Matcha is one of the recent trends in tea and beverage culture. Green tea has been around for quite some time now, but Matcha green tea is something different. Asides from having more antioxidants and caffeine levels, people have been preferring Matcha over green or black tea. Despite the fact that it’s more expensive, Matcha is the energy boost or the calming drink they need. With its various health benefits such as weight loss and reducing your risk of cancer, it’s no wonder that Matcha is a drink everyone’s fond of. However, why is Matcha so expensive? This is the question we’ll be answering in this article.
The process of how Matcha is made is much more complicated than you think and is one of the core reasons why it’s expensive. Contrary to popular notion, the way Matcha is made is different from green tea. In Matcha, the remaining leaf veins are being removed and then its pieces are dried flat. This is what you call Tencha, which is known as the base tea for real Matcha. Once the leaves are completely dried out, it’s crushed into a fine powder that’s otherwise known as Matcha. It takes approximately 3 hours to crush the Tencha in order to produce 30 grams of Matcha.
Another core aspect behind the cost of Matcha is its demand. It’s very popular in the west, and Japan has difficulty in keeping up with people’s demands. True Matcha is made from Tencha, which is why real Matcha is more expensive. The rest is just powered tea, inspired by the flavors of Matcha. Powdered Matcha is simply green tea that’s crushed into powder, with both having a similar taste.
It’s much more difficult to make Matcha in the process and with its demands and labor, genuine Matcha isn’t cheap. In addition, the leaf veins removed in making Tencha have to be removed. Otherwise, it affects Matcha’s high caffeine content and overall flavor.
Other than both labor and time, there are other factors that contribute to why Matcha is expensive such as demand being higher than the supply, first harvest, and how much effort and work it takes to create the art of Matcha. It may be delicious and healthy, but genuine Matcha doesn’t come easily. It’s also not a resource that you can get wherever and whenever you please as it has a scarcity of quantity.
In conclusion, you can summarize the expense of Matcha in 5 aspects- cultivation, harvest, processing, preparation, and demand. These all contribute to everyone’s favorite Matcha green tea, and it isn’t as easy as brewing tea. Due to its recent trend and demand, more people have been looking for real Matcha and this demand is undeniably one of the reasons why the cost has become high. Overall, Matcha green tea is the healthy beverage you won’t regret having, no matter the cost. As the perfect alternative for coffee and the calming drink you need, Matcha continues to be on the rise amidst it being expensive.