Matcha has always been popular, but in 2024 and now 2025, matcha is on a whole other level of popularity, leading to a global matcha shortage. Famous matcha brands, once overflowing with matcha tins, are perpetually out of stock as customers hope to grab any tins they can, and are imposing limits per purchase.

This fine, green powder tea has everyone in a chokehold, but what happened this year that made it so hard to get? How did its surge in popularity affect its production?

From the beautiful, green lattes to matcha powder reviews, home matcha stations, and Japan matcha hauls on social media, to health-conscious consumption and more, we answer the question: Where did all the matcha go?

What You Need to Know

• There is a global matcha shortage for popular, high-quality matcha brands, but there is still an abundance of low to mid-tier matcha powders made by lesser-known brands and farms.
• The matcha shortage is due to increased demand, lower yields, tariffs, and production limits, which leads to higher prices and purchasing limits.
• Social media hype for certain brands leads to matcha powder being out of stock often, which makes it hard for consumers to rebuy their favorite powders.
• Because matcha has skyrocketed in popularity, there is now a large resale market, which has left a bad taste in people’s mouths.
• There is also a discourse of people hoarding matcha tins to the point of past expiration due to scarcity.

Is There a Matcha Shortage?

“Meanwhile, tea leaves for Matcha production are limited and could only procure once a year in a certain period of time. Throughout all these years, we stock up raw tea leaves for annual production. However, because of the extreme high demand on Matcha products this year, we consider that there would be a very high possibility on a complete out-of-stock before the next tea harvest season arrives.
” – Marukyu Koyamaen

If you’ve recently tried to purchase matcha powder from big legacy brands, you’ve probably encountered the sad message that the matcha is sold out.

Take, for example, the message above from a famous matcha producer in Japan, Marukyu Koyamaen, sharing the unprecedented demand for their products. Another famous tea brand, Ippodo, also recently had to announce a purchase limit per person.

Even American matcha brands struggle to keep their matcha powders in stock, like Rocky’s matcha, whose ceremonial matcha is perpetually out of stock.

So, it’s clear that there is a very high demand for Japanese matcha powder, and some producers simply cannot keep up with it. (More on this later.) And in simple economics, with high demand comes low supply. But why can’t they just grow more matcha?

Making Matcha

Matcha comes from a specific tea leaf called tencha that takes one year to grow. Most good-quality matcha is grown and sourced in Uji, Japan, a small city renowned for the quality and flavor of its matcha.

Tea plants start growing in the fall, and farmers harvest the leaves in spring, when the leaves are freshest and most flavorful. While you can grow and harvest tencha in different parts of the year, the tea leaves degrade in quality and flavor starting from spring. So, you end up with less flavorful leaves the later you harvest them.

The timing of tea production and harvest is crucial for a good quality matcha, and these tea farms have done it for decades, so they are masters of their climate and craft. (Similar to wine.)

So all the high-quality matcha sold during the year is only produced once a year, meaning farmers need to estimate how much tencha to grow to meet demand.

2024 saw a huge unexpected increase in demand, and there simply wasn’t enough tencha saved to keep up with it. So, now brands are rationing the existing matcha to make it to the next harvest season.

Growing More Matcha

It’s not as simple as planting more trees, either. Most of the matcha we know about is produced in Uji, Japan, because its climate and geography give matcha a unique taste, much like how there are famous wine-making regions around the world.

There is a limited amount of land to grow tea, and it takes time for farms to expand if there is land to grow. Not to mention the time farmers need to cultivate new land for high-quality tencha.

What about new farms? New matcha tea farms also have huge costs, like labor, machinery, production, etc. Matcha production has a very specific process that involves hand-picking, steaming, deveining, and stone-milling tea leaves into matcha.

The tea industry is also becoming unprofitable for many small farms, despite the explosion in matcha powder popularity, so many farms are also ending operations.

Tea farms are also facing an aging population crisis, with no younger generations wanting to take over matcha farms that promise hard, hard work with little gains. (Similar to how hawker culture in Singapore is dying from an aging workforce.) There are actually many, many abandoned tea farms, but nobody to work on them.

Climate Change on Matcha

Obviously, changing weather means changing matcha harvest yields. Tea as a crop is very sensitive to weather, and it requires very consistent and stable weather patterns to yield an abundant crop, like most crops.

Matcha tea leaves need warm conditions in March to grow and slightly cool weather in April to bud. What farmers have seen are much warmer and cooler conditions, which can harm the plant’s growth. People have reported that 2025’s yield was 20% less than that in 2024…

The Matcha Tea Industry Disparity

While many large, legacy brands like Ippodo and Marukyu Koyamaen are facing supply challenges, most of the tea farms in Japan are actually family-owned and operated.

There are dozens of small farmers who grow and sell tea but are struggling to make ends meet, most of whom are not as popular on a global scale.

You can actually grow matcha in many different areas in Japan, but each has slightly different climates, affecting the growing time and therefore the buying price. Many small farmers express that it’s no longer profitable to sell their tea wholesale and don’t make enough sales to be profitable, perhaps due to a small online presence or lack of marketing. Consequently, many family farms are ending their farm lease as a result, resulting in fewer tencha leaves on the market.

So to say that there is a matcha powder shortage is a little inaccurate since mostly larger tea brands are facing a shortage, while small, family-owned farms are struggling to find customers while sitting on their matcha supply.

Higher Matcha Prices

We’ve all seen the demand for matcha, and that, combined with low supply and production limits, contributes to price hikes of your favorite matcha powders. Many reputable brands have already increased the prices of matcha, but many are shocked at how much they’ve risen.

Marukyu Koyamean announced in June that their matcha would be 1.5 – 1.6 times more than the original price. So, a matcha powder that was once $12 is now $18 or $19. Higher tea leaf auction prices were the explained culprit, where large companies are buying more supply to offset the demand and to stockpile for the rest of the year.

However, some also question whether the price hike was also influenced by sheer demand, where people are willing to pay more for the same product.

Matcha Shortage Solutions

So, for the foreseeable future, matcha powder from large brands will probably be sold in limited quantities to individual consumers while their farmers work hard to grow more tencha leaves that can keep up with demand.

These larger brands are also probably looking into expanding their matcha farms, either by buying land or creating a deal with family farms (which honestly sounds like a great idea), which also takes time.

On the flip side, smaller family tea farms can try building a stronger online presence, connecting with more curious consumers, in and beyond Japan. Obviously, a marketing boost would be really beneficial, but that requires a lot of time and money that many farmers prioritize in other operations.

As a last resort, Japan can also expand tea-growing farms beyond Japan, in similar climate cities. (Climate change is also making planning for future harvests more unpredictable.)

But what led to this matcha craze that nearly sold out every reputable matcha brand?

The Rise of Matcha Powder

As much as I’d like to point my finger at one phenomenon and attribute it to the matcha craze, it’s not as one-to-one. There are multiple reasons why matcha is so popular, but here are the key factors I think led to its rise the most.

Brat Summer: Green is The New Black

People love trends, especially color trends, as indicated by Pantone’s color of the year. It’s no surprise that Brat Summer helped popularize matcha since people were writing brat on plastic cups with a delicious matcha latte in it.

The brat highlighter green went viral on TikTok and other social media platforms, so I’d like to think it put matcha on the radar for many folks. And I think it set a precedent for many to start making their matcha lattes more green!

Rising Costs: The Economy

Also, I feel like everyone has been noticing the rising cost of living, especially in the United States. A latte at a cafe is now $7 and some change when it used to be $5! So, with the more expensive costs of goods, people tend to have higher expectations, and many of those expectations fell short when it came to matcha.

With people paying $7-8 for one drink and having it not be good, people want to invest in making their own matcha to save money and be happier!

Social Media: TikTok

It’s also no secret that social media, specifically TikTok, helps start trends, seemingly spreading the new “it” item like wildfire.

I remember seeing a few matcha powder reviews in the late summer of 2024, then having them take over my for you page in full force by fall. Paired with matcha powder reviews also came matcha home corners or stations, with people sharing their cute home cafe with matcha tins, cute ceramics, and smiskis, creating this image of an aesthetic matcha cafe.

And, as psychology suggests, trends are an easy way to socialize, create community, and communicate with one another. Plus, aesthetics are an extension of how we portray ourselves to the world, and matcha has become a very powerful indicator of the cute, cool person. (See: Pinterest boards)

On a more hard-hitting note, anything deemed new or cool instantly grabs our attention, often leading to an addictive cycle of consumerism and feelings of “I need it”, especially for something that has a limited quantity.

Hoarding: Is It Influencers’ Fault?

Some have criticized influencers for promoting matcha hoarding, as shown by extensive matcha collections or matcha hauls from Japan that include 20+ tins. Some have argued is causing the so-called matcha shortage, especially since matcha does not have a long shelf life.

Obviously, people who want to try matcha but fail at buying it will feel a certain way seeing other people hoard tins for themselves, arguing that one person doesn’t need that much matcha, especially since matcha has a short shelf life.

On the other hand, some influencers state that they buy large amounts of matcha to gift to friends or just consume a lot daily. So, we truly don’t know what people are doing with the matcha they bought.

If you post a large matcha haul, prepare to see some backlash in your comments, especially since people are having a tough time getting even one tin. However, I don’t think posting a large haul is contributing to a shortage, especially now, since there are limitations in place.

I do think hauls add to the general discontent and unfairness people feel related to buying matcha. I think people just feel salty that they can’t get matcha. But that is the woe of being an influencer, haha.

Health: Cutting Out the Jitters

On a different note, many people seem to be cutting back on coffee as well, trying to wean off caffeine. Our body synthesizes caffeine differently from coffee versus the caffeine in matcha, with negative side effects including feeling jittery, heightened anxiety, heart palpitations, and extreme fatigue with the caffeine crash.

Many matcha brands promote matcha powder as having a relaxing effect, with a slower, more sustainable energy boost, in addition to the antioxidants matcha provides.

And with health consciousness on many people’s minds, matcha sounds like the perfect replacement for coffee!

Where to Buy Matcha?

Naturally, we want to know where to buy good-quality matcha now, especially since there’s a matcha shortage for the best of the best.

Online is your best bet for Japanese brands, specifically either on the actual tea brand website or on a tea brand wholesaler that sells teas to consumers. The con of online shopping, though, is that you may be waiting for matcha to restock, and you may miss the slim window where it’s available.

You can also buy matcha in person via tea stores, grocery stores, or cafes. That way, you can see with your own eyes what’s available. It’s best to call ahead before going and asking what is in stock, before you make your way there only to realize nothing is there.

But one thing’s for sure, matcha isn’t going away anytime soon.