October's coverage shows overseas appetite for Japanese tea accelerating on two fronts: hojicha reviews in London and matcha sales in the U.S. both posted strong year-on-year growth, while powder-tea products made up the bulk of 2025 export value. On the production side, price multiples tell their own story — organic gyokuro trades at roughly ten times the price of sencha, first-flush prices rose 1.44倍 year-on-year, and seasonal prices in one report ran 2.5倍 above normal.

Elsewhere, a new matcha facility targets 300t of annual capacity, a workforce-expansion plan aims for 60 people within five years, and Shizuoka's historic run atop national tea production is cited at 65年間. Contest season added its own figures, with 107 entries from 10 countries and 14 top gold awards awarded this cycle.

The stats

Copy any line — each figure is credited to the outlet that reported it, compiled by Matcha Wire.
  • Brett Meyer is 44 years old — reported by Chunichi Shimbun on 31 October 2026. # Read the story ↗
  • 20 tea preservation societies exist nationwide — reported by Chunichi Shimbun on 31 October 2026. # Read the story ↗
  • Harada farm's tencha cultivation area covers 1.3ha — reported by Shizuoka Asahi TV on 29 October 2026. # Read the story ↗
  • Arimura was appointed tea ambassador on October 21 — reported by TOKYO HEADLINE WEB on 21 October 2026. # Read the story ↗
  • The competition's oldest gyokuro farmer is 88 years old — reported by Chunichi Shimbun on 13 October 2026. # Read the story ↗
  • Hojicha reviews in London grew 114% year-on-year — reported by travelvoice.jp on 9 October 2026. # Read the story ↗
  • U.S. matcha sales grew 86% — reported by TBS NEWS DIG Powered by JNN on 8 October 2026. # Read the story ↗
  • Powder-tea made up 8割 of Japan's tea export value in 2025 — reported by Sankei Shimbun on 21 October 2026. # Read the story ↗
  • Shizuoka previously held Japan's top tea-production ranking for 65年間 straight — reported by Nippon TV on 2 October 2026. # Read the story ↗
New matcha facility capacity — Planned annual capacity: 300 t. Reported by Yomiuri Shimbun Online.
Figure 1The new facility targets 300t of annual matcha production.
The numbers behind this chart
New matcha facility capacityValue (t)
Planned annual capacity300 t
Data: Yomiuri Shimbun Online · compiled by Matcha Wire Download data (CSV)
Matcha LOVE latte prices — Chestnut latte: 194 円; Coffee latte: 270 円. Reported by Asahi Shimbun.
Figure 2Matcha LOVE's coffee latte carries the higher retail price of the two drinks.
The numbers behind this chart
Matcha LOVE latte pricesValue (円)
Chestnut latte194 円
Coffee latte270 円
Data: Asahi Shimbun · compiled by Matcha Wire Download data (CSV)
Planned workforce growth — New hires (planned): 7 人; Total workforce (year five target): 60 人. Reported by Minami-Nippon Shimbun.
Figure 3The plan calls for a workforce of 60 people within five years.
The numbers behind this chart
Planned workforce growthValue (人)
New hires (planned)7 人
Total workforce (year five target)60 人
Data: Minami-Nippon Shimbun · compiled by Matcha Wire Download data (CSV)
Price multiples reported this month — First-flush price increase (YoY): 1.4×; Seasonal price surge: 2.5×; Organic gyokuro vs sencha wholesale: 10×. Reported by sagatv.co.jp, Shizuoka Shimbun.
Figure 4Organic gyokuro's wholesale price runs about 10 times that of sencha.
The numbers behind this chart
Price multiples reported this monthValue (x)
First-flush price increase (YoY)1.4×
Seasonal price surge2.5×
Organic gyokuro vs sencha wholesale10×
Data: sagatv.co.jp, Shizuoka Shimbun · compiled by Matcha Wire Download data (CSV)
Growth rates reported this month — Hojicha reviews, London: 114%; U.S. matcha sales: 86%. Reported by travelvoice.jp, TBS NEWS DIG Powered by JNN.
Figure 5London hojicha reviews grew faster than U.S. matcha sales, up 114% year-on-year.
The numbers behind this chart
Growth rates reported this monthValue (%)
Hojicha reviews, London114%
U.S. matcha sales86%
Data: travelvoice.jp, TBS NEWS DIG Powered by JNN · compiled by Matcha Wire Download data (CSV)
Cultivar No. 42 timeline — Developed: 1,970 year; Registered: 1,991 year. Reported by Tea Nursery.
Figure 6The cultivar was developed in 1970 and formally registered in 1991.
The numbers behind this chart
Cultivar No. 42 timelineValue (year)
Developed1,970 year
Registered1,991 year
Data: Tea Nursery · compiled by Matcha Wire Download data (CSV)
World tea contest by the numbers — Countries represented: 10; Total entries: 107; Top gold awards: 14. Reported by Shizuoka Shimbun.
Figure 7The contest drew entries from 10 countries.
The numbers behind this chart
World tea contest by the numbersValue
Countries represented10
Total entries107
Top gold awards14
Data: Shizuoka Shimbun · compiled by Matcha Wire Download data (CSV)
Decades-long tea milestones — Shizuoka's previous #1 streak: 65 年; Itoen's tea-region investment: 50 年. Reported by Nippon TV, ssnp.co.jp.
Figure 8Shizuoka's previous streak at 65 years outlasts Itoen's cited investment period.
The numbers behind this chart
Decades-long tea milestonesValue (年)
Shizuoka's previous #1 streak65 年
Itoen's tea-region investment50 年
Data: Nippon TV, ssnp.co.jp · compiled by Matcha Wire Download data (CSV)

As always, each number here belongs to the outlet that first reported it; Matcha Wire only compiles and compares.

Methodology

Every figure in this report is drawn verbatim from the 109 tea-trade articles Matcha Wire tracked in October 2026, with no recalculation, rounding or unit conversion.