Daiki T.

Founder & CEO

August 2026 Updates: New Beginnings for d:matcha

August 2026 has been a month filled with incredible new beginnings for us. Here is a look at what's brewing at d:matcha!

1. Expanding to Europe: d:matcha EU

Following the changes in US import regulations—specifically the repeal of the de minimis threshold—shipping tea directly from Japan to the US began incurring extra customs duties and handling fees. To protect our customers' shopping experience, we established a local US entity and warehouse, which significantly streamlined our domestic delivery.

Seeing the positive impact of this model, and with the EU set to repeal its de minimis rules as well, we decided to take the same step in Europe. On August 20, 2026, we officially incorporated our new entity in the Netherlands! We've already secured a warehouse and are currently in the process of obtaining organic certification. We are aiming to begin local shipping around November. We will share more details as soon as the timeline is confirmed!

2. Our Very First Eggs from the Poultry Yard

Back in April 2026, we set a goal to supply our own farm-fresh eggs for our guest accommodations. We hatched eggs and raised our chicks in stages—first 6, then 3, and then 7. Finally, our very first group of six hens laid their first eggs! Since they are still young, the daily yield isn't fully stable yet, but the eggs are wonderfully fresh with firm, rich yolks. Our chickens live a healthy life: we line their floor with tencha stems and regularly blend a generous amount of green tea into their feed.

(Fun fact: They start crowing around 4:00 AM, and our staff living on the second floor of d:matcha have already politely complained about the early morning wake-up call!)

3. A New Addition to Our Family

On a personal note, my wife and I welcomed our second child—a baby girl named Yuki (結貴)—in late August. Our 7-year-old son has grown so much; he is already becoming a helpful big brother, which we are deeply grateful for. We are looking forward to enjoying this new chapter of parenthood.

Most of all, I am infinitely grateful to Yuki for her impeccable timing. She avoided both our peak tourism seasons (March-May and October-November) and our busiest tea harvesting months (May-June), arriving right during the relatively calmer month of August. She didn't overlap with her mother's morning sickness or late pregnancy during our busiest work periods—proving to be an amazingly thoughtful baby from day one!

Thank you as always for being a part of the d:matcha journey. We can't wait to share what's next with you.

Hiroki A.

Farm Lead & Head Pâtissier

About the Tea Fields: Deep Tilling

Deep tilling literally refers to the act of plowing the soil deeply. The benefits gained from deep tilling include loosening the soil, stirring the organic layer, and regenerating root systems.

Because tea bushes are a long-term crop cultivated over several decades, the tea field's soil accumulates various issues over time. One major factor is the weight of people and machinery. Machinery used to manage tea gardens can sometimes exceed 100 kilograms, and a farm worker carrying fertilizer reaches a similar weight. As this weight repeatedly tramples the rows dozens of times, the soil becomes compacted and hard. Compacted soil loses its breathability and drainage, which hinders healthy root growth. Performing deep tilling loosens this hardened soil, improving its physical properties and promoting a healthy soil environment.

A second issue is the accumulation of an organic layer. Tea bushes are constantly pruned. Except for what is harvested, all twigs and leaves cut during pruning are returned to the rows between the bushes. While small amounts of organic matter are eventually broken down by soil microorganisms, any undegraded matter accumulates on the soil surface. This layer acts as a buffer when fertilizer is applied, reducing its effectiveness.

Finally, there is root regeneration. New tea roots are white, but as they age, they become woody and brown. Nutrient absorption and the accumulation of theanine are primarily driven by these young, white roots. By deep tilling and severing the old roots, new roots are able to grow into the freed-up space.

As described above, deep tilling in tea fields is a crucial task for supporting healthy root growth and maintaining high productivity. However, cutting the roots undeniably weakens the plant's vigor temporarily. Sufficient root volume must be secured from autumn to spring, when the plant absorbs nutrients for the following year's first-flush tea (Ichibancha). Therefore, deep tilling must be completed by early September at the latest, making it an extremely physically demanding task during the severe heat of late summer.

Emma C.

Marketing & Web

Beyond Cultivars: Zairai matcha

If you've been paying attention to the matcha world in the last year, you've probably started hearing a lot more about cultivars: names like Yabukita, Okumidori, or Gokou.

At d:matcha we focus on single-cultivars, and currently offer 13 different single-plant matcha, but one of them is not like the other... It actually is not a cultivar at all! It's Zairai.

Zairai, which means indigenous, refers to tea plants native to the region. As opposed to most of the matcha cultivated nowadays, it is grown directly from seeds rather than cuttings. Most tea bushes grown today are propagated via these cloned cuttings to ensure every plant produces the exact same flavor profile year after year. Cultivars (cultivated varieties) are bred and selected for different desired traits, for instance resistance to certain diseases or climate, or a specific recurrent flavor profile. Zairai, however, cannot be controlled.

Each Zairai seed carries unique genetic variation, meaning that a Zairai tea field is filled with individually unique plants living side-by-side. At d:matcha we have a few Zairai fields, and looking at them, you would notice a patchwork of different colors, leaf size, and growth, indicative of the genetic diversity of these plants.

Zairai are also known for their taproot, which digs deep into the soil and extracts flavor from it, creating a cup of tea with a more earthy, grounded flavor profile. This also means Zairai plants are an epitome of the terroir they are grown in. Wazuka Zairai will be very different from Shizuoka Zairai, which in turn would be completely different from Zairai grown in Kagoshima or any other region. Zairai are thus a living, historic genetic archive of the region.

We've just recently started offering our Zairai matcha, and its flavor profile has this incredible robust depth that holds up effortlessly against milk without losing its character. So, if you're curious to taste what matcha tasted like before modern agricultural standardization took over, our Zairai matcha is live in our global shop!

Sora N.

Confectionary & Farming

Swapping in Matcha in a Plain Recipe

Hello everyone! September has arrived, but the hot days are still continuing, aren't they? August wasn't too busy for me; I spent my time doing farm work and occasionally doing some pastry making. Last week, we had a chocolate production run for the first time in a while. Since it had been about six months, I was a little anxious at first about whether I could do it properly, but once I started, I gradually got my feel for it back and managed to complete the work without any issues. It was my first time working on it in a while, but I surprisingly remembered what I used to do, which was a bit of a relief. I think there will be more opportunities for chocolate making coming up, so I want to make sure I don't forget the feel I remembered this time.

Now, if you're a matcha lover, you've probably tried adding matcha to a plain batter recipe to make it matcha-flavored at least once, right? However, many of you might have experienced baking it only to feel like, "Even though I followed the recipe, the result feels different." So this time, I'd like to share a few things to keep in mind when swapping in matcha for a plain recipe.

When swapping a plain batter or dough for a matcha version, it's important to reduce the other flours by the same amount of matcha you add. If you just add matcha directly, the total amount of dry ingredients increases, which can make the batter heavy or give the baked result a hard texture. Especially with light batters like sponge or chiffon cakes, adding too much matcha makes it hard for them to rise properly, so caution is needed. I recommend starting by replacing about 5% to 15% of the original flour mixture with matcha. For instance, if you want to turn a plain recipe with 100g of cake flour into a matcha version, it's easy to adjust if you start with roughly 5-10g of matcha and 90-95g of cake flour.

Also, because matcha absorbs moisture easily, the batter can become stiff as you increase the amount used. In that case, adjust by slightly increasing liquids like milk or heavy cream. However, adding too much liquid will make the batter too runny and affect the final bake, so it's vital to adjust bit by bit. I recommend trying the recipe first without changing the original liquid amount. If the batter is noticeably stiff after that, you'll have fewer failures by adding milk or heavy cream in small increments of about 2-5g.

For the amount of matcha, you need to consider not just the flavor, but also the balance with bitterness and astringency. The more matcha you add, the deeper the flavor becomes, but adding too much makes the bitterness overwhelming, which can mask the flavors of other ingredients. Therefore, it's important to find an amount that brings out a solid matcha flavor while remaining palatable as a complete sweet.

Matcha forms lumps easily, so sifting it before use and mixing it thoroughly with the dry ingredients makes it much easier to achieve a uniform finish. Also, pay attention to the color during baking—if you bake it at a high temperature or for too long, the vibrant green color of the matcha tends to dull.

When substituting to make a matcha batter, it's not just about tweaking the matcha alone. I think the key is to look at the overall balance of flour, liquids, sugar, fats, and oils to preserve both the matcha flavor and the texture of the bake.

Ultimately, water absorption and flavor vary depending on the type of matcha and the type of batter, so fine-tuning while checking the batter's firmness, rise, bake, and melt-in-the-mouth texture is really the best approach!

Seiya (Alan) H.

Hospitality & Tea Production

The 100 Verses of Rikyu (Matcha-Related)

In last month's feature on the 100 Verses of Rikyu (Rikyu Hyakushu), I introduced several famous poems from the collection. While most of these verses address the mental posture required during a tea presentation (temae) or how to handle tea utensils, this month I have selected a few verses that offer useful guidance specifically on preparing matcha.

1. Handling the Whisk

Cha wo tateba / Chasen ni kokoro / Yoku tsukete / Chawan no soko e / Tsuyoku ataruna
Meaning: When whisking tea, focus your attention on the whisk (chasen); do not strike the bottom of the tea bowl forcefully.

This means that when whisking tea, you should pay close attention to how you handle the whisk and avoid hitting the bottom of the bowl hard. The chasen is delicate, and striking the tips against the bottom will break its fine bamboo tines, as well as scratch or chip your favorite bowl.

As a side note, when guests on my tours ask whether modern stainless steel or plastic tea whisks should be used, I explain that I personally prefer not to use them. Introducing hard, synthetic materials into tea bowls designed specifically for soft bamboo tips can damage your precious utensils. Another key point is to relax and avoid tensing up. Straining your arm actually slows down your whisking speed; the ideal feel is to smoothly and gently stroke the bottom of the bowl with the tips of the whisk.

2. Preparing Thick Tea (Koicha)

Koicha ni wa / Temae wo sutete / Hitosuji ni / Fuku no kagen to / Iki wo chirasuna
Meaning: For thick tea (koicha), discard mere pretense of form and focus single-mindedly on the taste and your breath.

This verse teaches that the spirit of hostship and staying attuned to your breathing to serve a delicious bowl of tea matter far more than strictly adhering to prescribed movements or formal elegance. It is easy to get caught up in outward form, but if the thick tea does not taste good, it defeats the entire purpose. While guests often focus on the utensils or the host's mechanics, many master teachers frequently remind us never to forget that serving delicious matcha is what matters most.

3. Proper Temperature and Texture

Koicha ni wa / Yu-kagen atsuku / Fuku wa nao / Awa nakiyau ni / Katamari mo naku
Meaning: For thick tea, ensure the water is hot, knead it without creating foam, and leave no lumps behind.

When preparing koicha, use hotter water and knead the matcha smoothly so that no foam builds up and no unmixed lumps of powder remain. Beginners often end up with damp clumps scattered throughout the bowl; the trick lies in evenly blending the powder with the hot water. As an aside, while we have countless ways to boil water today, a traditional tea gathering (chaji) requires boiling fresh water in a kettle over charcoal from scratch. If the host's method of laying the charcoal and shaping the ash bed is not precise, the water will not boil properly.

4. Practice and Mastery

Tonikaku ni / Fuku no kagen wo / Omoyuru wa / Koicha tabitabi / Tate-te yoku shire
Meaning: Above all, to learn the proper balance (fuku-kagen) of thick tea, you must prepare koicha again and again to truly master it.

Fuku-kagen refers to achieving the ideal taste, texture, and drinkability of the tea. This verse teaches that mastering this balance relies on hands-on experience and repeated practice rather than theoretical understanding. This applies to many things in life, but it serves as a wonderfully straightforward teaching poem emphasizing that practicing koicha demands consistent experience. Some teachers say it takes three full years just to learn how to prepare koicha properly, making repetition essential.

Although the verses selected this month focus primarily on tea preparation, I personally believe their insights on building experience and developing the right mindset apply far beyond the tea ceremony.

Nicolas D.

Fields and Operations

Late Summer in Wazuka

This August we continued clearing the areas and paths around all of our tea fields. We also continued the weeding efforts. It really felt like "just another month". The more special part of August in Wazuka was being able to enjoy the outdoors even though it gets quite hot and humid. We have a beautiful river traveling across Yubune and going down to Wazuka. Follow it for long enough and you'll end up in Osaka! There are multiple access areas where we can go and refresh on a hot day, with a nice ever present view on the mountains and the tea fields. We also have a nice forest path, which provides natural fresh(er) air. Yubune is a nice place to spend summer!

Now September is here and slowly some changes can be noticed. The rice fields are turning yellow. It is very beautiful. Our area produces tea but there are also many rice fields. Enough to make a noticeable change of landscape when the rice plants change colors or are being harvested. The nights are getting cooler, and the days too. There is more rain and more humidity. It is said that after some days of usual early September rain, temperatures drop and it feels like we entered the next season. Fall is so beautiful in Japan, so I am looking forward to it. I wish you too have a chance to experience that someday.