News article
The Rise of Chinese Matcha
A podcast recorded in early May 2026 at Canton Fair documents the rapid growth of Chinese matcha production, with eight or more provinces now producing tencha at competitive quality and price. Chinese average-quality tencha now rivals Japanese material at 50–150 US dollars per kilogram, while GuiCha reports 4,000 tons of annual output—nearly equal to Japan's total production. Major Japanese importers including Ito En are sourcing Chinese tencha, though quality control, pestic…
Key points
- Eight+ Chinese provinces now produce tencha; average quality rivals Japanese material at $50–150/kg
- GuiCha reports 4,000 tons annual output, nearly matching Japan's total production capacity
- Ito En confirmed sourcing Chinese tencha; supply-chain shift underway
- Seven competing grading systems in use; ceremonial-grade claims lack standardization
- Ball milling versus stone mills and EU export compliance emerging as trade barriers
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About this article
The numbers
Chinese tencha price range (average quality): 50 to 150 US dollars a kilo
GuiCha annual tencha output: 4,000 tons
Chinese provinces producing tencha: 8+
What they said
“average quality material that now rivals average quality Japanese tencha at 50 to 150 US dollars a kilo”
average quality material that now rivals average quality Japanese tencha at 50 to 150 US dollars a kilo
“GuiCha confirming 4,000 tons of annual output nearly equal to all of Japan”
GuiCha confirming 4,000 tons of annual output nearly equal to all of Japan
“Ito En quietly sourcing Chinese tencha”
Ito En quietly sourcing Chinese tencha
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