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Akio-san of Kurihara Seicha holding an engraved wooden Kurihara nameplate with Christian Mauerer beside him outside the family compound in Yame, Fukuoka

Kurihara Seicha: A Yame Tea Maker worth its postcode

A day inside Kurihara Seicha in Yame, Fukuoka, where four generations have been making some of Japan's most respected gyokuro and matcha.

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Aerial view of curved emerald green Japanese tea fields at golden hour with a farmer walking the rows — Japan FY2025 tea export surge

Japan Green Tea Exports +42% in FY2025: Matcha Boom

by Christian, founder of One with Tea, May 15, 2026 Japan's customs-cleared trade statistics for fiscal year 2025 just landed, and they tell a story anyone in the matcha trade has been feeling for two years. Green tea exports hit...

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A tea master scooping matcha with a bamboo chashaku beside a chasen whisk

Is a Chashaku a Sifting Tool? Tradition vs. the Café Trend

A chashaku is a bamboo scoop for measuring matcha, not a sifter. Here is what the café sieve trend gets wrong, the right tool (the furui), and why it matters.

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Christian Mauerer with Jiro-san on a Shizuoka mountain ridge above the Houkouen tea fields, three figures in conversation

Houkouen: Jiro-san's Mountain Artisan Tea in Shizuoka

A day with Jiro-san at Houkouen, a mountain tea farm in Shizuoka. On craft over land, tea as luxury, and why the maker matters more than the postcode.

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2026 Matcha Industry Outlook

2026 Matcha Industry Outlook: Supply, Prices, Trends

The 2026 Matcha Industry Outlook from One with Tea. Primary-source data on Japanese production, tencha auction prices, supply consolidation, and founder field reporting from a five-week 2025 Japan trip.

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A vintage brass kitchen scale with a measured scoop of vibrant matcha powder, a handwritten paper price tag, and a ceramic bowl with bamboo chashaku on a wooden table, illustrating wholesale matcha pricing transparency for cafe operators

Japanese Matcha Wholesale Pricing in 2026: What Cafes Should Actually Be Paying

Japanese matcha prices doubled in 2025-2026. Here's the pricing transparency framework for US cafes: fair ranges, hidden markups, and how to budget for 2026.

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Four different ceramic vessels holding matcha powder on a wooden table, each representing a different wholesale supplier model: rustic handmade bowl, modern porcelain cup, industrial container, and a founder-led jar with handwritten tag

Founder-Led vs Aggregator Matcha Suppliers: Which Wholesale Model Wins for Cafes in 2026

The 4 matcha wholesale models compared for US cafes in 2026: aggregator, specialty importer, cooperative direct, founder-led. What wins for your business.

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A bowl of vibrant matcha powder beside a Japanese trade document and small wooden stamp box on a wooden desk, illustrating direct-from-Japan matcha sourcing for US cafes

Japan Matcha US Tariffs 2026: From IEEPA to Section 122 Invalidation (Current Buyer Guide)

Japan matcha tariffs 2026: four policy changes in 6 months, Section 122 invalidated May 7. What US cafe buyers actually pay now (base 6.4% + uncertainty).

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Sparse arrangement of green matcha tins and ceramic bowls on a weathered wooden cafe shelf with a small handwritten paper card, suggesting matcha supply pressure in 2026

Matcha Supply Security: How US Cafes Lock In Authentic Japanese Supply in 2026

The 2026 matcha shortage is structural, not temporary. Here's the 5-step supply security playbook for US cafes locking in authentic Japanese sourcing.

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