On the Menu | Japanese matcha has social media in a froth. Can we all just calm down a bit?
A matcha craze has led to soaring demand and prices, frustrating cafes and customers. Will the same happen to its ‘cousin’ hojicha?
There has been a much-documented global shortage of matcha over the past year, with many reports pointing the finger at a certain set of vacuous, superficial influencers for the drink’s surge in popularity.
Some of the macha huffing and puffing that has been circulating on my side of the internet includes a post by the platform QissaGoi (whose bio reads: “Bringing Eastern stories to life”), who made a statement that immediately resonated with me.
“Matcha didn’t go viral because of its taste. It went viral because it looked good.”
Mic. Drop.
The post goes on to say: “Before it was content, matcha was ceremony. It was prepared with stillness. Served with silence. A deep part of Japanese culture and care. Now it’s iced, oat-milked, branded for ‘balance’. Spirituality sold in a takeaway cup.”