By RYUICHIRO FUKUOKA/ Staff Writer
May 10, 2025 at 16:04 JST
Cups of tea are served for tasting at the auction site in Joyo, Kyoto Prefecture, on May 9. (Ryuichiro Fukuoka)
JOYO, Kyoto Prefecture--Soaring global demand for all things matcha has pushed up the price of “tencha” green tea leaves to a record level.
At the year’s first auction held May 9 at the Uji tea distribution center of JA Zen-Noh Kyoto in Joyo, the average price per kilogram was 8,235 yen ($56.80), up 1.7-fold from the previous year and well above the record of 4,862 yen set in 2016.
Matcha is made from tencha leaves.
Strong demand from overseas and fewer entries due to the slow growth of tea leaves were cited as the factors behind the high price.
Tea farmers in Kyoto Prefecture offered 22 items weighing 1,678 kilograms, and more than 40 tea wholesalers bid on them after inspecting the aroma and taste.
In recent years, matcha has been widely used in lattes and confections, which are very popular among not only domestic consumers but also foreign visitors to Japan. Demand has also surged in overseas markets.
A tea wholesaler said the demand for matcha had expanded as sharply as in 1996 when Haagen-Dazs released its green tea flavored ice cream.
“In Uji district, we have empty stocks of matcha and customers are waiting for the arrival of a new shipment,” he said.
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