The Work Behind Matcha
A third-year tea farmer’s perspective from Shizuoka, Japan
Most people drink matcha without ever seeing what goes into it.
The early mornings. The shaded fields. The heat of summer. The stone mills slowly grinding tencha into powder.
For this piece, we asked Suro co-owner and tea farmer Kota Hattori to share his perspective on matcha, life on the farm, and why he continues growing tea in Shizuoka, Japan.
Why Matcha Became So Popular
Many people drink matcha without realizing how much work goes into making it.
To be honest, three years ago, I was one of them.
After returning to Japan from Australia, I started working in the tea industry. At the time, I actually preferred sencha over matcha. I simply chose this work because I loved tea.
But after beginning work at Hattori Farm, I became fascinated by both the global popularity of matcha and the incredible depth behind it.
Why People Love Matcha
In my opinion, one of the biggest reasons matcha has become so popular is the feeling it gives you, calm, but focused at the same time.
Matcha naturally contains:
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Catechins
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L-theanine
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Caffeine
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Amino acids
I personally prepare and drink matcha every day. No matter how busy life gets, the moment I whisk a bowl of matcha, I somehow feel calm again. It gives me a chance to reset my mind.
Another unique thing about matcha is that unlike most teas, you consume the entire tea leaf in powdered form. That means you experience all of the tea leaf’s flavour and nutrients.
“The moment I whisk a bowl of matcha, I somehow feel calm again.”
The Process Behind Matcha
Making matcha requires completely different cultivation methods to sencha.
One of the things that surprised me most when I first became a tea farmer was the shading process.
Around 30–40 days before harvest, we cover the tea fields with special shade cloths. This increases the sweetness and umami of the tea leaves.
Timing is extremely important.
As soon as the first spring buds begin to appear, we must quickly begin shading the fields. If the leaves receive too much sunlight, the L-theanine inside the leaves converts into catechins, reducing the tea’s sweetness and umami.
This process is also what gives matcha its vibrant green colour.
Tencha vs Sencha
The raw material used to make matcha is called tencha, and it is processed very differently from sencha.
Tencha is carefully dried in a high-temperature furnace, helping create its distinctive aroma and flavour. After drying, the leaves are slowly ground using traditional stone mills to become matcha powder.
Life on the Farm
As matcha farmers, the most important thing to us is producing safe and delicious tea.
That’s why we focus on organic and pesticide-free cultivation methods whenever possible.
Every year, we conduct soil analysis across all of our tea fields and use organic fertilisers suited to each individual field.
From spring through summer, our daily work includes:
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Watering
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Weeding
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Caring for the tea plants
Summer is especially difficult because it becomes a constant battle against weeds. We spend long hours working in the heat to ensure weeds do not steal nutrients from the tea plants.
Growing matcha is far more physically demanding and time-consuming than most people imagine.
Why I Continue Growing Matcha
Because so much care and effort goes into producing matcha, nothing makes me happier than seeing people around the world enjoy it.
Although I am only in my third year as a tea farmer, I discover something new every season.
I hope to continue sharing the beauty and culture of Japanese tea with people around the world for many years to come.
