October 2025 Newsletter
US Launch of d:matcha USA! (Daiki T.)
In September 2025, prompted by new U.S. tariff regulations, we officially established our local subsidiary d:matcha USA LLC, building a system that enables direct domestic delivery of matcha within the United States. Through this new framework, products will be regularly shipped from d:matcha Kyoto in Wazuka, Kyoto, to our warehouse in New Jersey, from where they will be distributed efficiently to customers across the country.
Until now, shipments to individual U.S. customers had benefited from the de minimis rule, which exempts imports under 800 USD from duties—allowing for fast, trouble-free delivery. However, due to the new tariff implementation, not only will a 15% import duty be imposed, but an additional handling fee of around 20 USD per shipment will also apply, as DHL advances and processes the duty on behalf of the customer.
Given that a significant portion of our sales came from individual U.S. consumers, this change represented a major shift. After careful consideration, we concluded that establishing our own U.S. subsidiary—rather than adopting a DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) shipping model—would better support both long-term growth and customer experience. Setting up a local entity involved multiple steps: company registration, bank account opening, 3PL warehouse partnership, establishing tax and accounting systems, and arranging insurance coverage.
After successfully navigating these processes, our first shipment was completed in early October, and as of October 25, the goods have cleared customs in Ohio. While state taxes will apply, domestic shipping is now set at USD 8, with free shipping on orders over USD 150, significantly lowering the purchase barrier. Around 20 key items—including our signature matcha and roasted green tea (hojicha) powders—are currently available, and we plan to expand the lineup as we monitor sales trends. In addition, our Loyal Tea Program, launched in Japan in September, has now been extended to our U.S. customers as well.
Through this initiative, we aim to continue improving our global supply chain, ensuring that customers around the world can enjoy authentic, high-quality matcha with greater ease and consistency. We deeply appreciate your continued support.
The Impact of Rising Japanese Tea Prices on Daily Life in Japan (Misato T.)
As you may know, the market price of Japanese tea has surged dramatically in 2025. The price of first and second harvest teas has risen to about two to three times that of last year, while third harvest tea has increased by as much as five to eight times. This sharp rise is mainly due to the global boom in matcha demand.
When we started d:matcha ten years ago, we could never have imagined such a situation. Back then, Japanese tea was consumed mostly by Japanese people, and sencha had stronger demand, while matcha was primarily purchased by those practicing tea ceremony. Moreover, domestic consumption of sencha was declining, and the number of tea ceremony practitioners was also decreasing, leading to a shrinking market and stagnant prices.
At d:matcha, we worked hard to reverse this trend by promoting matcha sweets, developing blended teas, single-origin sencha, and sencha differentiated by shading duration—exploring every possible new use for matcha. I still remember how difficult it was to sell matcha to Japanese customers, as long-established Uji tea brands dominated the domestic market. Ten years ago, when blended teas were the norm, introducing the concept of single-origin tea to Japanese consumers was truly a challenge.
In recent years, the rise in Japanese tea prices has been a very positive development for tea farmers. However, for Japanese consumers, it can be difficult—many may find that the matcha or sencha they used to buy is now out of stock, or that prices have risen so much that it feels out of reach. Even aki-bancha (autumn bancha), which is used as a raw material for bottled tea, has become more expensive, so everyday bottled teas may also see price increases.
From the seller’s perspective, it’s important to create and present products that still make people want to buy and enjoy matcha or sencha despite the higher prices. Ideally, consumers will begin to choose higher-quality, truly delicious products—even if they cost a bit more.
About the Fields: Autumn Harvested Buds (Hiroki A.)
In modern tea production, where tea leaves are harvested by machine, it’s necessary to prune the tea bushes before new shoots are picked. Pruning smooths the canopy, allowing new buds to grow evenly so they can be efficiently harvested along a flat surface. The pruning for the first flush—the most profitable harvest—is usually done in autumn.
During autumn pruning, tea farmers often harvest the autumn buds with the pruning machine. This helps control the amount of organic matter added to the soil and makes good use of the autumn growth. The harvested buds go through the standard processing steps, and the finished tea is used for various purposes.
Autumn buds have unique characteristics: because they grow over a long period from summer to autumn, their stems and leaves become tough. The stems turn from light green to brownish and woody, while the leaves become glossy due to a thickened cuticle layer and take on a deep green, slightly coarse appearance. Although autumn buds contain less amino acid and more catechins, they are rich in dietary fiber, resulting in a surprisingly clean and refreshing taste when brewed.
These autumn buds are especially well-suited for hojicha (roasted tea), as roasting brings out a pleasant aroma and a smooth, light flavor without bitterness.
Duty at the Tea Ceremony Vocational School (Seiya H.)
This month, I would like to share about the duties I had at the tea ceremony vocational school.
Since my first year, there was a duty called nisshi tōban (journal duty), commonly abbreviated as nittō, which was held about twice a week.
Each day, one or two students from each grade were assigned as the day’s duty members. The task common to all grades was to greet the instructor with a bowl of matcha and serve it when they arrived in class.
The specific duties differed depending on the grade.
For first-year students, the duty started one and a half hours before the morning assembly. We had to come to school early to clean the hallways and stairways. The cleaning took about an hour, and once the third-year (senior) students arrived, they would inspect whether the cleaning had been done properly. Some seniors were very strict, emphasizing that aesthetic awareness is essential in tea ceremony and should be reflected even in daily life. During inspection, they would thoroughly check for dust—even on places like the tops of light switches or air conditioner remotes.
Personally, the most challenging nittō for me was in my second year. Second-year students were responsible for writing down the details of the flowers displayed in the tea room and the Zen phrases (kakemono) written on the hanging scrolls of the day. These were prepared in advance by classmates assigned to another duty, and we had to record them in the journal. Deciphering the Zen phrases written in cursive calligraphy was time-consuming, so I often used a Zen phrase dictionary I had bought beforehand to finish the task quickly.
What was even more difficult was identifying the flowers. The school received fresh flowers weekly from a florist, and I could usually confirm the names through the order sheet or by searching them online. However, sometimes classmates would bring flowers from their dorms or apartments, which made identification extremely hard. Camellias (tsubaki) were especially common as tea flowers, and we were required to write not only the type but also the exact cultivar. To do this, I often looked up the Camellia Encyclopedia in the school library and recorded the correct name.
The third-year students were responsible for checking and correcting all the entries made by the first- and second-year students. They reviewed the second-years’ notes (for example, ensuring flower names were accurate) and then rewrote them neatly into the official journal, which was submitted to the school office.
Looking back, I feel that my experience with the second-year nittō duties deepened my understanding of the scrolls and flowers in the tea room, which in turn helped me enjoy matcha more fully.
Matcha Picnic (S. Mahdaria)
Autumn this year came earlier than I expected! I can feel it not just from the color of the leaves, but from how quickly the air turned crisp and chilly. The tree in front of Chazuna (the Tea Museum in Uji) has so many slender branches swaying gracefully with the wind — it’s so beautiful that it felt like an invitation for a picnic.
Without realizing it, I’ve already had two picnics there! One with a new friend from Thailand who is a matcha influencer, and another with a new friend from the Philippines who owns a matcha café in Manila. It was such a joy getting to know them through our shared love for tea — matcha! We enjoyed a few bowls of usucha together, paired with wagashi and traditional sweets from both of our countries. It made me so happy to connect deeply with new friends while exploring different types of matcha we each love.
Growing up, I always dreamed of going on picnics, but the only one I remember was back in kindergarten. I’ve gone camping with friends since then, but sharing food during camping and going on a picnic feel quite different. What makes my picnics now truly special is that they always include matcha.
Most recently, I had a matcha picnic with my online students from Indonesia who run a home café. They came all the way to Wazuka just to meet me! Of course, I was more than happy to host them — we shared six different kinds of matcha, both blends and single-origin. I’m so grateful they came, because I laughed so much! I can’t even remember the last time I laughed that hard.
As someone who loves to laugh, it’s a little sad when life gets too quiet — but when I find myself laughing that much, I know I’m with the right people.
A little pocket of peace in Wazuka (Emma C.）
After some time away from d:matcha, where I interned in March, I am finally back as a full time employee, and could not be more excited about it!
This month has been busy in the best way. As we’ve reached the peak of the autumn tourism season, I have been spending the last few weeks reconnecting with the team and settling into my work routine. While my main role focuses on branding, marketing, and web, I have also gotten to help with the autumn harvest (akibancha) and mean tons of new people by working the tea tour.
There is something deeply grounding here in Wazuka. Every day I wake up surrounded by the gorgeous scenery of the tea trees and the gurgle of the rushing river. In the afternoons, the sun shines through my room and bathes me in warm light. In the evenings, I get to enjoy colorful sunsets and listen to the chirps of birds and the trills of crickets and cicadas. I don’t think I’ve ever felt peace like this anywhere else in the world.
Some of my favorite moments so far have been playing Super Smash Brothers with the team, taking bike rides into Wazuka town for groceries, visiting Saeki-san’s pottery workshop in Yubune, and slow days in my new room learning pixel art and playing games.
It has been a month of rediscovering peace, finding a rhythm, and reflecting on my purpose, and I am looking forward to continuously making new memories in one of my favorite places in the world.
Factory Work and Sweets Development (Sora N.)
Hello! Now that November has arrived, it has become truly cold. Recently, the bancha harvest has begun and the factory is up and running again. During the first and second tea harvests it was extremely hot, but this time it feels chilly even inside the factory. That said, when I’m near the tencha roasting furnace, the temperature is just right and quite comfortable.
Processing bancha doesn’t involve as much bud congestion, nor does it require switching between different buds, so to be honest, it feels more relaxed than working with first- and second-flush tea. However, I know that this sense of ease can lead to major mistakes, so I want to stay focused and work with a strong sense of responsibility throughout November.
From September to October, I also worked on developing daifuku to be served on our tours. This was my first time developing sweets at d:matcha, and I had never made daifuku before, so I was a bit worried about whether it would come together properly. Before starting the test batches, I had planned to make soy milk cream daifuku, but making the soy milk cream requires a freezing step, which takes extra time and effort. In the end, I decided on a matcha filling without soy milk.
These daifuku are not sold online and are only served on the tours, so the production volume is small and they do not generate significant profit for the company. Still, I hope that making them delicious will help increase guest satisfaction on the tours. To be honest, I wanted to make them even better and include soy milk, but
I learned that it’s important to balance flavor with production and service operations. The test batches progressed more smoothly than expected, and the daifuku took shape by the second trial.
I usually cook at home as a hobby and plan recipes and processes from scratch for the newsletter I write every month, so that experience proved helpful. There are still many areas for improvement—such as the mochi being a bit firm—so I want to keep working on it. I believe there will be more opportunities for product development in the future, and I hope to contribute to the company by making the most of my strengths.
Where Matcha Becomes Art (Mariko S.)
Stepping off the d:matcha shuttle bus in Yubune this summer felt like entering a scene from my favourite childhood movies. Everything looked like a piece of art, from the wave-like rows of tea plants and rice fields to the wooden houses on the hills.
As an intern at d:matcha, I was able to see how this beauty is reflected in the process of growing, preparing, and serving tea. d:matcha team exemplified how tea is an art that takes time to master, with the care and thought that goes into the organic farming process, and the creativity involved in producing the final products. Each lesson on how to brew sencha, matcha, koicha, or a matcha latte showed me how much attention to detail goes into a single cup of tea.
During the internship I had the opportunity to combine my love for painting with the inspiration and materials on the tea farm. My project was to create paintings of the farm and tea using a mix of conventional paint materials as well as matcha as ink. Small portions of matcha that would otherwise have gone to waste, such as the leftover matcha powder from tea tasting demonstrations, were used as paint in some of the pieces.
Painting with a natural material such as matcha was a unique experience. The fresh paintings start out vibrant and green, with a strong aroma of the matcha used. Like drinking tea, it is possible to recognise the differences in colour and smell between the varieties of matcha used on paper, and I could appreciate the vibrancy and freshness of okumidori, gokou, and kanayamidori in a new way. As the matcha oxidises over time, the paintings evolve into a softer muted colour.
While painting with a more sustainable material, I was also able to learn about how the organic farming process brings change to the fields over time. Due to the organic process, d:matcha’s organic tea fields are full of life. During a day working in the field it is possible to see the dragonflies, frogs, praying mantis, a wide variety of spiders, and other insects that live in the tea trees and surrounding plants. This ecosystem can take years to build up as the insects return to the field and reach a healthy balance. Organic farming requires more work than conventional
farming, but the benefits to the surrounding environment are clear when you see the life that thrives around the tea plants.
d:matcha is a unique example of how the natural environment combined with the tradition of tea can create a product that is an art form of its own, and I hope that this vision will continue to inspire others as it has for me.balance. Organic farming requires more work than conventional farming, but the benefits to the surrounding environment are clear when you see the life that thrives around the tea plants.
d:matcha is a unique example of how the natural environment combined with the tradition of tea can create a product that is an art form of its own, and I hope that this vision will continue to inspire others as it has for me.
