The matcha shortage that began in late 2024 is still with us in the 2026 season. At the spring auctions for tencha — the raw leaf that is ground into matcha — top lots reached roughly ¥13,972 per kilogram in Uji, Kyoto, and about ¥19,000 in Kagoshima, some 30–60% above pre-2025 levels.
Demand is doing the pushing. Figures cited by traders put global matcha consumption up around 27% in a single year, while Japanese green tea exports climbed to 13,125 tonnes in fiscal 2025, a 42% rise on the year before. Powdered green tea now accounts for close to 70% of export volume.
Supply cannot follow that fast. Japan has lost tens of thousands of tea growers over the past two decades, and a new planting needs four to five years before its first useful harvest. This summer's tencha crop effectively sets how much will be available for the whole year ahead.
Source: One With Tea