In September we introduced RIKYU Private Label with a deliberately narrow offer: one matcha, one can, from just 100 cans. The service menu is now wider. You can put any matcha or hojicha in our lineup under your own name, choose between two formats, and decide how the can is finished — plain, labelled, or printed with your design.

The starting point has not moved. It is still no big commitment and no warehouse: you choose, and we fill, seal and finish it in Japan, ready to sell under your name. What has changed is how many of the decisions are now yours.

 explains why we built it around a 100-can first run. This article covers what has been added since.

The whole service now comes down to three choices. First the matcha: YMSC comes in both formats, and every other product is available as a sachet. Then the format: Direct-Fill Can or Sachet-in-Can. Then the finish: a plain can, a label sticker, or your design printed on the can.

The Direct-Fill Can in silver, white and black, with the taller 80g size on the right.

This is the format we launched with, and it is unchanged. YMSC, our first-harvest Kagoshima matcha, is filled straight into your can, nitrogen-flushed, and sealed with a tamper-evident steel pull-top under a screw-top lid. It remains the simplest way to launch.

Direct fill is available for YMSC only. It comes in four sizes — 20g, 30g, 40g and 80g — in silver, white or black, with the 20g in silver only. The minimum is 100 cans per size, one colour per 100 cans.

The Sachet-in-Can in silver, white and black, plus gold for the 40g. Far right: the can with its lid off.

The question we heard most after the first announcement was some version of: can I do this with a different matcha? Now you can. Pick any matcha or hojicha from our lineup — 13 products across Uji, Yame, Shizuoka and Kagoshima matcha, plus hojicha — and we seal it in an aluminium sachet with an oxygen absorber, then place it in your screw-top can.

In our first article we made the case for filling direct, and for YMSC we still think it is the cleanest route. But direct fill ties the programme to a single matcha. The sachet is what lets a café retail the same matcha it already pours, or lets a brand build a range — a matcha and a hojicha, side by side — rather than a single product.

Sachet-in-Can comes in 30g and 40g, in silver, white or black, with gold also available for the 40g. The minimum is 200 per size, and you choose one colour per 100 cans — so a 200-unit run can be split across two colours.

The sachets are also available on their own, without the can — useful if you already have packaging you like. For sachet-only orders, sizes other than 30g and 40g are available on request.

If you want YMSC and the simplest possible launch, choose Direct-Fill: the lower minimum, four sizes, and nothing between the matcha and the can. If the matcha itself is the decision — a specific origin, a hojicha, the same matcha your café already serves — choose Sachet-in-Can.

YMSC is the one product available both ways, so if you are undecided, that is the safe place to start.

In the first version of this service, labels were something you arranged yourself or asked us about. They are now part of the menu, alongside a new option to print directly on the can.

For a simple design, we can prepare it for you. If you have a specific design in mind, please send us your artwork.

Every can shares the same 60 mm diameter; the size sets the height.

Pricing depends on the matcha, the format and the quantity, so rather than publish a table that won't match your spec, we send the price list on request. Tell us what you have in mind and we will send the price list and a quotation. Shipping and duties are quoted separately, and a detailed quotation is issued for every order.

Tell us three things and we can quote you: which matcha, which format, and which finish — along with the size, colour and quantity you have in mind. If you are not sure yet, tell us instead what you want the can to be — a retail line, a gift, a café take-home — and we will suggest the spec.

And as before, we would rather you taste it first. Ask for a sample of the matcha you are considering before you put your name on it.

Quotation and enquiries: rikyu@teamfriends.co.jp

📩 Contact us: Request a sample or get in touch with our team

RIKYU Private Label, Expanded: Two Formats, Any Matcha, Three Ways to Finish

Over the past few months, something has changed in our inbox. Cafés and matcha brands across the United States that we had not heard from in a while are writing to ask the same thing: "Can you send us your current price list?" This is not a coincidence. In 2026, the cost of matcha in America has moved sharply, and buyers are re-checking every supplier they know. This article explains what happened, why it happened, and what we believe a supplier owes you in a year like this.

What is happening to matcha prices in the US?

Matcha has become one of the fastest-growing drinks on American café menus. Klatch Coffee in California was on track to sell four times more matcha than it did in 2022, and Adagio Teas reported that its wholesale matcha sales doubled year over year. Across the market, matcha sales jumped 86% between 2022 and 2025.

That demand has met a supply that cannot grow quickly, and prices have followed. Foodservice matcha prices in the US rose around 14% in a year, with organic matcha up more than 21%. Individual cafés have seen far worse: a Denver café had one supplier raise prices by 150% in a single month and found itself on a waitlist until August 2026 for its preferred farm. A Honolulu matcha business reported wholesale costs up 40–50%. Retail followed too: one premium 20g tin that sold for about $49 crossed $100 within months.

So when a buyer asks for a price list today, they are usually asking three questions at once: "How much did your price move?", "Can you actually ship?", and "Will the price move again next month?"

What happened at the tea auctions in Japan?

The root of the story is in Japan, at the spring tea auctions, where tencha (the shade-grown leaf that becomes matcha) is bought and sold.

At the Kyoto tea market, the opening auction on May 13, 2026 averaged ¥13,972 per kilogram for tencha (about $93 at ¥150 to the dollar), roughly 1.7 times the previous record of ¥8,235 (about $55) set in 2025. By the time the Uji market closed its spring season at the end of July, the average price for machine-harvested tencha stood at ¥17,250 per kilogram (about $115), the highest since records began in 1996, and the market handled 595 tons of tencha, the largest volume since it opened in 1974.

Kagoshima, Japan's biggest matcha-producing region, saw the same thing. Its 2026 tencha averaged ¥13,910 per kilogram (about $93), about 2.3 times the previous year, and JA officials described the result as "far exceeding expectations." Even in Shiga, a small producing area, the average price doubled and the top bid reached ¥180,000 per kilogram (about $1,200).

Two things make 2026 unusual. First, the price rose even though volume rose: Japan's first-flush harvest was up 21% across the major prefectures, yet the extra tea was absorbed immediately. Second, the price rise spread to teas that are not matcha at all. Because farmers are converting fields to tencha, sencha, gyokuro and even the cheap leaf used for hojicha have all become scarcer and more expensive. In Kyoto, the base material for hojicha quadrupled in two years.

Chart: what a kilo of Kyoto tencha costs at auction, in US dollars (¥150 = $1). The 2026 season set a record.

Tencha cannot be scaled like coffee. It needs shade structures, several years for a converted field to mature, and a single spring harvest that decides most of the year's supply. Meanwhile the number of tea farms in Japan has fallen from about 53,000 in 2000 to roughly 12,000 today, and more than 70% of the remaining farmers are over 65.

Demand, by contrast, is global and growing. Japan's green tea exports reached a record ¥48.3 billion (about $322 million) in the first half of 2026, up ¥22 billion (about $147 million) from the same period a year earlier, and the United States takes the majority of Japan's powdered green tea exports. This is the third matcha shortage in modern history, and like the 1996 and 2001 shortages, it is being driven mainly by American demand.

Here is the good news for US buyers. Tea has been carved out of the trade measures that affected other Japanese goods. The 15% reciprocal tariff on Japanese tea was removed on November 13, 2025, and unflavored matcha under HTS 0902.10 has entered the US duty-free since then. The Section 122 surcharge that ran from February to July 2026 exempted every green tea subheading, and the Section 301 duties that replaced it on July 24, 2026 also leave unflavored tea free.

In other words, the price rise you are seeing in 2026 is not a tariff story. It is an auction story. That matters, because a tariff can be repealed, but an auction price only comes down when the balance of farms and demand changes.

We source matcha directly from producers in Uji, Nishio, Yame, Shizuoka and Kagoshima, and supply cafés and wholesale buyers from our own team in Tokyo. We buy tencha in the same market as everyone else, and we will not pretend the 2026 auction did not happen. What we can control is how the volatility reaches you.

One price list, tiered by volume, no surprises.

 When you ask us for a price list, you receive a single sheet with volume tiers. We set it for the season, and if the market forces a change, you hear it from us first, with notice, not on your next invoice.

More than one region, so one bad harvest does not decide your menu.

 Kyoto and Kagoshima do not move in lockstep, and a supplier who buys from only one of them has no room to protect you. Sourcing across five regions is what lets us keep a café-grade blend at a steady price even when a single market spikes.

 Bulk orders ship the next day when they are in our warehouse, and in one to two weeks from the producer when they are not. That is what "can you actually ship?" should sound like.

 Many of the buyers who write to us have the same complaint: the supplier in Japan stopped replying. We answer in English, directly from Tokyo, and we answer fast.

Matcha becoming expensive is not, in itself, bad news for a tea field in Uji or Kagoshima. Matcha becoming unpredictable is bad news for everyone. Our job in 2026 is to stand between the auction and your café, and to make sure that what reaches you is a bowl of tea and a number you can plan around.

If you would like our current price list, write to us directly. We will send it the same day.

Global demand, led by US cafés, grew faster than Japan's shade-grown tencha supply. At the 2026 spring auctions, tencha averaged roughly double the 2025 price in both Kyoto and Kagoshima (around $90–115 per kilogram at ¥150 to the dollar), and that cost flowed through to wholesale and retail.

Are US tariffs raising the price of matcha?

No. Unflavored Japanese tea, including matcha, has entered the US duty-free since November 2025 and was exempt from the 2026 Section 122 and Section 301 measures. The increase comes from the auction price of the raw leaf.

Not quickly. Tencha fields take years to establish, the farming population is ageing, and demand is still growing. Most industry observers expect prices to stay high through at least the 2027 harvest.

Choose a supplier with a published, tiered price list, sourcing from more than one region, stock ready to ship, and a real person who answers. Then match the grade to the drink: a good latte grade does more for your margin than a ceremonial grade that never survives the milk.

Does Rikyu Matcha have stock available now?

Yes. Contact us for the current price list and lead times for your quantity.

Why US Cafés Are Asking for Price Lists in 2026 — and What a Stable Matcha Supplier Looks Like

Private label matcha means the tea inside is ours and the can outside is yours. Starting this season, RIKYU fills and nitrogen-seals our first-harvest Kagoshima matcha directly into your own branded cans — from a minimum order of just 100 cans per size.

Every week, someone writes to us about starting a matcha brand. The idea is usually clear. What stops them almost never is. It isn't the recipe, and it isn't the sourcing — it's the pallet of packaging sitting between them and their first sale. Private label in Japanese tea has traditionally meant thousands of units, a warehouse to keep them in, and a five-figure decision made before a single customer has tasted anything.

We wanted to remove that step entirely. No big commitment, no warehouse. A small first run, ready to sell.

One hundred cans per size is a real launch, not a sample order. It is enough to fill a café retail shelf, seed a pop-up, send press kits, and still have stock left to sell. It is also small enough that you can afford to be wrong about your first label design.

That matters more than it sounds. At 100 units you can run a 30g can in black for retail and a 20g in silver as a gift size. You can test a seasonal edition without committing your year to it. You can find out what your customers actually reach for before you scale — and when you do scale, nothing about the product has to change.

The can is the product. Customers pick it up before they taste anything, and it is the only part of your matcha that lives on their counter for a month. So we chose one format and made it properly rather than offering a catalogue of compromises.

Four sizes: 20g, 30g, 40g and 80g. Three colours: silver, white and black — the 20g is silver only.

KIKU, one of the brands running on this can. Their name, their harvest year, their label — our matcha inside, filled and sealed in Japan. This is what a private label run actually looks like when it arrives.

Direct Fill — No Inner Bag, No Middle Step

Most small-batch matcha in a tin is not really in a tin. It is in a foil sachet, and the tin is a box around the sachet. That is the cheap way to do short runs, and it shows: the customer opens a beautiful can to find a bag, and the powder has already been packed, shipped, unpacked and repacked before it got there.

We fill direct. The matcha goes straight into your can, and the can itself is the barrier — steel wall, nitrogen headspace, pull-top seal. One filling, one sealing, one opening. Fewer transfers means less oxygen exposure, less static loss of powder, and an unboxing that feels like what your customers paid for.

All of it happens in Japan: filled, flushed and sealed here, then shipped to you as finished retail stock.

A private label programme is only as good as the powder it puts in the can, so we didn't build this around a filler grade. The default matcha for private label is YMSC — a first-harvest, single-cultivar Yutaka-midori from Kagoshima, grown pesticide-free and machine-milled.

In the bowl it is sweet and umami-forward with a measured bitterness behind it — the balance is the point. Plenty of ceremonial matcha is delicate to the point of vanishing under milk. YMSC keeps its character in a latte, which is where most of your cans will end up being used, while still standing up on its own as usucha.

Because we source it directly from the growers rather than through brokers, it sits well below what ceremonial grade usually commands. That gap is what makes a 100-can run viable at a price your customers will accept.

It also clears the paperwork side: YMSC meets both EU and US pesticide-residue standards, so you are not discovering a compliance problem after your first shipment lands.

Private label pricing starts from $9.00 per can for a 30g can, with the matcha and the filling included. A run of 100 cans is therefore a four-figure decision, not a five-figure one.

Final pricing depends on can size, quantity and how much matcha goes in each can, so we issue a detailed quotation for every order rather than publishing a table that won't match your spec.

Label printing and application are not included in the base price. Some brands already have a printer and a designer they trust, and we would rather not charge them for ours.

If you don't, we can arrange it. Label production in Japan and application by our team are both available on request — just ask when you enquire, and we will include it in the quotation. What we need from you is artwork; what you get back is a sealed, labelled, shelf-ready can.

Cafés that already pour our matcha and want something customers can take home. New brands testing a first SKU before they commit to a production run. Wellness and lifestyle labels adding a tea line without becoming tea importers. Hotels, studios and roasters who need a small, genuinely good gift item with their name on it.

What they have in common is that none of them want to spend their first season managing inventory. The matcha, the can, the nitrogen seal and the compliance are handled here. Your part is the label and the story.

Two sizes of one brand, stacked beside the plain silver cans they started as. A hundred cans per size is enough to do this properly — a retail size and a gift size, both wearing your label.

Tell us three things and we can quote you: which size, which colour, and how many. If you're not sure yet, tell us instead what you want the can to be — a retail line, a gift, a café take-home — and we'll suggest the spec.

We'd also rather you taste it first. Ask for a sample of YMSC before you order a hundred cans of it; that is the whole reason we keep samples on hand.

Your Own Matcha Brand, From Just 100 Cans: Introducing RIKYU Private Label

First harvest (ichibancha) matcha, picked in late April to May, delivers the deepest umami, natural sweetness, and vivid green color, making it the ceremonial-grade standard. Second harvest (nibancha), picked in summer, is more astringent and less vibrant but more affordable — a strong value choice for lattes, baking, and high-volume use.

In the world of premium Japanese matcha, the timing of the harvest is the single most defining factor of quality. At Rikyu Matcha Company, we believe understanding the distinction between First Harvest (Ichibancha) and Second Harvest (Nibancha) is essential for selecting the right profile for your brand.

First Harvest (Ichibancha): The Pinnacle of Umami

Harvested from late April to May, the First Harvest consists of the very first young buds that have overwintered, slowly accumulating nutrients.

Second Harvest (Nibancha): The Strength of Catechins

Harvested in June to July, about 45–50 days after the first flush. These leaves grow rapidly under the stronger summer sun.

The Philosophy of Grading: Why Timing Matters

Rikyu Matcha Company does not view one as "superior" in a vacuum; rather, we classify them by 

 Just as the tea ceremony distinguishes between 

, modern business must distinguish between a delicate latte and a baked confection.

For our "Premium" and "Ceremonial" lines, Rikyu Matcha Company maintains a strict 

By sourcing only the spring buds from our partners in Uji, Shizuoka, and Kagoshima, we ensure that your customers experience the profound "Umami" that defines authentic Japanese tea culture. Using Second Harvest for a premium beverage would be a compromise on the spiritual and sensory depth we promise to deliver.

First-harvest matcha, stone-milled: fine, even particles and a bright spring green.

Choosing the Right Harvest for Your Brand

Selecting the harvest is about balancing flavor intensity with cost-performance.

At Rikyu Matcha Company, we provide the bilingual expertise and regional sourcing to help you navigate these seasonal nuances, ensuring every tin of matcha tells the right story for your product.

Deciding between first and second harvest for your product? 

Request a sample or get in touch with our team

First Harvest vs Second Harvest Matcha: Umami vs Value

Matcha is graded partly by harvest: first harvest (ichibancha) is prized for its rich umami and sweetness, while second and third harvests are more astringent and higher in catechins. But the length and quality of shading before picking influences matcha quality even more than which harvest the leaf comes from.

"Is first harvest always the best?" This is one of the most common questions we receive at RIKYU — and the answer is more nuanced than a simple yes.

The Japanese tea calendar is divided into multiple harvesting windows: 

 (三番茶, third harvest). While harvest sequence does influence the chemistry of the leaf, the single most decisive factor for matcha quality is not 

how long they were kept under shade before picking.

1. Why Shade Is the Key to Matcha's Flavor

Matcha is produced through a technique called 

 (被覆栽培) — shaded cultivation. In the weeks before harvest, the tea fields are covered with screens that block direct sunlight. This act triggers a critical biochemical change inside the leaf.

The primary umami compound in green tea is an amino acid called 

. Under sunlight, theanine is progressively converted into catechins — the polyphenols responsible for bitterness and astringency. Shading blocks that conversion. The longer the plant is kept from direct light, the more theanine is preserved, and the deeper and sweeter the umami becomes.

Shading also causes the plant to overproduce chlorophyll to capture what little light reaches it. This is why well-shaded matcha has that vivid, deep emerald green — not merely cosmetic, but a direct signal of careful shading management.

Chlorophyll built up under shade: the deep emerald colour is a direct visual signal of how the leaf was grown.

2. First Harvest — Ichibancha (一番茶)

The first harvest arrives in late April to early May, as the tea plant wakes from its winter dormancy. All through the cold months, nutrients — primarily theanine — accumulate in the roots. When the new shoots finally emerge, they are naturally rich with that stored energy.

For matcha production, first-harvest plants are typically shaded for 

 before picking. This extended shading period, combined with the naturally high theanine content of the spring flush, produces a leaf with:

. When matcha is served as the center of the experience — a pure bowl, an 

 (thin tea), a tasting flight — the softness, roundness, and lingering sweetness come directly from this theanine richness that only a full shading period can produce.

3. Second & Third Harvest — Nibancha & Sanbancha (二番茶・三番茶)

After the first harvest, the plant regrows. New shoots emerge in June–July for the second harvest, and in late July–August for the third. These later flushes face a fundamental constraint: 

the interval between harvests is not long enough to allow for the same extended shading period.

In practice, shading for second- and third-harvest matcha can be as short as 

 The consequences are direct and measurable:

It is worth noting that even second and third harvest matcha retains more theanine than standard unshaded green tea (sencha) — any shading provides some benefit. But the gap between a three-week shade and a three-day shade is not marginal. It fundamentally changes the character of the cup.

 The misconception we encounter most often from international buyers is that "first harvest" is simply a marketing label. In reality, it reflects a specific agricultural reality. 

First-harvest matcha is not better because it arrives earlier — it is better because the shading can be longer.

 The winter-accumulated theanine and the extended kabuse period work together in a way that later harvests, constrained by the growing calendar, cannot replicate. When we source matcha for RIKYU, shading duration is one of the first questions we ask our producers.

4. Side by Side: The Three Harvests at a Glance

Characteristic1st Harvest2nd Harvest3rd HarvestSeason

Late Apr – MayJun – JulLate Jul – Aug

Sweet, round, deep umamiBalanced; slight bitternessBitter-forward, astringent

Ceremony, pure bowlsLattes, everyday drinkingCooking, high-volume blends

At RIKYU, we don't just supply matcha — we help you find the right harvest for the right application.

"ceremonial grade" is not a legally defined term

, and its use across the industry is inconsistent. A better question to ask your supplier is: 

what was the shading duration for this lot?

 That single piece of information tells you more about what's in the bag than any grade label.

The next time you encounter a matcha described as "first harvest," it is worth pausing to consider what that actually required: a producer who managed careful shading discipline over three weeks in early spring, working with plants that had spent an entire winter accumulating the theanine now concentrated in those new shoots. It is not a label. It is a description of choices made long before the cup reaches the customer.

Curious to taste the difference for yourself?

We'd be happy to send samples of our first-harvest and second-harvest grades side by side — so you can experience the shading difference directly in the cup.

First, Second & Third Harvest Matcha: Shade vs Season

And why the difference matters more than you think.

In matcha, "single origin" means one region, "single estate" means one farm and producer, and "single cultivar" means one plant variety. These three labels are independent of one another — and single estate is the strongest signal of quality and traceability, because it ties every leaf back to a named grower.

If you've spent any time exploring premium matcha, you've likely come across labels like "single origin" or "single cultivar." These terms — borrowed in part from the specialty coffee and wine worlds — signal quality and traceability. But in the matcha world, they don't all mean the same thing. And a fourth term is quietly emerging as perhaps the most meaningful of all: 

Here's a clear breakdown of what each term means, how they relate to one another, and why understanding the difference will change how you choose your matcha.

 means the matcha comes from one defined geographic region — Uji in Kyoto, Kirishima in Kagoshima, Nishio in Aichi, and so on.

This matters because terroir — the soil, climate, altitude, and rainfall of a place — leaves a fingerprint on the tea. Uji's morning river mists and mineral-rich soil produce matcha with deep, layered umami. Kagoshima's volcanic earth yields a smoother, naturally sweet profile. These regional characteristics are real and meaningful.

However, "single origin" is also the broadest of the three terms. A matcha labeled "Uji single origin" could be sourced from dozens of different farms, blended at a processing facility, and still carry that label honestly. 

Origin tells you the region. It doesn't tell you who grew it.

 enters — and why we believe it may be the most important designation of all.

Single estate means the matcha originates from one farm, tended by one producer. Every leaf in the package comes from the same land, the same hands, the same set of decisions made season after season.

In the wine world, "estate-bottled" or "château" designations have long carried this meaning: the grower and the maker are the same, and accountability runs all the way from soil to cup. In premium tea — particularly Darjeeling — single-estate labels have become the gold standard for the same reason.

Matcha, historically, has operated differently. The traditional Japanese model relies on the 

 — the tea master — who blends tencha leaves from multiple farms, regions, and even harvest years into a consistent house expression. This is a genuine craft, and we respect it deeply. But it also means that in most premium matcha, the identity of the individual farmer is invisible.

 It means you can trace your matcha back to a specific farm, a specific producer, and a specific set of agricultural decisions. It means accountability, consistency, and a direct relationship between the land and the cup.

) means the matcha is made from one specific tea plant variety — Samidori, Okumidori, Saemidori, Asahi, Gokou, and so on.

Just as grape variety defines a wine's character, the tea cultivar shapes the flavor, aroma, color, and texture of matcha in fundamental ways. Samidori is known for its elegant, creamy umami. Saemidori brings sweetness and vivid green color with low bitterness. Asahi, one of Uji's most prized native cultivars, delivers a sharp, refined complexity.

Single-cultivar matcha is increasingly popular among enthusiasts who want to explore these differences — to taste the cultivar itself, expressed as purely as possible.

That said, single cultivar is the most focused lens of the three — it zooms all the way in to the plant itself. The same cultivar grown on different estates, in different regions, under different hands, can taste remarkably different. 

Cultivar tells you the variety. The estate tells you who brought it to life.

Cultivar, estate and origin all end in the same place: one finished powder, and how it tastes in the cup.

How They Combine — and What That Looks Like in Practice

These three terms are independent of one another. A matcha can be any combination:

 One farm, one variety — maximum traceability One farm, multiple varieties — estate integrity with blended complexity 

 One variety, multiple farms — cultivar purity, varied sourcing Standard commercial matcha — wide sourcing, blended

At RIKYU, the majority of our products sit in the 

 category. Here's why this combination is intentional — not a compromise.

The farms we work with in Kyoto and Kagoshima are not small operations. The largest cultivate more than ten different tea varieties on the same land, deliberately staggering their harvest windows so that each cultivar can be picked at its precise peak. This is expert farming — not mass production.

When these farmers blend their own cultivars into a finished matcha, something specific happens: the blend reflects one producer's vision, one terroir, one set of growing conditions. It is entirely traceable. It is entirely accountable. And it achieves a complexity of flavor — balancing fragrance, taste, and color — that a single cultivar alone rarely delivers.

This is particularly true of our Uji-origin products. Uji has over 800 years of matcha cultivation history, and its blending tradition is inseparable from its identity. The great Uji tea houses have always blended — not to hide inferior leaves, but because the 

's art of composition is itself an expression of mastery. Our SR145, for example, is a Uji-origin matcha that honors this tradition: single estate in its sourcing, and blended in its craft.

Our Kagoshima-origin products, by contrast, often lean toward single-cultivar expression. Kagoshima is a younger matcha region, and its producers have invested heavily in developing cultivars — Saemidori, Okumidori, and others — with distinct, well-defined flavor identities that stand confidently on their own.

All three matter. But if we had to choose the one that speaks most directly to quality, integrity, and trust — it's Single Estate.

Because at the end of the day, great matcha is made by great farmers. Knowing who grew your tea is not a luxury. It's the foundation.

At RIKYU Matcha Company, all of our products are Single Estate — sourced directly from individual farming families in Uji, Kyoto and Chiran, Kagoshima. We work closely with our producers to understand not just what they grow, but how and why.

Want to taste the difference for yourself?  

Single Estate vs Single Origin vs Single Cultivar Matcha

As matcha gains popularity in the global market, both Japanese and Chinese matcha are available. Rikyu Matcha Company helps you understand these differences to make the best choice for your business.

Chinese Matcha: Large-Scale Production Model

Chinese matcha maintains rigorous quality control as an industrial product, capable of producing large quantities that meet consistent quality standards. However, this approach differs from the "use-based grading concept" that Rikyu Matcha Company values.

Japanese Matcha: Craftsmanship and Individuality

Kyoto, Shizuoka, Kagoshima, Nishio—each production region has its unique terroir, and producers continue crafting matcha with their own philosophies. From traditional stone-grinding methods to particular attention to harvest timing and shade-growing techniques, every process embodies artisan craftsmanship.

Stone-milled Japanese matcha up close: particle fineness and colour are where craftsmanship becomes visible.

Tea Ceremony Culture: Japan's Unique Spirituality

The distinction between koicha and usucha, seasonal tea gathering arrangements, the spirit of ichigo ichie (one time, one meeting)—these are authentically Japanese cultural developments. Tea, originally from China, evolved uniquely in Japan, transforming from a simple beverage into a spiritual art form.

This cultural background brings profound spirituality to Japanese matcha:

Rikyu Matcha Company classifies matcha by "application":

This approach extends the tea ceremony concept of "koicha" and "usucha." The philosophy of selecting optimal matcha according to use is designed to deliver maximum value to your brand and products.

While the global market uses classifications like "Ceremonial Grade" and "Culinary Grade," their foundation lies in Japanese tea ceremony culture. Cafes and restaurants worldwide serve Japanese-style matcha lattes, and health-conscious consumers seek Japanese matcha because of this cultural depth and trusted quality.

Through strong partnerships with Japan's traditional regions—Kyoto, Shizuoka, Kagoshima, and Nishio—we deliver matcha alive with craftsmanship to the world.

We offer more than mere products. We deliver Japanese tradition, artisan skill, and matcha with cultural depth.

Japanese Matcha vs. Chinese Matcha: Understanding the Difference

Tea bushes keep producing new buds after picking, so they are harvested two or three times a year: ichibancha (first flush) from late April to late May, nibancha (second flush) from late June to early July, and sanbancha (third flush) from mid-July to late August. In the Uji region, hand-picked tencha and gyokuro are made from first-flush leaves only, while sencha also uses the second flush and later.

"I see 'shincha' on labels in early summer — what does it mean?" Shincha is the first tea of the year, and understanding it opens up the whole harvest calendar. Part six of 

 looks at when Uji picks, and what each picking is for.

Shincha ("new tea") is made from the very first young buds picked that year. It is also called ichibancha, the first flush. Tea is a natural, seasonal product, and its taste changes with the time of picking. First-flush buds emerge carrying all the nutrients the plant stored in its roots over winter, so they are the richest in umami and the most delicate in aroma.

Because new buds keep coming, the same bush can be picked two or three times. But with each round, strong summer sun and rapid growth make the leaves harder and the umami thinner.

hand-picked tencha and gyokuro are made from first-flush leaves only

. Sencha also uses the second flush and beyond.

There are two reasons. The first is quality. Tencha and gyokuro are teas built to maximize umami, and that design only works with the nutrient-rich first flush. The second is the health of the plant. Shading restricts photosynthesis and puts the bush under strain. After the first flush is picked, the covers come off and the plant is allowed to recover for the following year — that is the basic philosophy of a high-quality tencha garden.

Second-flush matcha is widely sold in overseas markets and can be a sensible choice for lattes. But the mainstream of Uji tencha production is first flush, and "first flush or later?" is the first fork in the road when you read a price list. (For a general comparison that is not specific to Uji, see our article 

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Let’s get matcha
into your product.

Matcha Journal

RIKYU Private Label, Expanded: Two Formats, Any Matcha, Three Ways to Finish

Why US Cafés Are Asking for Price Lists in 2026 — and What a Stable Matcha Supplier Looks Like

Your Own Matcha Brand, From Just 100 Cans: Introducing RIKYU Private Label

First Harvest vs Second Harvest Matcha: Umami vs Value

First, Second & Third Harvest Matcha: Shade vs Season

Single Estate vs Single Origin vs Single Cultivar Matcha

Japanese Matcha vs. Chinese Matcha: Understanding the Difference

Ichibancha, Nibancha, Sanbancha: How Harvest Timing Works in Uji

Where Is Ujicha Grown? The Map Behind the Name

Why Uji? Rivers, Fog, and the Terroir of Kyoto Tea

800 Years in One Page: A Timeline of Ujicha

One Plant, Many Teas: The Japanese Green Tea Family Tree

Let’s get matchainto your product.

Let’s get matcha
into your product.