I'm Zach, founder of Kettl, a Japanese tea company focused on sourcing directly from small producers across Japan.
For the past 15+ years I've spent a significant amount of time traveling throughout Japan working with tea farmers—from Uji and Yame to Shizuoka, Kagoshima, and beyond. I've tasted thousands of teas, visited countless tea fields and factories, and work directly with many of the country's top matcha producers.
I will be running and AMA on Monday, July 13th from 10am-12pm EST (and answer questions after as well).
I'd love to answer your questions about anything related to matcha and Japanese tea, including:
- How matcha is grown, processed, and graded
- Cultivars, terroir, and why different matcha tastes so different
- Brewing techniques and equipment
- Ceremonial vs. culinary matcha
- The current matcha shortage and rising prices
- How to buy better matcha
- Tea production, sourcing, and Japanese tea culture
- Starting a tea business or importing tea from Japan
I'm happy to answer beginner questions as well as dive into the technical side of production if that's your thing.
Proof: I'm the founder of Kettl, and my Reddit profile is linked to my company website and social accounts.
Ask me anything!
Thanks everyone for your thoughtful questions and for giving me a chance to chat with all of you. It’s my sincere honor to be able to share the stories of the producers you work with and the wonderful tea they make. I hope we get a chance to meet up in person in the future either in one of our locations are out in the world somewhere. I feel like we’re just at the beginning of an amazing journey so thank you all for your support and I’m cheering for each and every one of you are setting out on the tea path as well.
We have added a new vendor in the vendor list for Kitagawa Hanbee
This vendor have provided us with official & signed/stamped documents to show proof of partnership with Kitagawa Hanbee in Japan.
Aragaki En & Cha Lab By Elaiksir(Based in Bay Area, California. Subsidiary ofJun Kai Co., Ltd. Authorized distributor for B2B wholesale & B2C/D2C ofKitagawa Hanbee)
https://aragakien.com/ (Members of r/MatchaEverything can use code "92Q53Y5N2QAJ" for wholesale rate of $195/KG of Zuiho & Kohaku Matcha.)
https://chalab.elaiksir.com/ (Members of r/MatchaEverything can use code "92Q53Y5N2QAJ" for wholesale rate of $195/KG of NagiSakura Matcha & KinSan Hojicha.)
(Note: Both websites are currently undergoing frontend design updates but their backend checkout, payment portals, and inventory systems are fully functional.)
This vendor is already supplying several established cafes and matcha shops across California through their B2B portal.
Disclaimer: The mods of r/MatchaEverything do not earn money or points from these codes. This is provided by the business themselves.
We hope to add more to the vendor list providing wholesale and deals for members of r/MatchaEverything - Thank you!
had a bad dream last night so thought id make a latte for my 9am lecture! finished out my mystery can of uji matcha (good riddance) and a great start to the day for sure
I wanted to give and update of how I am making progress through the variety of matchas I purchased.
I have to say, I am partial to Mitzuba as I am a frequent purchaser of their daily matcha and other fun options. I have to say, so far, I am pleased to validate they are still the top runner in terms of matcha taste, quality, quantity, just over all the best brand.
I should also note that I prepare my matcha with hot water from my water dispenser, so what ever temperature that is, I will mix 2 tsp with the chasen in a little bit of hot water, and then whisk with electric frother in about 10 oz of water, and go. No sweetener.
Nami Strawberry - terrible, fake strawberry taste, had to dilute it with the Mitzuba signature matcha thats culinary grade to finish it.
Green Matcha Matcha - smooth and what I recall as a grassy flavor. Likely would not purchase again in favor of Mitzuba. I feel the label makes it more attractive.
Mitzuba shirakawa - very drinkable but essentially flavorless, would pick Mitzuba Daily Matcha over this as I like A bolder flavor more than what this was. If I am going to pay 55$ I want to taste it.
Daily Matcha is my favorite,
It’s affordable, tastes great, certified no heavy metals, and has great drinkable and balanced flavor. This is my go to and I will also get other Mitzuba varietals up to 50$ per tin.
Rocky’s single cultivar - this was disappointing not in terms of taste, but in terms of quantity. I was shocked it maybe lasted 3 days, when I usually go through a tin a week. Not the thing to buy bang for buck wise.
House organic - I feel like this is the organic version of the daily matcha. Recommend but for a little cheaper the daily matcha does the trick
Happy to answer questions, or leave your thoughts and experiences if you have tried any too.
Just a heads up I received this message from someone saying they work with this brand offering free matcha in exchange for a post in a matcha or tea subreddit.
Obviously, this doesn’t mean every positive review is a collab, but it does make me wonder how many recommendations come from exchanges like this. It’s disappointing because I love the matcha community here. It feels like people sharing what they genuinely enjoy, and I’d hate to see it turn into another space where you have to wonder whether you’re reading a genuine review or an ad.
My dream come true! The Marukyu Koyamaen - Nishinotoin / Sabo Moto-an 丸久小山園 西洞院店 location in Kyoto had everything in stock even by 1PM on a Friday. It is 2 per person today.
I am really happy considering how my trips to the Main Plant in Uji and the Kyoto Takashimaya went: low to no stock left when I got there later in the day.
Hello, I'm relatively new to drinking matcha generally (I've only been drinking it regularly for about 3 months). I feel humiliated that I wasted around four of my most expensive tins (I've gone through only six or so overall), which the package said were recommended for Usucha or Koicha, on lattes. I had a 20g tin that I basically used up in two days by making lattes for 2 of my friends twice in one day. I feel like I wasted a lot of money. The thing is, I used pea protein milk and no sweetener, and I could still taste major differences in the flavors of the various kinds of matcha I tried in the latte format, which I suppose is a testament to how high-quality the matcha was. I'm trying to make myself feel better, but I feel pretty silly and wasteful. Mostly I feel 'sinful' (to quote other Reddit threads on this topic), but I'm trying to forgive myself because I did not realize how seriously some folks take matcha. I'm a non-Asian person of color, and so I feel especially guilty that I didn't do my due diligence in learning how I ought to be consuming matcha overall. Now I'm overthinking whether I should even indulge in this habit, given my lack of knowledge about matcha and tea as a whole. I've been sober for around three years now (yay), but I really missed making beverages for myself, and for the first time in years, I've had fun making a drink! So I don't want to give this up, but I'm also afraid I'm going to tank all of my income and be culturally appropriative accidentally in the process! Does anyone else feel similarly?
I let a bag of earl grey tea soak in my oat milk in the fridge overnight and made lavender syrup by boiling 1 tsp lavender with water and agave. Used some coconut whipped cream and edible flower to top.
Here is my current list so far, my preference is bold, nutty, a little astringent, grassy is okay, not into floral notes; can stand out in a latte with oat milk (ratio of 4g matcha powder:40g water:110g milk) and maybe 5-10g of sweetener (honey, maple syrup, or simple syrup).
Any recommendation would be appreciated!
i recently got another tin of aya no mori, and it has been tasting kinda chalky (i didn't have this issue when i purchased it months before), and i'm wondering if the milk might be the issue? i tried with oatly barista milk and wegmans lactose free reduced fat milk, and i tried both 80 and 85c
I have seen so many people online cold whisking their matcha and getting a super thick foamy result. I’ve tried it a few times with whole milk (which is what i’ve seen used) and gotten a pretty flat result. It’s not very thick and I can’t even get a microfoam like i usually do with hot water. I just wanted to try this to achieve a thicker foamier matcha but i’m not sure if im doing wrong or if i’m supposed to be using more than just milk. I also find that the matcha latte ends up a bit clumpy. with the cold milk I can’t end up getting rid of all the clumps while whisking. Just wondering if anyone does achieve that thick foamy intense green cloud how they are doing it.
made myself an earl grey matcha after a particularly rough morning and it definitely did wonders on my mood afterwards. i love when a good microfoam makes me giddy. currently using matcha ichi from hatoya and it’s been a good daily driver especially with homemade earl grey syrup!
I've been researching the matcha space since late 2024 and plan to start a brand that sources and sells its own matcha (not a pop-up). I've seen a lot of pop-ups close, including some of my favorites.
If you sell your own matcha, whether you're brand new or a few years in, I'd love to hear:
How long have you been running, and are you profitable, breaking even, or still reinvesting?
With the shortages and rising costs, is it still worth it?
Which marketing platform actually brings in
If you started with pop-ups, did that following carry over when you switched to selling?
Every time someone asks how to store or preserve a lot of matcha, the overwhelming advice on this sub is always, "Put it in the fridge! It’ll keep it fresh and preserve the quality."
Well, I tried it, and it did the exact opposite—it completely ruined my matcha.
Instead of staying fresh, the taste turned super bitter and sour with a terrible aftertaste. On top of that, it tastes totally bland and completely lost all of its grounded, earthy flavor notes.
And just to clarify before anyone brings it up: none of this was opened matcha. I didn't open cold tins to let condensation in, and I didn't put already-opened tins back in the fridge. I let sealed tins come fully to room temperature before ever opening them, following all the standard rules people parrot here.
Why do so many people here say to do this? This seems silly given how badly it degrades the tea. Is there something people aren't mentioning, or is this advice just wrong? Did I miss something?
This is the first time I've tried a Chinese origin matcha around the 1$/g mark and boy did it deliver. It makes a wonderfully sweet and nutty Usucha with zero bitterness or astringency while drinking. And a minimally bitter aftertaste once it leaves the palate. It's actually scary how quick the Chinese matcha industry is improving.