Shadowing Practice: Why Japan Can't Keep Up With America's Matcha Obsession | So Expensive | Business Insider - Learn English Speaking with Video
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The U .S.
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imports over 2 ,000 tons of this bright green powder from Japan a year.
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This specific powder is the highest quality and most expensive version of matcha, known as ceremonial grade.
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As the matcha frenzy reaches new heights in the U .S., more Western consumers are opting for this type of matcha over less expensive versions,
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or matcha grown outside Japan.
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But with Japanese farmers struggling to keep up with demand, matcha shortages around the world, and prices soaring to new records,
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picky matcha drinkers might actually be making the problem worse.
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We do have some crazy matcha connoisseurs that come in.
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But these labels may not be as definitive as we think.
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Anyone can label anything a ceremonial grade and use it as a marketing term.
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So are people in the U .S.
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drinking matcha all wrong?
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And is that the only reason why matcha is more expensive than ever?
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Matcha drinkers in the U .S typically think about the tea in two quality -based categories.
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Culinary grade, the lower quality version, and ceremonial grade, the higher quality one.
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But in Japan, the traditional classifications were completely different, based on when the tea was served during a Japanese tea ceremony known as chanoyu.
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Koicha, or thick tea, was served at the beginning, and usucha, or thin tea, would come at the end. For koicha...
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Like a thick soup or like melted ice cream would be a good way to describe the consistency.
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It's really viscous.
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Rebecca Corbett has been studying and practicing chanoyu for over 20 years.
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Because of that viscosity, and there's so much tea in there, you want it to be the highest quality blend that you can get.
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For usucha, practitioners whisked the matcha powder with more water, creating a lighter, frothier drink.
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We can think of the thin tea portion of a tea gathering as kind of the most informal
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and relaxed part at the end of the tea gathering.
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For centuries, ceremonies like these were the primary way matcha was consumed in Japan.
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Most people in Japan did not consume matcha very often.
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Its main consumption was among people in the tea practitioner community.
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It wasn't until the 20th century that people in Japan began consuming matcha more casually.
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It also became a popular flavoring in baked goods and desserts.
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But in the US, it was still nearly impossible to find.
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In the early 2000s, Japan exported just 1 % of its tea.
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Matcha was always more expensive than other teas.
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Around this time, a pack of green tea bags in the US cost around $3 to $4, while a small tin of matcha could cost up to 10 times more.
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And the bold taste of matcha in its pure form was another barrier for Western drinkers.
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I've read a lot of newspaper articles and travel diaries.
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They're using phrases like green gruel, bitter, unpalatable.
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They use pea soup as a common description in a not flattering way.
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But 2006 marked a turning point for matcha in the U .S.
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That's when Starbucks brought matcha to the masses through its green tea latte.
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Unlike its traditional preparation, this drink was sweetened, served with milk, and either served hot or iced.
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People knew Starbucks, I mean, there's a built -in audience there.
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That's Rona Tison, the North America tea ambassador for the Japanese brand Ito En.
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The fact that they introduced matcha in a beverage that was more familiar to a lot of, you know, sweetened beverages.
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I would have to say that was probably the beginning that it really kind of went mainstream and widespread.
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In 2007, the term ceremonial grade matcha was coined in the West.
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According to Canadian brand Doe Matcha, it was their founder who came up with the category.
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It was created to differentiate it from culinary -grade matcha, which is intended for cooking or baking, with a stronger, slightly bitter flavor.
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Culinary tends to be a much more older plant and not of the really high -grade tea leaf.
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The higher -quality ceremonial -grade matcha is typically made from young tea leaves
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that come exclusively from the first harvest of the picking season.
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It's rich in the chemical L -theanine, which gives the tea a slight natural sweetness, making it better for drinking.
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Ceremonial -grade matcha is typical typically priced higher than culinary -grade matcha, costing anywhere from $20 to over $50 per ounce,
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while culinary -grade matcha is typically under $20 per ounce.
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Matcha's popularity in the U .S continued to grow in the 2010s, with Google searches for matcha beginning to rise more steadily around 2012.
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Ito N., Rona Tissone's tea company, rolled out its matcha love line in 2015.
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Even Business Insider covered the craze, releasing several videos about the bright green tea powder.
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I'm getting hungry.
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The power of social media is pretty phenomenal.
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And it really, the outreach globally is amazing.
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Today, the U .S is the biggest importer of Japanese matcha, accounting for nearly 80 % of the country's powdered green tea exports in 2024.
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Google searches for matcha reached an all -time high in 2025.
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There are even cafes dedicated solely to the green tea powder.
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You'll find it in almost everything on the menu at the New York City Cafe Aoko Matcha.
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Matcha lattes, matcha soft serve, and even gelato.
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Aoko Matcha has only been open since August 2025.
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Its owner, Isabella Pang, says business is booming as prices for matcha continue to climb.
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Customers are really happy with it.
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It turned out better than I thought, actually.
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She uses only ceremonial grade matcha in all of her matcha desserts, which she says she sources directly from Japan.
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Some people come for the matcha latte specifically because they want to taste all different matcha lattes in the city.
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We do have so crazy matcha connoisseurs that come in and it's like, this is super good, or like this is a little bit too sweet.
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Eoko's menu mainly consists of desserts, with its matcha mochi parfait being one of the most popular.
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It starts with a base of matcha pudding and syrup.
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So we do make our pudding in -house, but it's very light.
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It doesn't taste sweet at all.
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then it's layered with matcha soft serve rice crisps more soft serve mochi balls
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and red bean paste our gelato is a specialty right now
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we do have levels one through five one being the most sweet
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and five is being the most bitter so personally i like level three
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because it's right in the middle but people
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that love matcha go straight to level five it's not just cafes like Aoko Matcha fueling this recent matcha craze.
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Communities are forming in pockets of the internet, such as Matcha Talk, where matcha enthusiasts share recipes and tips.
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As I've always said, matcha is very versatile, but goodness, it's been sort of applied in so many different food products and beverages.
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But producing enough for matcha's growing fan base This is becoming increasingly challenging.
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We first met Jintaro Yamamoto back in 2022 on his over 180 -year -old farm in Kyoto.
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The region is responsible for 25 % of Japan's production of tencha, the tea leaf from which matcha is made.
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The harvest begins in the spring.
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When workers gather the young leaves used for ceremonial -grade matcha.
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But it's more than just Western categories putting a strain on Japanese supply.
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This is Jintaro's elaborate shading system, designed to protect the leaves.
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A step that's perhaps become more important than ever.
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In 2024, intense heat waves damaged tea bushes in Kyoto.
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So I decided to make sure that I could make a better tea.
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But even with these adjustments, he says his farm's yields took a hit.
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After the leaves are picked, Jintaro starts by steaming the tencha leaves.
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This locks in their flavor and preserves their rich green color.
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He cools them with a leaf spreader and places them in a nearly century -old furnace to dry.
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So, I want to be able to make my own idea.
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I would like to make it a better way.
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After drying, the leaves' stems are removed, and then they are prepared for grinding.
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Jintaro grinds his tencha leaves using a handmade granite stone mill.
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This traditional method creates a fine powder that preserves the nutrients of the tencha.
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It takes Jintaro an hour to grind just 40 grams of matcha.
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Another issue plaguing Japan's tencha production is the shrinking number of tea farmers available to grow it.
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With most tea farmers in their 60s and 70s, and a few young growers like Jintaro joining the field,
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there aren't enough new farmers to take over existing tea fields or expand production.
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These issues have created a shortage that's driving the price of matcha upward.
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The average price of tencha reached 8 ,235 yen, or $56 per kilogram in April 2025,
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the highest it's ever been.
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These producer price hikes trickled down to distributors like Ito -en, the company Rona works for.
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In September, it increased its prices on some of its premium -grade matcha products, as well as double the price of its ceremonial -grade matcha.
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We've unfortunately had to, and it's becoming difficult to get matcha these days.
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On top of everything, new U .S tariffs threaten to make Japanese matcha even pricier for American consumers.
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Isabella is also thinking about price increases for Aoko Matcha in New York City.
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During August and September, we stocked up a lot because we knew we were going to have a big inventory, but it definitely has impacted our goods.
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A lot of our pricing is more expensive, especially with the tariffs happening as well.
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Therefore, our gelatos and our lattes and our parfaits will unfortunately have to increase a little bit throughout time.
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Even with prices reaching record highs, global consumers continue to demand ceremonial grade.
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That's what gives us that like smooth, umami rich taste and as well as like that bright color that you see in our gelatos and lattes.
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But matcha purists like Rebecca see things differently.
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If you're using a beverage that has a lot of other flavors added
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or and other sweeteners in particular then it's okay for
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that matcha to be more bitter and to be a lower grade
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and cheaper matcha you don't need to be buying the highest
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quality to me the analogies i would give would be buying a really expensive bottle of french red wine
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and adding fruit and sugar to it to make sangria
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so i think especially in this period where we're seeing a matcha shortage
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and that the producers are struggling to keep up with demand.
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I think it's really important to just be mindful of that and not wasteful of a product.
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She also worries that people may be paying premium prices for ceremonial matcha that is not actually of higher quality.
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Anyone can label anything a ceremonial grade and use it as a marketing term.
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So it basically means that it's like the Wild West, it's totally unregulated.
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As global demand for matcha puts strain on Japan's supply, new players are also entering the market.
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China has surged ahead over the past two decades and is now the world's top producer.
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I know that they are actually inviting many of the Japanese matcha makers to
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really learn how to make matcha properly and learn the expertise
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and all this chinese matcha sells for less but does a label
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or country of origin really determine quality we decided to do
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a blind taste test with some colleagues i have tried matcha
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before the cafes i go to usually have some sort of fun flavor going on like a strawberry shortcake matcha
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or even recently like i had a banana bread one.
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I am a bit of a matcha hater.
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Tried to like it, but even with sugar, it tastes a little swampy to me, unfortunately.
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I have tried matcha before.
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It was when the matcha craze first came to America.
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So a lot of years ago, I had it and I went, I'm not sure if this is for me.
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So I'd probably say this one looks the most appetizing to me.
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Looks yummy, but I bet it's not.
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But it looks like a yummy green juice that I would enjoy.
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I don't have to drink all of this, right?
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Okay, it's actually not as bad as I was expecting.
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Maybe it tastes more, a little bit like grass, but like, it's very, it's very light.
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So that one definitely has like that bitter, earthy taste to it.
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And then there's like a slight like floral flavor to it, which is really nice.
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oh actually that wasn't bad at all i mean it tastes like tea
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that tastes good it just tastes like a very herbal tea
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i guess i like it huh yeah i keep sipping it
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so i guess i like it i'm coming I'm coming back for it. That one's much stronger.
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Okay, yeah, that one tastes like pond scum, which I've never had, but I imagine that's what it tastes like.
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This one's a little bit more earthy, almost like just plant -like,
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and I kind of miss the floral flavor that I was getting from this one over here.
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See, that tastes like grass, which is what I was expecting.
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It's extremely bitter.
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It didn't immediately repulse me, so that's good.
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Yeah, it tastes spinachy, it tastes drinkable.
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afterwards i'm sitting with like a like a sour like a
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weird sour taste on my tongue it kind of feels like
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it left the film of an unflattering taste yeah this one
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this one's not doing much at all it's definitely the lightest
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tasting it tastes like almost nothing this is definitely the most subtle flavor of the three
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and yet I dislike it the most for some reason.
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Definitely the lowest.
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This is in the middle and this is the highest.
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Okay, my ranking is three, two, one.
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I would say this would definitely be my first choice for the matcha latte.
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I think with the bitterness of it, the sweetness of like the latte would come through nice.
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The results are in and all three participants chose the Chinese ceremonial matcha as their favorite.
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Two ranked Japanese ceremonial as second, with one choosing it as the worst, and two out of three ranked Japanese culinary grade in last place.
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Like these two, they have way more flavor with them.
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They're just a more pleasurable drinking experience.
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You can tell that they were made to be drank.
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This is definitely like, if you're a fan of matcha, this is what I would think of when think of matcha and it tastes the most matcha -y.
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While preferences may vary, Japan still sets the standard for ceremonial matcha.
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Hopefully maybe after a year and hopefully matcha powder will be lowered a little bit so it's basically more affordable for everyone.
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Isabella's customers also say they're willing to spend a little extra to get their matcha fix.
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Yeah I would definitely still keep coming back because I just feel like you just can't really like top the quality here.
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I just love the richness, the earthiness that comes through when I eat the level 3 matcha.
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I think even today it is considered a bit of a luxury product.
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I think people would really don't mind spending the extra money to have special matcha. In Japan,
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officials are working to increase matcha production by encouraging tea farmers
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to shift their focus from other types of teas to grow matcha in order to meet the demand.
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The country's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries is providing subsidies to help tea farmers transition to growing tencha.
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And Jintaro says he's seeing more and more young people taking up tea farming.
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Jintaro says he's seeing more and more young people taking up tea farming.
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But even with these ongoing efforts, a single season of climate stress can have long -term effects on the market.
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Once a tensha plantation is damaged, it can take up to five years to restore it to full production and meet soaring demand.
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And Jintaro believes climate events like these are far from over.
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I would like people to kind of respect that and understand that and be mindful in their consumption.
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The time and effort it takes and the attention.
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to creating that for this beautiful bowl of matcha green tea is really something that needs to be respected and honored.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 200 sentences and 2736 words to shadow. The speech runs for 20:02. The speaker talks at a steady 137 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. Only 76% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| flavor noun | /ˈfleɪvə/ | The quality produced by the sensation of taste or, especially, of taste and smell in combined effect. |
| powder noun | /ˈpaʊ.dɚ/ | The fine particles which are the result of reducing a dry substance by pounding, grinding, or triturating, or the result of decay; dust. |
| bitter adjective | /ˈbɪ.tɚ/ | Having an acrid taste (usually from a basic substance). |
| farmer noun | /ˈfɑɹ.mɚ/ | A person who works the land and/or who keeps livestock; anyone engaged in agriculture on a farm. |
| culinary adjective | /ˈkʌlɪˌnɛɹi/ | Relating to the practice of cookery or the activity of cooking. |
| label noun | /ˈleɪ.bəl/ | A small ticket or sign giving information about something to which it is attached or intended to be attached. |
| beverage noun | /ˈbɛv(ə)ɹɪd͡ʒ/ | A liquid to consume; a drink, such as tea, coffee, liquor, beer, milk, juice, or a soft drink, often excluding water. |
| producer noun | /pɹəˈdjuːsə/ | An individual or organization that creates goods and services. |
| rank noun | /ˈɹæŋk/ | A row of people or things organized in a grid pattern, often soldiers. |
| gather verb | /ˈɡæðɚ/ | To collect normally separate things. |
| leaf noun | /lif/ | The usually green and flat organ that represents the most prominent feature of most vegetative plants. |
| cafe noun | /ˌkæˈfeɪ/ | A convenience store, originally one that sold coffee and similar basic items. |
| consume verb | /kənˈsum/ | To use up. |
| dessert noun | /dɪˈzɝt/ | The last course of a meal, consisting of fruit, sweet confections etc. |
| thin adjective | /ˈθɪn/ | Having little thickness or extent from one surface to its opposite. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| come through verb | To come into a room or other space through a door or passageway. |
| keep up with verb | To manage to remain beside or just behind someone or something that is moving away from one. |
| take up verb | To pick up. |
| come back verb | To return to a place. |
| come up with verb | To manage to produce, deliver, or present (something) by inventing, creating, thinking of, or obtaining it. |
| roll out verb | To deploy or release (a new film or software, etc.); to launch (a product or service), especially in a gradual fashion across multiple regions. |
| stock up verb | To acquire or increase stock or inventory. |
| take over verb | To assume control of something, such as a business or enterprise, and sometimes by force. |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 26 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, don't, I've. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: gather /ˈɡæðɚ/, thin /ˈθɪn/, thick /θɪk/, smooth /smuːð/, threaten /ˈθɹɛt.n̩/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: consumption /kənˈsʌmp.ʃən/, shortage /ˈʃɔː(ɹ)tɪd͡ʒ/, practitioner /pɹækˈtɪʃənəɹ/, transition /tɹænˈzɪʃ.ən/, luxury /ˈlʌk.ʃə.ɹi/
- Long words — get the stress right: culinary /ˈkʌlɪˌnɛɹi/, ceremony /ˈsɛɹ.əˌmoʊ.ni/, practitioner /pɹækˈtɪʃənəɹ/, ambassador /æmˈbæs.ə.dɚ/, preparation /ˌpɹɛpəˈɹeɪʃ(ə)n/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like flavor, powder, bitter.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | I've read · has only been · I've always said |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | was served · was consumed · was sweetened |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | matcha, which is · grass, which is |
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.