{"id":18735,"date":"2025-08-19T02:59:08","date_gmt":"2025-08-19T02:59:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.koktailmagazine.com\/?p=18735"},"modified":"2025-08-19T18:49:35","modified_gmt":"2025-08-19T18:49:35","slug":"the-world-is-running-out-of-matcha-the-latest-chic-currency","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.koktailmagazine.com\/th\/2025\/08\/19\/the-world-is-running-out-of-matcha-the-latest-chic-currency\/","title":{"rendered":"The World Is Running Out of MATCHA, The Latest Chic Currency"},"content":{"rendered":"

One Instagram post. One hundred million followers. One blue matcha latte. Can you taste the story behind the scroll?<\/h2>\n\n\n
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Courtesy of @lalalalisa_m<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

When BLACKPINK’s Lisa casually shared a photo clutching a HEYTEA blue matcha latte, she reminded us of headlines we’d seen about Japan’s overworked tea farmers and caf\u00e9s rationing their “liquid emerald.” The Lisa effect is in full force as HEYTEA’s UK stores offer buy-one-get-one treats, sending fans into hours-long queues on top of an already sky-high matcha demand.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Courtesy of @heytea.uk<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Lisa’s Instagram posts didn\u2019t spark the shortage in any way, but it shows how a single scroll-stopper can ripple through supply chains, a modern instance of our hyperconnected age. This very specific one is when centuries-old farming meets viral culture and celebrity influence.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n

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Courtesy of @beccca<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The matcha shortage is indeed real and dramatic. Global demand has gone supernova since autumn 2024. The 2025 harvest in Kyoto Prefecture saw steep production drops, with auction prices reaching unprecedented levels. Japanese producers are now imposing purchase limits due to the significant mismatch between demand and production capacity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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