Japan's 2026 Tencha Harvest Begins in Nara: What Matcha Buyers Need to Know

Japan's 2026 Tencha Harvest Kicks Off in Nara's Yamato Tea Region

Tencha (碾茶, てんちゃ) — the specially processed green tea leaf that is stone-ground to make matcha — has begun production for the 2026 season in Yamazoe Village (山添村), Nara Prefecture, Japan. The harvest and processing started in mid-May and is expected to continue through the end of July, with approximately 20 metric tons of tencha planned for production.

What Is Tencha?

Tencha is the raw, unground precursor to matcha. Unlike other green teas, tencha leaves are shade-grown — shielded from direct sunlight for around 20 days before harvest. This shading process dramatically increases the leaves' L-theanine and chlorophyll content, resulting in the deep umami flavor and vivid green color that high-quality matcha is known for. After harvesting, the leaves are steamed, carefully dried, and de-stemmed before being stone-ground into the fine powder recognized globally as matcha.

For matcha buyers and importers, understanding tencha is key: the quality of tencha directly determines the flavor profile, color, and grade of the matcha powder that reaches your café or restaurant.

Yamazoe Village: A Premier Tencha Origin

Yamazoe Village sits on the border of Nara and Mie Prefectures, in a mountainous region well known for significant day-to-night temperature swings. These conditions naturally stress the tea plants, encouraging the accumulation of umami compounds in the leaves — a hallmark of premium Yamato Tea (大和茶), the regional variety cultivated here.

Yamato (大和) is the ancient name for Nara Prefecture. Yamato Tea has been grown in this region for centuries and is one of Japan's lesser-known but highly regarded regional tea varieties, alongside the more internationally familiar Uji (Kyoto) and Shizuoka teas.

2026 Season: Production Goals and Export Growth

Yamato-en (大和園), a tencha producer and wholesaler based in Yamazoe Village, began harvesting new-crop tea buds in mid-May. The freshly harvested leaves are transported directly to a processing facility, where they are steamed with high-pressure steam and then slowly dried to achieve the finished deep-green tencha leaf.

The company plans to harvest and process approximately 20 metric tons of tencha by the end of July 2026. Notably, Yamato-en has reported a steady increase in overseas shipments in recent years, reflecting the continued expansion of global matcha demand — a trend well familiar to U.S. importers and foodservice buyers.

What This Means for U.S. Matcha Buyers

The spring tencha harvest season — running from May through July — is the most important window in Japan's matcha supply calendar. New-crop tencha harvested during this period becomes the matcha available to the global market in the months that follow. For cafés, restaurants, and beverage brands sourcing Japanese matcha, tracking the progress of Japan's tencha harvest is a direct indicator of supply availability and quality expectations for the year ahead.

The reported increase in overseas orders from producers like Yamato-en underscores a broader industry trend: Japanese tencha and matcha are increasingly in demand internationally, and securing reliable supply relationships with Japanese producers or established wholesalers is becoming more competitive each season.

Source: Yomiuri Television / Yahoo! News Japan (May 25, 2026)
https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/f68e1dcd9395588a7766df61877a3440039463f3