Whether you obsess or abhor the grassy, sweet, and bitter flavor, chances are you’ve had matcha. In just a few years, matcha went from a niche import to a ubiquitous flavor in the United States, found in drinks, desserts, and more (check out this matcha rotisserie chicken). As we grew more health–conscious during the pandemic, matcha surged in popularity. Offering a healthier, caffeinated boost, it quickly emerged as the go–to wellness alternative to coffee. And unlike coffee, which has long been coded as jittery and utilitarian, matcha arrived soft, pastel, and ritualistic; packaged as a slower, more mindful kind of energy.

As a veteran café–hopper since middle school, I watched matcha—the drink I ignorantly thought was underground (my TikTok username was proudly @icedmatchalattes)—start appearing on the menus of all cafés. Now, without fail, almost every café I walk into serves matcha. Blank Street even claims it sells a matcha every four seconds. From the craze, matcha–specific chains emerged, like Cha Cha Matcha, Matcha Bar, and Matchaful. 

Matcha isn’t just a drink anymore—it’s a mood board. It lives on social media as a lifestyle statement. People don’t just love the taste, they love the aesthetic–pilates, morning matcha and green juice, journaling. It’s a wellness ritual that makes people feel like they’re taking care of their health (though delicious, I guarantee the Pret strawberry matcha latte isn’t packing many health benefits). 

Consequently, the global market for matcha reached a record high in 2024 and is expected to almost double in the next few years, from $2.8 billion in 2023 to $5 billion by 2028. 

While matcha only recently appeared in the U.S., it dates back generations ago to elite Chinese Tang Dynasty’s seventh century tea rooms, in which “brick tea” and “compressed tea” first emerged. Over time, matcha was phased out by loose–leaf green teas, which replaced powdered tea in China. However, centuries later, after studying in China, a Buddhist monk introduced matcha as an “elixir for a healthy life” in Japan, planting the seeds (literally) for what would become a cherished cultural tradition and staple.

Now, Japan is the primary grower of matcha and lead exporter for the U.S. However, with limited resources for tea farming and the sudden upshot in matcha demand, matcha trends are outpacing supply. Japanese matcha producers Marukyu Koyamaen, Ippodo Tea, and Ocha no Kanbayashi have declared purchase limits. Others have temporarily halted sales of certain matcha products. With few young people willing to take over, the tea fields are growing quiet. For many aging farmers, matcha isn’t just a crop—it’s a legacy. But in an era of rising costs and uncertain returns, that legacy is increasingly being left behind.

With that, making matcha is a timely and involved process: first, growing tencha leaves, and then, harvesting and grounding them into matcha. Tencha leaves take up to five years to mature and can only be harvested for matcha once a year. Along with this timely process, there’s a tea farmer shortage. In just the last two decades, the number of tea farmers has declined from 53,000 to 12,353 in Japan. The few that are left are aging, with no one to continue to their legacy, leaving many tea farms abandoned. Other tea farmers who don’t currently harvest matcha are not willing to make the switch; cultivating matcha is a huge investment of time and money. And, if matcha ends up being a fad, they face a huge loss. 

International markets have already felt the effect of the matcha shortage. Australian cafés claimed to have waited up to three months for new shipments from Japan. The impacts of the matcha shortage are already being felt in international markets. The Matcha Bar in Dublin experiences supplier quotas on order quantities, Australian cafés are waiting up to three months for new Japanese shipments, and Singaporean supermarkets have raised matcha product prices by up to 15%. And now, with 24% tariffs on products imported from Japan in the U.S., matcha is only going to get rarer and more expensive. 

Anticipating future withdrawals, matcha–lovers are doing “Japan Hauls,” with suitcases full of matcha products from Japan. Others are offended by the hauls, attributing the matcha shortage to creators’ overconsumption. 

But as demand skyrockets and tradition gets aestheticized, authenticity is often the first casualty. Some processes and products erupted in controversy. 

A month ago, Poda, a matcha paste, was officially launched on Kickstarter. In the founder Mujtaba Waseem’s minute–long pitch video, he mocked ceremonial Japanese matcha–making techniques, “Let’s make matcha, but we don’t need any of this crap.” The “crap,” according to him, was the chasen (bamboo whisk) and chawan (ceremonial bowl)—tools that have been used for generations. Waseem then knocks the items from the table, letting them fall onto the floor. Waseem proclaimed, “Most matcha is stale, clumpy and made in China. What if I told you there’s a better way?” His proposal is squeezable matcha paste promising an efficient and easier way to make matcha than traditional methods. 

Neither amused by the product nor his cultural commentaries, people responded angrily commenting on the paste’s untraditional “murky brown green” and how the “marketing was heinous.”

Then, Matcha Girl, a viral Houston matcha pop–up, was under scrutiny for branding their $11 matcha as “ceremonial grade” and preparing batches in advance—compromising the very quality it claimed to champion. The criticism went beyond just matcha too. The founder, Lauren Galindo, personally received non–stop hate comments and even death threats for her matcha. What began as a trendy, aesthetic brand became a place of debate on authenticity and appropriation. 

Matcha is everywhere, but its future feels uncertain. Once a centuries–old ritual, matcha has become a modern–day trend fueled by aesthetics, wellness culture, and viral moments. But as its popularity surges, so do controversies: overly–gratuitous matcha drinking,  $11 “ceremonial” lattes made in bulk, to squeezable pastes mocking tradition. Meanwhile, the global supply is under pressure—aging farmers, slow production cycles, and trade tariffs are making high–quality matcha harder to source. The more matcha becomes a lifestyle, the more it risks losing its roots. And as trends move faster than tea leaves can grow, it’s worth asking: Are we sipping on something sustainable, or just another fleeting obsession?

P.S. Three matcha lattes were drunk in the process of writing this (apologies for the shortage).

WHY INDIA LAGS BEHIND PROTEIN TARGETS?

All nutritional guidelines suggest that 10-35% of our daily calories should come from protein-rich foods. “Estimates show that only 10 to 11 per cent of the Indian diet is protein, compared to 12 to 15 per cent in the US. We are stuck at a consumption level of 0.5 gm per kg of body weight. That’s because we are largely vegetarians, with plant proteins not quite matching up to animal ones. But the bigger problem is behavioural. Our diets are carbohydrate-heavy. By not having enough protein (a quarter of your plate in every meal), you are creating a protein vacuum which you fill up with more carbohydrates, the root cause of blood sugar, inflammation and other problems,” says Dr Seema Gulati of the National Diabetes, Obesity and Cholesterol Foundation (NDOC) Centre for Nutrition Research, Delhi.

Myths around having protein-rich diets pose another challenge, according to Ritika Samaddar, regional head, Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, Max Healthcare. “While animal protein is easier to incorporate, even plant proteins, in the right variety and combinations, can easily meet your daily protein requirement. Some plant-based sources like soy (tofu, soy milk), quinoa and chia seeds offer all nine essential amino acids. Plus they don’t have saturated fat,” she says.

WHAT ARE THE MYTHS AROUND DIETARY PROTEIN?

Most of Samaddar’s patients feel that a protein-rich diet is only for athletes and bodybuilders. “Apart from building muscle, repairing tissues and producing hormones, proteins lend satiety, prevent quick breakdown of sugar and keep hunger pangs at bay, managing both weight and calories,” she says.

Many believe high protein diets harm the kidneys. Yet a moderate protein intake with hydration is safe for most people. “What many don’t know is that even patients of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), not on dialysis, need 0.6 gm of protein per kg of body weight per day. Those on dialysis need 1.0-1.2 gm per kg of body weight per day, and that too from whole food sources. Yet such patients don’t have more than 0.2 per gm per kg of body weight,” says Samant.

The elderly, too, require 1 to 1.2 gm per kg body weight to avoid sarcopenia, a progressive wasting of muscle and skeletal mass.

HOW EASY IS IT TO GET DAILY PROTEIN QUOTA FROM DIETARY SOURCES

Dr Gulati has a chart ready. “Let’s assume you need between 60 to 65 gm of protein per day. Let’s begin with pre-breakfast, where you can have 10 nuts, soaked or raw, all yielding between 3 gm to 26 gm, depending on the portion. You can even split them into two parts. For breakfast you can have moong dal chila, which yields 9 gm of protein per serving, so two would be 18 gm with chutney. Have a tofu salad which can give you 20 gm straight per 100 gram or a cup. Have a glass (200 ml) of buttermilk which amounts to 15 gm of protein,” she says.

For lunch, she recommends multigrain millet rotis (4 to 7 gm from two diskettes) a cup of dal (12 to 20 gm), sauteed vegetables (between 2 to 4 gm per 100 g), which should be half your plate, and a bowl of curd (15 gm). Round it off with a cup of warm milk (3 to 4 gm).

Snacks can be about roasted chickpeas (15 gm), a cup of grilled paneer (46 gm) cubes or sprouts (3 to 6 gm per 100 gm).

For dinner, Dr Gulati recommends besan roti (a 30 gm roti contains around 6.6 gm of protein) or soybean flour roti (4.6 gm per roti), paneer, vegetables and curd (as listed above). For beverages, one can have a sattu drink (7 to 8 gm). “There are enough high value plant proteins that can more than make up for your quota,” she says.

For those used to animal protein, eggs (6 gm per egg), fish (a large piece or two small pieces contain 20 g protein) and chicken (24 to 32 gm per 100 gm, which is a biggish piece) are good sources. “These in combination with plant proteins provide a rich bioavailable source. Who needs supplements then?” asks Dr Gulati.

WHAT IS THE BIG MISTAKE THAT WE MAKE?

Samant says most of us load up on protein in one or two meals and think we are done for the day. “Remember the body can absorb only 20 to 25 gm of protein at a time. So if you have extra protein in a single meal, the surplus will go into storage as fat. That’s why you need to evenly distribute protein intake through the day for the best results,” she adds. That way you can keep your normal protein range between 6.0 and 8.3 g/dL.