Inside the Matcha Harvest Season...

Every year, as spring arrives in Japan, something quietly extraordinary begins - the matcha harvest season. This is such an exciting time of the year for us matcha lovers!

This is also an opportunity to appreciate something that can be easy to overlook: matcha does not just magically arrive in a tin or pouch at our door. It is grown, watched, timed, shaded, protected, and carefully harvested... and that is just the beginning of how this amazing plant ends up in our cups.

The harvests that shape the season
Matcha harvest season begins in spring with Ichibancha, also known as the first flush, followed by Nibancha in early summer and Sanbancha in autumn.

Ichibancha: the first harvest of the year
The first harvest of the year is called Ichibancha, which translates to “first tea.” It typically takes place from late April into May, when tea plants produce their first new leaves after winter dormancy. These leaves are the youngest and most delicate of the year, having stored nutrients through the winter and not yet been exposed to the stress of multiple harvest cycles.

Why first harvest is so prized
First harvest matcha is especially valued because of the qualities of these early spring leaves. They tend to have a more vibrant green color, a smoother, more balanced taste, and less bitterness.

In Western markets, this is often what people are referring to when they say ceremonial grade matcha. While that term is not a formal grading system in Japan, it is commonly used to describe matcha made from the youngest, most carefully grown and harvested leaves.

How later harvests differ
Tea plants may be harvested multiple times throughout the year depending on the region and climate. After Ichibancha, the first flush, the next harvests are called Nibancha and Sanbancha, meaning second tea and third tea. These harvests take place as the plant continues through the season. Each one reflects a different point in the growing cycle.

Nibancha, the second harvest, typically occurs in early summer. Sanbancha, the third harvest, follows later in the season. In some regions, there may even be additional later harvests depending on growing conditions. As the season progresses, the leaves naturally develop differently. They tend to be slightly more mature, with a stronger, more robust flavor and a different balance compared to the very first spring leaves.

These later harvests are an important part of the overall season and are often used for everyday matcha, blends, and what is referred to in Western markets as “culinary” or barista grade matcha.

Why shading is so important
One of the most defining steps in matcha cultivation happens just before harvest: shading.

For about 3-4 weeks leading up to the first harvest, tea plants are covered to reduce their exposure to direct sunlight. This is done using overhead frameworks and layers of netting placed above the tea fields. That change in light affects how the leaves develop, and it is a big part of what makes matcha different from other green teas.

As the plant adapts to lower light, it works harder to capture what is available. This response increases chlorophyll production, giving matcha its deep green color. At the same time, the leaves maintain higher levels of L-theanine, the amino acid associated with matcha’s calm, focused energy. Shaded growth also changes how nutrients are retained within the leaf. Instead of rapid growth, the leaves develop more slowly, allowing compounds like amino acids, antioxidants, and other nutrients to remain more concentrated within the leaf itself.

Ultimately, this deliberate period of darkness is one of the most important steps that gives matcha its signature characteristics before the leaves are ever ground into powder.

How the leaves are harvested
Harvesting is often a balance of tradition and efficiency. Hand-picking is the most precise method, where workers selectively choose the youngest, most tender top leaves and buds. This level of control allows for the highest level of selectivity and is often associated with the most carefully produced matcha, including high-quality first harvest “ceremonial” matcha.

At the same time, many farms rely on machine harvesting to move more efficiently through the fields and keep up with demand. While this method is significantly more efficient, it is less selective than hand-picking and can collect a broader mix of leaves, including more mature leaves or stems.

In practice, both methods are used across the industry. Machine harvesting is commonly used for larger-scale production and later harvests, while more selective harvesting methods are used when greater precision is needed.

How weather can change everything
While farmers do so much to protect and guide these plants, they are ultimately at the mercy of the elements. Weather plays a constant role in shaping each harvest.

Temperature, rainfall, and seasonal timing all influence how tea plants grow and when leaves are ready to be picked, and farmers must adjust in real time based on what is happening in the field. A warmer spring can accelerate growth, while a late frost can delay or damage new leaves. Too much or too little rain can affect both yield and flavor.

Recent growing seasons have also highlighted how sensitive tea plants are to climate conditions. Periods of intense heat can stress the plants and impact both timing and yield. In fact, reports around Japan’s 2025 matcha supply pointed in part to heat stress from prior record-breaking temperatures, with some growers experiencing reduced harvests.

Every harvest is a little different, and that’s part of what makes harvest season so exciting.

Before there is a morning ritual
Before there is a morning ritual, there are farmers putting in the long hours and hard work, making countless decisions about timing, weather, shading, leaf quality and more. There are narrow harvest windows, changing conditions, and years of knowledge behind every tin and pouch. And harvesting is only one part of how matcha makes its way into our cups. Matcha may feel simple when it reaches us, but the work behind it is anything but.

That’s why we like to dedicate the first sip of our matcha each day to the people behind it! 🌱🍵