Kettl Tea Blog

How We Care for our Matcha Tools So They Serve Beautifully Over Time

May 11, 2026

Like fine tea itself, the tools used in daily matcha preparation reward thoughtful care over time. From preserving the delicate tines of a bamboo chasen to maintaining the fine mesh... Read more...

At the Edge of Kyushu: Visiting Shuichiro Sakamoto Before the 2026 Harvest

April 29, 2026

Ahead of the 2026 harvest, members of Kettl’s New York and Fukuoka teams visited Shuichiro Sakamoto in Shibushi, Kagoshima. From regenerative farming and custom organic fertilizer to expressive gyokuro and... Read more...

A visit from Masayoshi Koyama at Kettl Los Feliz

April 21, 2026

Kettl Los Feliz recently welcomed Masayoshi Koyama, fifth-generation tea producer from Yamamasa Koyamaen, for a series of intimate matcha tastings and conversations in Los Angeles. Our guests explored the artistry... Read more...

A Weekend in Montreal with FOIL Gallery

April 13, 2026

Kettl was recently invited to collaborate with FOIL gallery in Montreal—a thoughtful, multi-use space where contemporary art, hospitality, and community converge. Nestled in the Mile-Ex district, FOIL offers an environment... Read more...

Kettl Producer Series | Kiyoharu Tsuji

April 10, 2026

The story of Kettl is inseparable from the stories of the producers we work with. We see our role as stewards and partners in bringing their teas to a wider... Read more...

Cultivating Connection—How Collaboration Shapes Kettl’s Journey

April 1, 2026

Discover how Kettl’s journey has been shaped by meaningful collaborations—with tea producers, chefs, and creative partners—transforming tea from a simple beverage into a catalyst for conversation, innovation, and community. Founder... Read more...

Celebrating Shincha Season—and the Beauty of Aged Japanese Tea

March 23, 2026

Experience the excitement of Shincha season and discover why spring is also the perfect time to enjoy matured teas from the previous year. Kettl founder Zach explores how freshly picked... Read more...

Masayoshi Koyama in Yamamasa Koyamaen tea field

Kettl Producer Series | Masayoshi Koyama of Yamamasa Koyamaen

March 16, 2026

Experience the excitement of Shincha season and discover why spring is also the perfect time to enjoy matured teas from the previous year. Kettl founder Zach explores how freshly picked... Read more...

Reflections from Japan as Tea Producers Prepare for Harvest

March 3, 2026

Kettl founder Zach just returned from two weeks in Japan, where early plum blossoms signaled the coming of spring and tea makers were deep in the quiet work that sets... Read more...

Uncovering Nishio: The hidden path to exceptional Japanese matcha

February 13, 2026

Kettl founder Zach just returned from two weeks in Japan, where early plum blossoms signaled the coming of spring and tea makers were deep in the quiet work that sets... Read more...

Matcha Sen Mon Ten

February 13, 2026

Much of what we hear about matcha and its provenance points to Uji—and with good reason. Though small in size, Uji has an outsized influence on the craft, culture, and... Read more...

A new expression of Shiga matcha—Meeting Yasuharu Maeno of Maruyasu Tea

February 12, 2026

Last spring, as shortages of tencha and matcha began to intensify—especially in Yame and Uji—we started looking beyond the regions most commonly associated with matcha production. The idea was simple:... Read more...

A tasting of competition tea from Yoshiaki Hiruma

January 20, 2026

I’m often asked how I taste tea. And to be honest, most of the time it’s simply a matter of brewing tea for my wife and myself and enjoying the... Read more...

A conversation with Yoshiaki Hiruma

January 8, 2026

Why “Region” Matters Less Than the Maker A Q&A-style interview edited for clarity. Interviewer: Zach There are few more influential in the worlds of both hand rolled Temomi tea and... Read more...

The Great Matcha Shortage: 2025 harvest first thoughts

May 20, 2025

In just the last two weeks, six media outlets have reached out for comments on the Matcha shortage. Who could have imagined things would reach this point? The level of... Read more...

The Great Matcha Shortage Interlude: one way we are coping with the shortage.

April 23, 2025

Several customers have asked how the current matcha shortage is affecting Kettl personally, and what steps we’re taking to address both the limited availability and the growing demand. While we’re... Read more...

The Great Matcha Shortage: Sales and distribution

April 14, 2025

Since publishing the first post of this ongoing look into the matcha shortage, it’s become increasingly clear just how expansive this story really is. In the past week alone, I’ve... Read more...

The Great Matcha Shortage: An introduction

March 27, 2025

The Great Matcha Shortage: Part 1 - The Cause The media has widely reported on the Matcha shortage—demand has outpaced supply. But is that really the case? What’s behind it?... Read more...

Opening in LA: A Letter to the Kettl Team

February 10, 2025

(This started as a blog post, then it became clear this was actually a letter to our team. I figured I would share it anyway). Team, We are getting close.... Read more...

2024 In Review | Reflections on living in tea

January 2, 2025

With the New Year here, all of us at Kettl are feeling the rested after a period of much needed (and well deserved) rest. Me personally , I always feel... Read more...

Tea and Seasonality | How our rituals reflect the season

October 4, 2024

As summer turns again to fall, again our desire for warmth returns. The satisfaction we seek in a wool sweater or a hot cup of tea is hard wired into... Read more...

Three New Matcha - Diving deep to find the next great offering

September 19, 2024

(Our first time tasting Suiho Organic - unforgettable) I have seen such a remarkable growth in interest in Matcha over the last several years. Along with that growth, the knowledge... Read more...

Miyabi Sencha - 10 years sourcing our flagship Sencha

September 18, 2024

(Sourcing tea with the Yamaguchi family in 2014) If there is one tea that could define the last 10 years of Kettl, it would be our Miyabi Sencha. The piercing... Read more...

JPN | NYC - Kettl’s footprint in Japan

September 1, 2024

(New York and Japan teams working together) We have just arrived back in Kurume, Fukuoka at our Japan office - right in time to spend the day weathering Typhoon Shanshan—a very... Read more...

Seven harvests with Kiyoharu Tsuji - Continuing progress, continuing excellence

August 20, 2024

2024 marks the seventh year of partnership with Kiyoharu Tsuji, one of the most decorated matcha producers in all of Japan and one of Zach's guiding mentors. The first allotment... Read more...

Tea x Cuisine

August 2, 2024

The dream is coming true. The well-worn path of derivative Western-minded tea culture is dying. Long live tea. Well, in fact, tea is very much alive and well. I’ve been... Read more...

2024 Sourcing - Miyazaki, Takanabe

June 19, 2024

You could do a lot worse than ending up in Miyazaki. It holds little acclaim to foreigner visitors aside from perhaps its famous beef - Miyazaki Wagyu - or its... Read more...

2024 - The New Harvest Begins

May 3, 2024

Greetings from our 2024 sourcing trip. While it is only the very beginning of the harvest season, with many areas yet to begin harvesting, my team and I have already... Read more...

Shincha | Welcoming Spring

March 27, 2024

While Japan is a small country, roughly twenty-two of its forty-seven prefectures produce tea of some kind. Japan is home to a variety of microclimates and soil types. That in... Read more...

Sencha | The Tea of Japan

March 1, 2024

Sencha refers to the largest category of green teas produced in Japan. Most simply, sencha is made from tea leaves that have been harvested, steamed, and then processed into aracha,... Read more...

Ceremonial Matcha: what does it mean?

January 8, 2024

You may have noticed that at Kettl we do not title our Matcha as being “ceremonial”. This is a contested decision - and from a Google SEO perspective, maybe a... Read more...

New Year, New Ritual

January 4, 2024

With the New Year upon us, consideration of our daily practice is at the forefront of many of our minds. The New Year brings a renewed sense of purpose, an... Read more...

Fresh Milled Matcha In New York City

March 30, 2023

Launching our Matcha Mill Club has been one of the most interesting and rewarding experiences since I started Kettl back in 2014. Each month the Matcha Mill Club requires a surprising... Read more...

Chef's Series #2 - James Kent, Crown Shy

July 9, 2021

James Kent, Crown Shy - Chef Series #2 When James Kent was 14 years old, Chef David Bouley moved into his Greenwich Village building. As Kent was already working as... Read more...

Chef's Series #1 - Sushi Noz

June 10, 2021

Nozomu Abe, Sushi Noz - Chef Series #1 Born in Hokkaido, Japan, Chef Noz was from a very young age inspired by the fresh fish and seafood of his grandfather,... Read more...

Japanese Tea Pots Demystified. Your Questions explained

September 26, 2020

A guide to understanding the Japanese tradition of Kyusu making I receive several emails a week from customers asking about Japanese tea pots. I thought it might be helpful to... Read more...

Delicious, Easy Iced Green Tea in 1 Minute

September 22, 2020

Here in both NYC and Fukuoka, We are experiencing some of the hottest days of the year. With that in mind, We wanted to share our easy and delicious 1... Read more...

The story behind Kettl’s famous Matcha Chocolate

July 30, 2020

We get asked all the time about our Matcha Chocolate - things like “how is this so good?”, “what matcha do you use?” and “Is this a healthy food?”. The... Read more...