The global matcha boom has brought this vibrant green tea into the spotlight, but it has also created a serious challenge — a shortage in supply. In this gap, low-quality products have found their way into the market, and overseas, it’s become all too easy for such products to be sold as “matcha.”
In Brisbane, many of the matcha products found on supermarket shelves fall far short of what can truly be called matcha. In fact, a surprising number are more bitter than regular powdered green tea made from first-harvest leaves.
This is puzzling — and troubling. The traditional process of growing tencha (the base leaf for matcha) involves carefully shading the plants with special cloths to reduce catechin production, thus softening bitterness and enhancing sweetness and umami. If a so-called “matcha” is more bitter than ordinary green tea, something has gone very wrong in its production.
The danger is more than just a disappointing cup. Poor-quality matcha risks driving people away from the real thing before they’ve ever experienced its true character. We’ve met countless people who told us, “I tried matcha once at a café, but I didn’t like it.” Yet when they taste the matcha we serve at NAGOMI, they are astonished: “I never knew matcha could taste this good!”
We believe that for the matcha boom to be sustainable, it must be built on quality. Flooding the market with products that don’t deserve the name only harms the reputation of matcha and diminishes its cultural and culinary value. Instead, we are committed to the slow, steady work of supplying only authentic, high-quality matcha — the kind that makes people fall in love with it.
As part of this mission, NAGOMI has been sharing our teas directly with the public — both at local markets and, from July 29 to August 11, through our pop-up store at Capalaba Central Shopping Centre. We will continue to bring premium, organically grown Japanese matcha and green tea to our community in Australia.
Our goal is not just to sell tea, but to protect and share the true taste of matcha — a taste worth discovering, and worth preserving.
With gratitude,
Sho Watanabe