is known for thank you for your report John and that’s all from us
With consumer demand exploding and overseas rivals emerging, matcha tea producers face pressure to protect tradition and deliver quality. From farm automation to quiet tea rooms, NHK World’s John LaDue looks into how they’re responding. #japan #culture #china #southkorea #vietnam #usa #business #matcha
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