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Journal

The questions buyers ask us, answered once, properly. Written for café owners, not tea nerds.

BUYING GUIDE · 7 MIN Marukyu Koyamaen matcha for cafés: which of the 18 grades to order, and what each one costs per cup

MARKET · 8 MIN The 2026 matcha shortage: what it means for your menu price

CAFÉ OPS · 6 MIN Matcha storage for cafés: nitrogen, the fridge, 100 g bags and the six-week rule

CERTIFICATION · 6 MIN Halal matcha in Malaysia and Indonesia: JAKIM, BPJPH and what to check on the certificate

GRADES · 6 MIN Koicha grades, wholesale: what thick tea needs from the leaf, and what a bowl costs

COMPLIANCE · 7 MIN Importing organic matcha into the EU and UK: the COI, TRACES and why we ship only organic lots there

MARKET · 6 MIN Matcha wholesale in Australia: what Melbourne and Sydney cafés actually order

MARKET · 7 MIN Matcha wholesale to Latin America: Mexico, Colombia and Chile, and the landed cost nobody quotes

QUALITY · 6 MIN Single origin, single cultivar, single field: what the words mean on a matcha spec sheet

COMPLIANCE · 7 MIN Importing matcha into the EU: MRLs, the Certificate of Inspection and VAT by country

CAFÉ OPS · 6 MIN Matcha for bubble tea chains: dosage, cost per cup and supply contracts

COMPLIANCE · 5 MIN Importing matcha into the UK: duty, zero-rated VAT and organic paperwork

CAFÉ OPS · 6 MIN Hojicha and genmaicha powder for cafés: the second menu line

BUYING GUIDE · 7 MIN Private label matcha: pouches, MOQ, lead times and label rules by country

BUYING GUIDE · 6 MIN Standing orders: how to fix your matcha price for the harvest year

CAFÉ OPS · 6 MIN Café matcha latte recipes: hot, iced, mango, strawberry and oat

QUALITY · 7 MIN How to read a matcha certificate of analysis

CASE STUDY · 6 MIN Behind the label: supplying Kagoshima matcha to Mark Sasaki's Chiharu Matcha

BUYING GUIDE · 8 MIN Matcha wholesale suppliers compared: Japan-direct exporters, importers and marketplaces

QUALITY · 7 MIN Why your iced latte turns brown by 3 pm (and which grade does not)

GRADES · 6 MIN First harvest vs second harvest: what actually changes in the cup

MARKET · 7 MIN 1,000 to 1,500 tea farms close every year. Here is where.

PROCESS · 6 MIN Stone mill, ball mill, jet mill: particle size and why it matters for foam

CAFÉ OPS · 6 MIN How to price a matcha latte at $290 per kilo

CERTIFICATION · 7 MIN Organic matcha: what JAS and USDA actually certify

BUYING GUIDE · 11 MIN How to buy matcha wholesale from Japan: a café owner's guide

PRICING · 7 MIN Matcha wholesale price per kg in 2026: what each grade should cost

CERTIFICATION · 6 MIN Halal matcha: what the certificate covers and how to source it from Japan

COMPLIANCE · 8 MIN Importing matcha into the US: FDA registration, prior notice, FSVP and duty

ORIGINS · 7 MIN Yame, Uji or Kagoshima: choosing a matcha region for a café menu

5 LIES SERIES · 6 MIN 5 lies about matcha, No. 5: "Uji is always the best"

5 lies about matcha

The series buyers send each other.

Five short films on the claims we hear most from suppliers. Tap to play.

▶ 57K plays

57Kplays

Lie No. 5: "Uji matcha is the best"@ISSA.MATCHA · 2026-07

▶ 12K plays

12Kplays

Lie No. 4@ISSA.MATCHA · 2026-07

▶ 9.4K plays

9.4Kplays

Lie No. 1: what suppliers say first@ISSA.MATCHA · 2026-06

▶ 7.7K plays

7.7Kplays

Lie No. 3: buying in bulk saves money@ISSA.MATCHA · 2026-06

▶ 6.8K plays

6.8Kplays

Lie No. 2@ISSA.MATCHA · 2026-06

Market

Two more we get asked about.

▶ 16K plays

16Kplays

Japan sucks at marketing@ISSA.MATCHA · 2026-09

Journal

The series buyers send each other.

Two more we get asked about.

Taste before you order.Up to 6 matcha, 20 g each, at your door.

Taste before you order.
Up to 6 matcha, 20 g each, at your door.