Questions we get asked
Answers to what people actually write in and ask. If yours isn't here, write to us — we answer everything.
The tea
Is "ceremonial grade" a real Japanese classification?
No. Japanese producers sort matcha by what you will do with it — usucha (thin) or koicha (thick) — not by grade. There is no grading system, no governing body, and no definition. Anyone may print "ceremonial" on a bag.
We use the term because it is what buyers outside Japan search for. It tells you nothing on its own, so here is what actually separates our three teas.
| CEREMONIAL GRADE | First flush | Shaded approx. 21 days |
| STANDARD | Second flush, June | Shaded approx. 7 days |
| STARTER | Autumn | Unshaded |
Shading is what builds the umami and holds back the astringency. Twenty-one days on a first flush is a genuine ceremonial specification. Seven days is not, and we do not claim it is.
→ The full explanation is in our story
Is it stone-ground?
No. Our current range is ball-milled. Stone grinding is slower and produces a finer particle; a stone-ground line is planned for 2027.
Which one should I buy?
If you drink matcha from a bowl, CEREMONIAL GRADE. If you mostly make lattes, STARTER or STANDARD — they were chosen with milk in mind, and the finer notes you pay for in a shaded tea are the first thing milk covers.
If you want the ceremonial tea but not the tin, the Refill is the same matcha in two pouches.
Do you make health claims?
No. Not because there is nothing to say, but because saying it would require evidence we do not have and approvals we have not sought.
What we can tell you is where the leaf came from, when it was picked, how long it sat under shade, and what an independent laboratory found in it.
What is tested, and by whom?
Every lot is tested for lead, cadmium, arsenic, mercury and aluminium. Samples are submitted through Eurofins Food Testing Japan in Yokohama, and the analysis is carried out at Eurofins WEJ Contaminants GmbH in Hamburg, Germany — a country with no commercial interest in Japanese tea.
Aluminium is not required by any regulation. Neither is arsenic, for tea. We publish both.
Making it
Do I need a scale?
No. Most kitchen scales cannot register a gram of matcha — by the time the display moves you have far too much in the bowl. Two chashaku scoops, or one level teaspoon, is close enough to 2 g.
Why is my matcha bitter?
Usually one of three things. You did not sift it, so undissolved clumps sank and the last sips came out concentrated. You used more than you meant to — a heaped teaspoon is closer to 3–4 g, not 2. Or the water was too hot; 80 °C is the ceiling.
How much matcha goes in a latte?
More than you think. Two grams disappears into milk. Most people who make lattes daily settle between 3 and 4 g.
Should I leave the pouch in the tin, or empty it in?
Either. Leaving the pouch gives you a second barrier against air and nothing spills; emptying it makes the powder easier to reach. What matters more than either is keeping the tea cool and away from light.
How long does it keep once opened?
Sealed in its pouch and refrigerated, about a month at its best. In the tin, with air reaching it, closer to two weeks. The best-before date on the package is eighteen months from packing, and applies to the sealed pouch.
Ordering and delivery
Where do you ship?
From Tokyo to the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, the Philippines, and within Japan. We are not able to ship anywhere else at present.
All international orders ship with full tracking.
What does shipping cost?
| Destination | Free over | Otherwise |
|---|---|---|
| US, Australia, New Zealand | ¥14,000 | ¥3,000 |
| Singapore, Philippines | ¥9,000 | ¥1,900 |
| Japan | ¥7,500 | — |
Prices and shipping are set in Japanese yen and shown in your own currency at checkout. At current rates ¥14,000 is roughly US$90, and ¥3,000 roughly US$19.
Will I be charged duties on delivery?
For US orders, no. Duties and taxes are calculated and paid at checkout, so nothing further is due when the parcel arrives. For other destinations, any duties are the responsibility of the recipient.
I'm in Singapore. Is there a limit on what I can order?
Yes. Under Singapore Food Agency rules for personal imports, an order is limited to S$100 in product value, excluding shipping, and 5 kg in total weight. Above that, the parcel may be held at customs and you would need to apply for an import permit yourself. Please keep your order within these limits.
Does the heat in transit damage the matcha?
Brief warmth does no harm. Matcha travels a long way to reach most of our customers, and an hour in a warm bag is not what spoils it. Sustained heat, light and open air are.
Can I return it?
Not for a change of mind. Matcha is a sealed food product, and food that has left our hands cannot be redistributed — so we do not accept returns for taste preference, ordering errors, or any reason unrelated to a defect.
If your order arrives damaged, incorrect, contaminated, or past its best-before date, we will refund or replace it in full. Email us a photograph within 14 days of delivery. You will not need to send anything back.
Can I cancel an order?
Before it ships, yes — write to us as soon as you can, as we dispatch quickly. A payment processing fee of 3.5% applies, because that portion is not returned to us when we refund. Once the parcel has left, cancellation is no longer possible.
A Refill subscription is different: pause, reschedule or cancel it from your account at any time, with no fee. We send a reminder five days before each shipment.
Us
Who actually makes this?
The tea is finished, blended and milled by Matsudacha in Yachiyo, Ibaraki, working continuously since 1898. They are a finishing house, not a grower — the tencha comes from growers in Kagoshima, Shizuoka and Miyazaki. Matsuda Koichi, the fifth-generation head, designs each blend.
The tin is made by Kato Seisakusho in Asakusabashi, Tokyo, established 1895. One of only two workshops in Japan still producing the inner lid in tinplate.
Are you a Japanese company?
Yes. KEKKAI MATCHA is operated by HARMONICA Corporation, registered in Kawasaki, Japan. Everything ships from Tokyo. There is no third party between us and you.
What don't you know?
The exact picking method for each lot, and the precise shading arrangement used by each grower. Matsudacha buys tencha from growers rather than farming it, so some details stop at the point of purchase. Where we do not know, we say so rather than guess.
Anything else — write to us.