Delicious, versatile and healthy. Bursting with antioxidants and recognised for its ability to provide calm focus, matcha is a welcome addition to a busy life.
How do you store matcha?
Unopened pouches are best stored in a cool, dry place, away from direct light. Once opened, we recommend keeping it in the fridge — a tip we picked up from a tea ceremony sensei we work with, and one we follow ourselves. Resealed properly, this keeps the matcha at its best for longer.
Does matcha have caffeine?
Yes. Matcha contains naturally occurring caffeine. The quantity in your cup will vary depending on how much you use, but as a general guide, it can be up to half that of a cup of black coffee.
Unlike coffee, matcha also contains the amino acid L-theanine, a result of the tea being grown in the shade for the final few weeks before picking. L-theanine promotes a sense of relaxation and wellbeing — which is why matcha is often described as offering calm focus rather than a jolt.
A great alternative to coffee, especially if you don't enjoy the post-coffee jitters.
Want an exact figure for how much you're using? Try our Matcha Caffeine Calculator — just enter your grams and it'll do the maths.
How do you keep your matcha so fresh?
Freshness starts with sourcing — our matcha is grown in Uji, Japan, with some of our range from Kagoshima and Kofu. From there, we bring in stock on a monthly shipment cycle rather than shipping in bulk, so what you're drinking has spent as little time as possible sitting in a warehouse before it reaches you.
Matcha's biggest enemies are light, moisture and air, which is why freshness comes down to more than just where it's grown — how recently it was milled and how it's been handled since matters just as much.
Why did you move from tins to pouches?
We've moved our full range from tins to resealable pouches. A few reasons:
Freshness — pouches let us remove more air at the point of packing, and reseal more effectively between uses than a tin lid ever could.
Shipping — they're lighter and more compact, which means less packaging waste and a smaller footprint getting to you.
Practicality — easier to store flat, and easier to keep airtight once opened.
Same matcha, same sourcing, better packaging.
What size are the pouches, and how many servings is that?
Our ceremonial grade matchas (Haru, Eiko, Tsubaki, Café) come in 50g pouches, giving roughly 25–50 servings depending on how you take it. Our second harvest range comes in 250g pouches, suited to more everyday use.
Once opened, matcha is exposed to the elements and begins to age, which is why we keep pack sizes modest rather than bulking out. Matcha also has a best-before date of 365 days from milling — when it comes to matcha, fresh is best, so we'd rather you finish a smaller pouch and reorder than have one sit half-used for months.
What's the difference between your matchas?
First Harvest (Uji) — our ceremonial grade range: Haru, Eiko, and Tsubaki. Grown and picked earliest in the season, these are best enjoyed traditionally, whisked with water.
Second Harvest — everyday matcha suited to lattes and cooking, where a stronger, more robust flavour holds up well against milk.
Café / Wabi Mixing Matcha — blended specifically for milk-based drinks, developed with our café customers in mind.
Beyond matcha — we also carry Sen (powdered sencha), Honoka (roasted houjicha powder), and Kuwa (mulberry tea powder from Kofu), for those wanting to explore beyond matcha itself.
If you're not sure where to start, get in touch and we're happy to point you in the right direction based on how you plan to drink it.
Do you offer subscriptions?
Currently, subscriptions are available on our collagen range. We don't yet offer matcha subscriptions — matcha supply is tied to seasonal harvests and high global demand, so we're being careful about committing to recurring matcha volumes before we can guarantee consistent supply. It's something we're actively working toward, including through a recent supplier trip to Japan's Kagoshima region.
What about shipping and returns?
We ship across New Zealand, with free shipping on orders over $55. For full details on delivery timeframes and costs, see our Shipping Policy. If something's not right with your order, our Return Policy covers what to do next.
Tell me about the name Wabi...
The name Wabi Matcha comes from the Japanese concept of Wabi Sabi, which basically translates to beauty through simplicity.
Yes, it is safe to say that we are passionate about quality.
At Wabi, we are also lucky to have a connection with a Japanese Tea Ceremony sensei. Eiko san is one of the director's mothers, so if you have any questions about traditional tea ceremony, feel free to ask and we will do our best answer your question.
If you have any questions you would like answered, please contact us via the contact form.
