Matcha’s popularity has partly been driven by the drink’s purported health benefits, attributed to its antioxidant properties and alleged anti-inflammatory effect. It has also gained traction on TV and social media, where its characteristic green appearance makes it instantly recognisable when deployed by food influencers in viral recipes. That hyped reputation has helped to support a 200% increase in production in the last 15 years, subsidised by Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, which reports over 4,000 tonnes of the grassy-flavoured powder are churned out annually.

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Tourists accused of misunderstanding matcha grades

Despite the boosts to production, soaring tourism to Japan, by visitors increasingly obsessed with the drink-slash-ingredient, means shelves are frequently empty. Some shops and makers are limiting the number of matcha tins each customer can buy, to eke out supplies. The popular Ippodo and Marukyu Koyamaen brands have been forced, the  Global Japanese Tea Association says, to “either stop or regulate sales – something unprecedented.”

@itsgracechin The ultimate guide to 5 best places to buy matcha in Uji Japan #japan #japantravel #japantrip #matcha #marukyukoyamaen #kyoto ♬ catburger – yawn.

The fanciest form of matcha is perhaps the traditionally prized “ceremonial” grade of powder, ground from early-season leaves and used to make a connoisseurs’ tea. Other matchas are available, in “premium” and more bitter “culinary” grades suited to sweetening. These distinctions are why discontent is brewing – over the fact that people considered not to have a palate refined enough to taste the difference, are bulk-buying ceremonial matcha to make dairy-polluted smoothies and chai-type drinks, or even, kami forbid, chocolate and ice cream.

“We have heard reports of ceremonial matcha being used for lattes and smoothies, which can reduce the availability of high-quality matcha for those who wish to enjoy it in its traditional form,” says Simona Suzuki, president of the Global Japanese Tea Association, according to the BBC. “Our hope is that foreign tourists will consider the intended use when purchasing matcha.”

“Inherently limited” and precious

The availability problem is compounded by tiny yields. “High-grade Uji matcha is not something that can be mass-produced in the first place,” Tomomi Hisaki, general manager at the Tsujirihei store in the Kyoto-prefecture city has said, explaining that plants intended to end up as ceremonial matcha are shade-grown, meaning less photosynthesis takes place, and harvests are small. To make matters worse, the stone mills that create the fine powder take eight hours to grind just 400g of tea.

Still, the Association insisted on its website in January 2025, that there is “not exactly” a “total shortage” of matcha. Instead, it argues the “unique and seasonal nature of matcha production makes it inherently limited” underlining its “preciousness” and engendering “some satisfaction that Japanese tea is gaining well-deserved attention on the global stage.”

L’article Matcha shortage? Tourists with unrefined palates blamed for overconsumption est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

1. Catherine of Braganza

Catherine of Braganza was the daughter of Portugal’s King John IV, and came to England as Queen bringing with her a very large dowry which included money, spices and treasures as well as the wealthy Tangiers and Bombay ports. It is said that amongst her personal belongings was also loose-leaf tea, likely another addition to her dowry. Legend has it that the crates carrying the leaves were marked Transporte de Ervas Aromaticas (Transport of Aromatic Herbs), later abbreviated to T.E.A., although this part is unlikely and etymologists actually believe the word ‘tea’ came from a transliteration of a Chinese character.

Nevertheless, at that time tea drinking was already popular among the Portuguese aristocracy thanks to the country’s direct trade line to China via its colony in Macau, formed in the mid-1500s. At the time, although tea was drunk in England it was done so only as a medicine, believed to invigorate the body and keep the spleen clean. The new glamorous Queen arrived in England and likely continued her habit of tea drinking, which she was accustomed to in her homeland, popularising the beverage as a social drink rather than purely medicinal. Sarah-Beth Watkins, author of Catherine of Braganza: Charles II’s Restoration Queen, describes the attention surrounding Queen Catherine and the way people desired to be like her, copying her fashions and importantly her love of tea. Poet of the time Edmund Waller even wrote a birthday ode to the Portuguese Queen not long after she arrived, demonstrating the important link between her and the fashionable status of England’s favourite drink.

2. A new trend

Tea was extremely expensive at the time, but the aristocracy wanted to be like the Queen and the popularity of tea drinking as a social activity increased until by the end of the 17^th Century, the elite of society were drinking small amounts of tea. They were also drinking, as they had seen China do, from delicate and expensive porcelain cups and teapots. With Portugal being a major route for importing porcelain to Europe, Queen Catherine likely popularised this too, with porcelain likely having been included in her dowry also. Queen Catherine’s liking for tea and her beautiful porcelain tea accessories became associated with fine living, a display of wealth and status that soon every English aristocrat aspired to.

3. The Queen’s tea

The history of Queen Catherine and her role in popularising the quintessential English drink is a little known story, however Mario Custódio, general manager at Tivoli Palácio de Seteais Sintra Hotel in Sintra, Portugal, is determined to change this. In 2017 he launched a special afternoon tea in honour of Catherine, which offers a delicious yet educational afternoon tea experience to hotel customers. The daily tea service, which is open exclusively to hotel guests, highlights aspects of the Portuguese connection to the English tradition of high tea, and customers receive an informative booklet which includes QR codes for access to more photos, historical facts and fun stories about the fascinating history.

Custódio also worked with a historian to serve the type of tea Catherine would have drank, believed to have been a green tea as black tea only arrived from India much later on in the 1830s. Based on Custódio’s research, Marmalade is also be part of the menu as this is another Catherine of Braganza mythology. Legend has it that Catherine regularly had oranges from Portugal, which were some of the best in the world, shipped over to her new English home, and the ones damaged on the journey were turned into marmalade. While whole oranges were a prized snack, marmalade was less so, meaning if Queen Catherine gifted you marmalade instead of oranges, she wasn’t very keen on you. The themed tea service is designed to combine enjoyment with a sharing of a history and culture that is little known, about the influence of one Portuguese born Queen on the drinking habits of an entire nation.

L’article The Portuguese Queen who inspired the English peoples’ love of tea est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

1. Chai tea, India

The word Chai is actually Hindi for tea, and this traditional hot Indian drink is made from a mix of steeped spices. Although recipes vary, traditional ingredients usually include black tea mixed with strong spices such as cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, ginger and black peppercorns, and the spiced tea mixture is usually brewed strong before adding milk and either sugar or honey to sweeten. Chai has become popular outside of India, and Chai lattes are common in most coffee houses, although they are quite different to the original Indian Chai. This is always my go to winter drink, as the spices are deliciously warming and just what you need on a cold wintery day!

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2. Açores tea, Portugal

1500km from mainland Portugal in the Azores, the only two tea factories remaining in Europe harvest and produce their own tea. In 16th century China, tea was introduced to Portuguese priests and merchants, who later brought it to Europe. The Portuguese called it Chá because the Chinese character for ‘tea’ can be read as Te (from the Malay word meaning ‘drink’), or as Cha (from the Mandarin word for ‘harvest’). The latter was preferred and ‘tea’ is still called ‘chá’ in today’s Portuguese. Nowadays, the two Azores ‘chá’ companies, Gorreana Tea Factory and Porto Formoso Tea Factory, produce both Black and Green Tea with several varieties of each. Their teas are produced to the highest standards and are 100% organic, a healthy and tasty drink.

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3. Matcha tea, Japan

Matcha tea is traditionally drunk in East Asia, and is the centre of the Japanese tea ceremony, in which it is prepared, served and consumed in a meditational and spiritual process. Matcha is made from specially grown and processed green tea leaves, which are ground into a fine powder and typically added to hot water or milk to make the hot tea. Because of the processes involved in growing green tea plants for Matcha, it contains a higher level of caffeine. Often as a flavouring in Japan, for example Matcha iced tea and even Matcha kit-kats, Matche has also become trendy in the west, with Matcha lattes available in many coffee houses nowadays. Slightly bitter, Matcha tea is a nice refreshing drink, especially good if you need a bit of a caffeine kick!

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4. Iced tea, USA

Iced tea, popularised by the USA, is what it says on the tin; black tea on ice. Fruit infusions of iced tea have also become popular in Europe, and the chilled version of the classic hot drink is great during the summer months. Indeed a refreshing glass of homemade iced tea, complete with orange and lemon slices, is ideal on a hot day. However, the Southern states of the USA have their own version of Iced tea, Sweet tea. This is traditionally drunk year round and is served with most meals, at home and in restaurants. In fact down South, this is often what people mean when they say tea, a sweet, cold black brew.

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5. Earl Grey tea, UK

Earl Grey is a popular British tea, created by adding Bergamot oil to a black tea blend. The Bergamot gives Earl Grey its unigue citrus flavour, slightly more floral than your standard black tea. Traditionally this type of tea was drunk black as the tea blend used was intended to be drunk without milk, and a slice of lemon was added to enhance the citrus flavouring. However nowadays tea companies use much stronger tea blends which are better suited to adding milk. English tea company Twinings also created their trademarked Lady Grey tea, which contains additional lemon and orange peel to enhance the citrus flavours, whilst there is also Russian Earl Grey, a variation which uses peels and lemongrass to create its flavours. However you choose to take your Earl Grey, a cuppa at the end of a long day is always a treat.

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L’article A tea lover’s selection est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.