A lot of people love matcha... And that's causing some problems
It’s not just your imagination: Matcha is actually getting harder to track down these days.
The green drink has become a hot commodity in the past few years, blowing up on TikTok and taking up more real estate on your favorite coffee shop’s menu. Japan’s tea industry has struggled to keep pace with the fervor. There’ve been reports of a global shortage and price hikes.
In this episode, we hear about Miro Tea's experience of the shortage before checking in with Bettina Makalintal, a senior reporter at Eater, who gave us a broader look at what's going on with matcha.
Guest:
- Jeannie Liu, owner of Miro Tea
- Bettina Makalintal, senior reporter at Eater
Sponsored
Related stories:
- A Matcha Shortage Hits TikTok’s Favorite Japanese Tea Brands | Eater
- It’s not easy finding green as matcha shortage hits Seattle shops | The Seattle Times
- Matcha: World's thirst for the tea swallows global supplies
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Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.
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Libby Denkmann
Host, Soundside
Libby Denkmann joined KUOW in December 2021 as the host of the midday show Soundside. She’s a native Pacific Northwesterner who grew up in Redmond, graduated from the University of Washington, and covered local news as a producer and reporter with KIRO Radio.
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Maleeha Syed
Producer, Soundside
Maleeha is a producer on Soundside, a show that helps listeners get to know the PNW and each other. Before KUOW, she worked at Cascade PBS, first as a communities reporter and then as a podcast producer on shows like Northwest Reports and Your Last Meal. Before moving to Seattle, she worked as a reporter at the Burlington Free Press in Vermont, but is originally from San Antonio.
More stories from Maleeha Syed »
