What the drink actually is
At a bubble tea counter the matcha drink is large, cold and sweet, and it competes with tapioca, brown sugar syrup, cheese foam and fruit. A café latte is 300 ml with 2 to 4 g of matcha and no sugar. A bubble tea matcha is 500 to 700 ml with a full cup of ice, 20 to 30 g of syrup and a scoop of pearls. If you dose it like a café, the matcha disappears. If you dose it like a café and use a $300 ceremonial lot, you pay for aroma nobody can taste under the syrup.
The matcha a chain needs has three properties: a strong, clean flavour at a higher dose, a green that holds through an hour in a display fridge and a plastic cup, and a price that stays flat for the year. That is a culinary or café grade bought on a standing order, not a tin from a tea shop.
Dose: what survives ice, sugar and pearls
We tested our lots the way a chain pours: matcha whisked or shaken in 40 ml of water at 80 °C, poured over a full cup of ice, milk to the line, syrup, pearls. The dose that still tastes like matcha after the ice has melted for ten minutes is higher than any café recipe.
| Cup size | Ice and milk | Matcha dose | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| 500 ml | Full ice, 200 ml milk | 4 g | Matches our standard 4 g / 40 ml / 80 °C method; the floor for flavour under syrup |
| 700 ml | Full ice, 280 ml milk | 5 to 6 g | Dilution from ice and the larger milk volume |
| Matcha foam or topping | On top of milk tea | 2 g per portion | Flavour sits on the surface; less is needed |
| Fruit matcha (mango, strawberry) | Fruit purée layered | 4 g | The fruit carries sweetness; matcha stays at 4 g for colour contrast |
Two technique notes. Dissolve the matcha in 40 ml of hot water first, every time; dumping powder into cold milk is why chain drinks taste gritty. And sift once per batch, not per cup: a 100 g sieved jar at the start of a shift is enough for 25 drinks and takes two minutes.
Cost per cup at two prices per kilo
At the doses above, the matcha is still one of the cheapest things in the cup. The table uses two of our prices, FOB Osaka: Aki, autumn-harvest Yame tencha at $100 per kg, and Minami, second-harvest Kagoshima at $160 per kg.
| Dose | Matcha cost at $100 / kg | Matcha cost at $160 / kg |
|---|---|---|
| 4 g (500 ml) | $0.40 | $0.64 |
| 5 g (700 ml) | $0.50 | $0.80 |
| 6 g (700 ml, strong) | $0.60 | $0.96 |
Put differently, moving from a $100 lot to a $160 lot costs 24 cents on a drink that sells for $6 to $7 in most markets. Whether that is worth it depends on the menu: for a brown sugar matcha latte the difference is invisible; for a plain iced matcha latte that customers compare with the café next door, Minami's colour and umami are the difference people photograph. Our latte pricing guide has the full cost sheet.
Which grade, and why not ceremonial
Ceremonial matcha is first-harvest leaf shaded for 20 to 30 days and priced for aroma and sweetness you taste in hot water. Under syrup, ice and tapioca, those are the first things to go, and you are left paying $240 or more per kilo for colour you can get from a café grade. For chains we recommend one of two lots:
- Aki, autumn-harvest Yame, $100 per kg. Strong, slightly roasted matcha flavour that holds under sugar; the right choice for brown sugar, cheese foam and fruit drinks, and for anything baked.
- Minami, second-harvest Kagoshima Yutakamidori, $160 per kg. Brighter green and more umami for the plain iced matcha latte and the drinks you put on the poster. Residue-tested for US and Taiwan import.
Many chains run both: Aki in the flavoured drinks, Minami in the signature latte. The grades page explains how we draw the lines.
Halal lots for Southeast Asia
In Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and the Gulf, the first question from a chain is the halal certificate. Five of our lots, Wa, Mai, Mine, Kaoru and Yame, come from a mill holding halal and kosher certification, with a 10 kg minimum per product and volume tiers from 20 kg. Mai at $220 per kg and Mine at $180 per kg are the two chains usually choose for iced drinks. The certificate belongs to the mill and ships with the quote so your halal officer can check the issuing body against the recognised list; our halal guide covers what the certificate does and does not say.
How a chain supply contract works
A chain does not want a quote; it wants the same matcha, at the same price, in every store, for the year. That is a standing order, and this is how ours work:
- Cupping. Three samples at 20 g, tested in your actual recipe at your actual cup size. Pick one or two lots.
- Volume and price. Tell us the monthly kilos across stores. We quote per kg at the volume tier, FOB Osaka or DDP to your central kitchen or distributor.
- Reservation. Once confirmed in writing, the lot is reserved for you and the price is fixed for the harvest year. If the lot runs out before the year does, we cup the replacement against it with you before shipping.
- Shipping. Monthly or bi-monthly, 1 kg foil bags in cartons, by courier under about 30 kg and by sea above about 100 kg. Spec sheet and certificate of analysis with every lot.
- Paperwork. Commercial invoice, packing list and COA every time; halal certificate for the certified line; FDA prior notice for US shipments.
Where to start
Request three samples, tell us your cup size and syrup, and we will suggest the dose. If you are a chain or a distributor serving one, say so in the form; the quote comes back as a standing-order proposal with the monthly volume and the fixed price, not as a one-off.
Questions buyers ask
How much matcha goes in a bubble tea matcha latte?
About 4 g for a 500 ml cup and 5 to 6 g for 700 ml, dissolved first in 40 ml of water at 80 °C. That is more than a café latte because ice, syrup and pearls dilute the flavour.
What grade of matcha should a bubble tea chain use?
A culinary or café grade. Ceremonial aroma is lost under syrup and ice. We suggest Aki ($100 per kg) for flavoured and brown sugar drinks and Minami ($160 per kg) for the plain iced matcha latte.
What does the matcha cost per cup?
At 4 g, $0.40 per drink with Aki and $0.64 with Minami, matcha only, before milk, syrup, pearls, cup and freight.
Can you fix the price for a chain for a year?
Yes. A confirmed monthly standing order reserves the lot and fixes the price per kg for the harvest year. If the lot runs out, the replacement is cupped against it with you first.
