Our Matcha Wins the Global Tea Champion 2025 and Video Recaps from the World Tea Expo 2025

We are excited to share that our matcha won the Global Tea Champion 2025.

Global Tea Championship is a prestigious international competition held at World Tea Expo in Las Vegas that recognizes the highest-quality teas from around the world.  

The matcha category had 5 competitions, and we won all 5. 

Here is the list of the competitions: 

• Origin Awards (Japan) - Certificates for the best matcha from the production origin
  
  
  
• Superior Awards Best Ground Leaf Profile - Awarded for the best leaf profile
  
  
  
• Superior Awards Best Cup Character - Awarded for the best cup character
  
  
  
• Premium Award (Ceremonial) - Awarded for the best matcha in type
  
  
  
• Grand Prize - Awarded for the overall best matcha
  
  
  

We put these trophies on our booth the next day, and this is how they looked.

Award Ceremony

The award ceremony took place at the World Tea Expo held at the Las Vegas Convention Center on March 25, 2025.

Miki, our Chief Brand Officer, and I were called on stage 5 times, which we did not expect. Watching us being called so many times must have been quite funny. 

Here is a short video shot by Kristin Wittig.  (Thumbnail courtesy of World Tea Expo)

Our friend, tea sommelier Ana Lucia from @ana.likes.tea, recorded the ceremony, which you can watch here.

Here are the snaps from the video. (Thank you, Ana!)

The ceremonial matcha that won the awards can be found here.  This same matcha won the Global Tea Champion in 2018 as well. 

Thank you so much for helping make this possible. We couldn’t have done it without your continued support.

Recap from the World Tea Expo 2025

As mentioned above, the award ceremony was part of the World Tea Expo 2025, in which we had a booth. 

This was the first time we joined after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Getting to Las Vegas

We are currently situated in Los Angeles, so we decided to drive to Las Vegas. It is about 4 4-hour drive. 

Our car was not big enough to accommodate all the booth setups, so we rented a van. I always rent a car from the airport, and this was one of the first times renting outside the airport. 

At the airport, getting the car after the pickup time is always ok, but I did not realize it is not the same at local car rental locations.  I was 1 hour late, and they cancelled the booking and gave the van to someone else. :0    

I booked the last minute van (much more expensive) at the LAX Airport and picked up the car from there.  On top of it, they charged me for the "no show" fee.  Well, I was there... just 1 hour late. 

I am lucky I could get a van at the last minute.

A good start to a trip! (^^)

We loaded the van with our goodies and drove to Vegas. 

I am learning to use Instagram and have tried posting as many stories as possible.  Here is some footage I posted chronologically for loading the van and getting to Vegas. (Follow us here if you haven't yet!)

Apparently, Instagram Stories cannot be linked after a day unless we add them to the highlight.  So here are the stitched stories and videos that have been uploaded to our YouTube channel. (Sorry, Meta, I couldn't figure out other ways.)

About our Booth - How it was Made

Our display backdrop resulted from a true collaboration between skilled artisans in Portland, meticulously crafted over two months from concept to completion. The structure was built by Malachi from @milbournwoodworks , a professional furniture designer and carpenter, who brought Miki's detailed design to life with expert craftsmanship.

The project was far from simple.

One of the key challenges in creating this wall was ensuring that it remained fully transportable — whether packed in a car or shipped securely on a pallet.

Every panel, joint, and support structure was thoughtfully configured and custom-sized to meet this requirement without compromising aesthetics or durability.

To further reinforce the integrity of the backdrop, the metal backing was engineered and custom-built by Pete Bosack, the renowned Portland-based metalworker and founder of Madeway Design. Their team carefully designed the metal framework not only to match the visual design but to ensure the entire structure remained stable and safe in any environment — whether indoors, outdoors, or even in strong wind conditions.

This backdrop is more than just a display wall; it’s the result of intentional craftsmanship, technical problem-solving, and months of hands-on work by some of Portland’s most talented makers.

Every detail — from the fine Port Orford Cedar wood panels to the precisely engineered metal frame — reflects our commitment to quality, beauty, and thoughtful presentation.

Here is a rough drawing he prepared before he started building. 

We wrote a whole blog about how we made the booth background and other items we use at the booth.  Please click here to read more and watch videos

Please click here to read more and watch videos

About the Special Wood Used in our Booth

The wood selected is very special. 

Malachi had access to Port Orford Cedar wood — a rare and highly valued timber that holds deep significance in Japanese architecture and craftsmanship.

Known in Japan as Hinoki of America (アメリカ檜), Port Orford Cedar is native to a small region of southern Oregon and northern California.

It is prized for its fine grain, light color, subtle citrusy aroma, and natural resistance to decay and insects — qualities that made it an ideal material for building Shinto shrines, temples, and traditional crafts.

Historically, Japan sought out the finest materials from around the world to preserve the purity and longevity of sacred spaces. Port Orford Cedar was one of the few foreign woods that earned the honor of being imported specifically for religious and cultural purposes. Its properties closely resemble Japan's native Hinoki cypress, which has been used for centuries in the construction of Ise Jingu (伊勢神宮) and other iconic shrines.

Malachi was fortunate to obtain some of this remaining, precious wood — timber that once traveled across the Pacific to become part of Japan's spiritual and cultural heritage.

In Japanese tradition, wood is not just a material; it is alive, breathing, and carries the spirit of the forest. Incorporating such a meaningful wood into our presentation was intentional — it allowed us to connect the natural, sacred essence of Japan with the products we proudly offer.

Each piece of Port Orford Cedar used in our presentation is a tribute to craftsmanship, cultural connection, and the timeless beauty of nature — honoring the tradition of choosing only the finest, most meaningful materials.

Wood is embedded in Japanese culture, and using such a special type of wood meant a lot, especially in presenting our finest Japanese products. 

It is quite heavy, though  (now that I realize transporting these to a few events)

Here is a video of the backdrop being assembled.

Opening Ceremony

The opening ceremony of the World Tea Expo was charming.  Reiko Wake, a Japanese Tea Ambassador and opera singer, sang the "Sukiyaki" song.  (You can see her performance on her Instagram. post here)

I was shooting the whole scene from the back side (as a vendor, I could be in the back).  I shot the entire ceremony using Instagram Live for the first time! (that no one probably watched.) 

The video was so lovely that after cutting the ribbon, lots of people came onto the show floor, which was great footage I shot!

I did not realize that the Instagram Live does not get saved automatically; I have to stop and share the live video after the live is done.   Well, I didn't know that. : 0   So the footage is lost forever. Thank you again, Meta!!  (I'm learning!)

Here is the video I took BEFORE the live. 

Thank you so much to everyone who stopped by our booth!

We were so happy to meet and see many people, some of whom we knew, some of whom we had just met for the first time. 

Thanks to everyone who came to say hi at our booth; the time flew by quickly. 

I am in the process of communicating with each of you who left your contact information with us. 

In case you haven't please get in touch with us from here. 

FAQs about Our Matcha Winning Global Tea Champion 2025

What is the Global Tea Championship, and why does it matter? What categories did our matcha win at the 2025 Global Tea Championship? What actually makes our matcha award-winning? Where and when is the World Tea Expo, and why does it matter? Has our matcha won other awards besides the Global Tea Championship?

What is the Global Tea Championship, and why does it matter?

The Global Tea Championship is the most established blind-tasting competition in the international tea world. It's held annually at the World Tea Expo in Las Vegas. A panel of certified tea sommeliers and industry experts taste hundreds of submissions across categories — green, black, white, oolong, matcha (抹茶), pu-erh, and more — without knowing which farm or brand is behind each sample. Then they score them.

Honestly, the reason this matters more than other tea awards is the blindness. A lot of food and drink awards are pay-to-play or get influenced by branding. The Global Tea Championship's blind format means a small farm with great leaves can beat a big-budget marketing operation. So winning here is a real signal that the cup quality is genuinely there.

It's the closest thing the tea world has to the kind of credibility that, say, the James Beard Awards have for restaurants. Not perfect, but the most trustworthy benchmark we've got.

What categories did our matcha win at the 2025 Global Tea Championship?

Our matcha (抹茶) swept all five matcha categories at the 2025 competition. Specifically: the Origin Awards (Japan) certificate for best matcha from production origin, Superior Awards for Best Ground Leaf Profile, Superior Awards for Best Cup Character, the Premium Award (Ceremonial) for best matcha in its type, and the Grand Prize for overall best matcha across the whole field.

Five categories, five wins. We honestly didn't expect that. Miki and I had to walk up to the stage five separate times during the ceremony, which got a few laughs from the room by the third or fourth one. It was one of those moments where you stop being nervous halfway through because there's no point.

Worth saying: this is the same matcha that won the Global Tea Champion in 2018. So 2025 was our second time winning, with the same tea, from the same farm. That kind of consistency is what we care about more than any single award.

Matcha - Japanese Limited Reserve Ceremonial Green Tea - (Global Tea Champion 2018, 2025) From $250.00 /

What actually makes our matcha award-winning?

From what the judges have shared after the awards, three things keep coming up. First, the leaf — single-farm, first-flush, shaded for at least 25 days before harvest, which gives matcha its characteristic sweet umami instead of bitterness. Second, the grind. The leaves go through a stone mill that turns the tea into ultra-fine powder slowly enough to preserve the L-theanine and chlorophyll. Machine-grinding tends to oxidize the powder during the milling and you lose flavor. Third, freshness. We try to ship close to harvest dates so the matcha doesn't sit on a shelf losing its volatile aromatics for six months before it gets to you.

None of these are individually unusual — there are other matcha producers doing each of these things. What seems to set our matcha apart is doing all three carefully at once, year after year, on the same farm with the same family.

If you want to taste what the judges tasted, the same ceremonial matcha (抹茶) that won is what we sell. It's linked below.

Matcha - Japanese Limited Reserve Ceremonial Green Tea - (Global Tea Champion 2018, 2025) From $250.00 /

Where and when is the World Tea Expo, and why does it matter?

The World Tea Expo is the largest tea industry trade show in the United States, held annually at the Las Vegas Convention Center, usually in March. It's been running since 2003. The 2025 expo, where the awards ceremony took place, ran March 24-26 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

If you're a tea producer or retailer, this is where you go. Tea farmers from Japan, China, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Taiwan, India, Vietnam, and basically every other tea-growing country show up to meet buyers. The Global Tea Championship awards ceremony happens during the show, which is part of why winning matters — your trophies are on your booth the next day, in front of the people who actually decide what tea ends up on shelves and in cafes.

It's not really a consumer-facing event — most of the attendees are industry — but if you're seriously into tea, getting a trade pass and walking the floor is one of the more eye-opening tea experiences you can have in the U.S.

Has our matcha won other awards besides the Global Tea Championship?

Yeah, the Global Tea Championship in 2018 and 2025 are the two biggest, but there have been others over the years. Our teas — including the matcha and several of our senchas — have picked up regional awards from Japanese tea associations, including the Japan Tea Awards (日本茶アワード), and we've gotten recognition at the World Green Tea Contest (世界緑茶コンテスト) in Shizuoka (静岡) more than once.

Honestly, awards aren't really the point of what we do — we'd be making this matcha the same way regardless of whether it won anything. But they help in two ways. First, the blind-judging credibility means new customers can trust there's a real cup behind the marketing. Second, the awards put pressure on us internally to not let standards slip in the years between competitions.

If you're curious, we keep a record of awards on our About page. The list is longer than I expected when I just went and counted.

Buy Ceremonial Matcha that won the Global Tea Champion 2025

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Renowned among top Japanese chefs for its unmatched aroma, this matcha is made by carefully shading the plants before harvest to boost caffeine and amino acids, then meticulously drying, de-stemming, and grinding the leaves into a fine powder. Made from the Yabukita cultivar, this 1.8 oz (50g) matcha comes in a high-quality, air-tight paper tube canister, providing a luxurious and authentic Japanese tea experience.

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Paired with the matcha is a traditional 100-prong bamboo chasen whisk, considered the highest-grade among matcha tools. Unlike common 40-60 prong versions, this finely crafted whisk is widely used in high-end tea ceremonies in Japan. Its balanced dimensions offer the perfect design for preparing a smooth and frothy bowl of authentic matcha.

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