Matcha Sold-Out Report is our new monthly note for cafés, retailers and brands who buy Japanese matcha. Once a month we share, plainly, what has sold out, what is still available, and how to get on the list for the next lot. This first edition covers September to early October 2026.
Why we are publishing a sold-out report
Wholesale buyers plan menus and product launches months ahead. A grade that disappears halfway through that plan is a real cost. We would rather tell you early, in calm and specific terms, than let you discover it when you try to reorder.
We keep a running record of every lot that sells out, both in our own catalogue and across the growers and tea houses we work with. This report is drawn only from that record. Where something is uncertain, we say so. Where we cannot verify a detail, we leave it out.
We separate two kinds of news, because they mean different things for your planning:
- SOLD OUT means a lot from our own catalogue is gone.
- Sold out at origin means the grade is no longer available this season from the growers we work with. It is not a statement about the whole of Japan.
For the wider context of this year's market, see our 2026 Matcha Market Brief for wholesale buyers.
SOLD OUT: our organic ceremonial lot from Kagoshima and Miyazaki
Our JAS-certified organic ceremonial matcha from Kagoshima and Miyazaki sold out within weeks. About 500 kg left us in roughly three weeks during September. It was the fastest-moving lot in our catalogue this year.
A follow-on organic lot is being prepared, and samples are on their way to us so we can taste it before we offer it. We will share details once we have confirmed quality and volume. If you buy organic for export, a note on scope: JAS organic is recognised through equivalency arrangements with the United States, Canada, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, Switzerland and the European Union. For other markets, please ask us before planning around an organic claim.
Sold out at origin: first-flush named cultivars
The clearest pattern this season is that first-flush matcha from named cultivars sells out first. Buyers are asking for a cultivar name and a harvest they can put on a menu or a label, and growers' small first-flush lots answer exactly that request.
From the growers we work with, the following are no longer available this season:
- Uji · Gokou · First flush — the last lot we were tracking went in about four weeks, between early September and early October.
- Uji · Yaeho · First flush — sold out at origin.
- Uji · Saemidori · First flush and Uji · Okumidori · First flush — individual lots sold out in September. Smaller quantities of related lots remain with some growers, so please ask if you need these cultivars specifically.
- Kagoshima · Okumidori · First flush — one lot sold out in September, and the remaining lots are moving quickly. It is currently the fastest-moving grade we track, which tells us buyers want a named cultivar, a first flush and an accessible price point together.
If you are unsure how cultivar and flush change flavour, colour and price, our guide to cultivar, harvest and flush explains the differences in practical terms.
Sold out at origin: organic lots from Kumamoto and Kagoshima
Organic is the second category that leaves early.
- Kumamoto · Saeakari · First flush (organic) and Kumamoto · Minamisayaka · First flush (organic) — both sold out. The Kumamoto organic first-flush lots offered to us this season are now all gone.
- Kagoshima organic lots — two organic lots from Kagoshima sold out at origin in September.
Organic supply this season is now concentrated in other regions. If organic is essential for your product, tell us early and we will check what can be confirmed for your market.
A note on Yame
Yame in Fukuoka is one of Japan's most celebrated matcha origins, and we are often asked about it. For celebrated origins where our export supply is still being confirmed, such as Yame, we will tell you so honestly.
What is still available
A sold-out grade rarely leaves you without options. These comparable grades are available from our current catalogue:
- Kagoshima · Yutakamidori · First flush (Ceremonial, 2026 harvest) — a natural alternative if you were buying first-flush Okumidori.
- Uji · Okumidori & Yabukita · First flush (Premium, 2026 harvest) — an Uji first flush for buyers who want the Uji name on the menu.
- Kagoshima · Saemidori (Ceremonial) — for buyers in the United States and Asia who want a named-cultivar ceremonial grade.
- Kagoshima & Ibaraki (Ceremonial, EU-ready) — for buyers in Europe who need a ceremonial grade prepared for shipment to the EU.
Every lot comes with its region disclosed, no colourings or fillers. Lot test documents such as a COA are available on request; arrangements differ by grower, and for some lots testing may be at the buyer's cost — we'll tell you upfront. Availability changes week to week, so please confirm before you finalise a menu or a production run. We do not publish fixed wholesale prices here, because they vary by lot, volume and currency. We will send a current price list on request.
How to plan around sold-out grades
- Taste the alternative before you need it. Order a 20 g sample of a comparable grade now, so a switch is a decision rather than an emergency.
- Write your spec by region, cultivar and flush. This makes it easier for us to propose a close match when a lot ends.
- Store what you buy well. A good lot is only worth securing if it stays fresh. Our matcha storage and shelf-life guide covers sealed storage, temperature and opened-tin handling.
- Join the next-lot list. We contact waitlisted buyers first when a sold-out grade returns.
Join the next-lot waitlist
Want to hear when the next lot arrives? Email info@japanesematchastand.com with "Next lot" in the subject. Tell us the grade you are waiting for and your approximate monthly volume.
To request 20 g samples or our current wholesale price list, write to info@japanesematchastand.com.
Next month's report will follow the same format: what sold out, what is available, and what we are waiting for.
日本語まとめ
「抹茶 品切れレポート」は、卸のお客様向けに毎月お届けする新しいお知らせです。第1回は2026年9月〜10月上旬の内容です。
- 当店の完売（SOLD OUT）：鹿児島・宮崎のJAS有機セレモニアル抹茶が、9月の約3週間で約500kg完売しました。後継ロットはサンプルを取り寄せ中で、確認でき次第ご案内します。JAS有機の同等性が認められているのは、米国・カナダ・台湾・英国・スイス・EUです。
- 産地での売り切れ（取引先の生産者さんの今季分）：宇治 ごこう 一番茶（最後のロットが約4週間で完売）、宇治 八重穂 一番茶、宇治 さえみどり・おくみどり 一番茶の一部ロット、鹿児島 おくみどり 一番茶の一部ロット。
- 有機：熊本の有機一番茶（さえあかり・みなみさやか）は今季分がすべて完売。鹿児島の有機ロットも2つ完売しました。
- 八女：輸出向けの供給はまだ確認中のため、正直にその旨をお伝えします。
- 今ご案内できる代わりの抹茶：鹿児島 ゆたかみどり 一番茶（セレモニアル）、宇治 おくみどり・やぶきた 一番茶（プレミアム）、鹿児島 さえみどり（セレモニアル・米国/アジア向け）、鹿児島・茨城（セレモニアル・EU向け）。
- 次ロットのお知らせ希望：件名に「Next lot」と書いて info@japanesematchastand.com へ。20gサンプル・価格表のご請求も同じアドレスへどうぞ。
So glad I found Matcha.