Gotcha Matcha brings authentic Japanese tea culture to wellness enthusiasts seeking more than just another green powder. Since 2019, this brand has built its reputation on sourcing pure, shade-grown matcha exclusively from Japan’s most renowned tea regions—Uji and Nishio—where centuries-old cultivation methods meet rigorous quality standards.
The difference starts at the source. Gotcha Matcha works directly with family-owned farms in Uji and Nishio, areas celebrated for producing Japan’s finest ceremonial-grade tea. These farms practice traditional shade-covering techniques that boost chlorophyll and amino acid content, resulting in matcha with naturally sweet, umami-rich flavor profiles. Every tin contains 100% pure green tea from Japan—no sugar, additives, or preservatives.
Rigorous testing sets this brand apart. All products undergo comprehensive screening for radiation, lead, and other contaminants. Tea farms receive regular inspections for water, air, and soil quality. The result is USDA Organic Certified matcha that meets the highest safety standards while delivering exceptional taste.
Gotcha Matcha’s Ceremony Grade showcases first-harvest leaves picked at peak tenderness. Stone-ground to preserve nutrients, it offers rich flavor with lush vanilla notes and zero bitterness. Each teaspoon provides 35mg of caffeine—half that of coffee—paired with L-theanine for calm, sustained energy without jitters.
The brand’s versatile lineup serves different needs:
A 30-gram tin delivers 30 to 35 servings, making quality matcha accessible for daily consumption. Free shipping on subscriptions and multi-tea purchases removes barriers to maintaining a consistent wellness practice.
Gotcha Matcha exists to create kindness, compassion, and wellness through the joy of matcha green tea. The brand views each cup not just as nutrition but as a mindful ritual—a moment to pause, prepare, and find balance. From sourcing to packaging, every decision reflects this commitment to authenticity and the transformative power of genuine Japanese matcha.
Gotcha Matcha offers a carefully curated selection of premium matcha products, with all beverages elevated using Ceremonial Grade matcha to ensure an exceptionally smooth experience. Founded in 2019 by Alissa White, the brand focuses on delivering authentic Japanese matcha with modern wellness principles.
Ceremonial Grade represents the pinnacle of matcha quality at Gotcha Matcha. This premium grade is crafted from the youngest, most tender tea leaves that are completely de-stemmed and destined for greatness. The result is a rich, creamy texture with a verdant vegetal essence and natural sweetness that dances on the tongue, with no astringency. The vibrant green hue reflects meticulous shade-covering, gentle steaming, and patient stone-grinding processes. This grade likely features celebrated cultivars like Samidori, Gokou, or Uji-hikari, known for their delicate sweetness and captivating color.
Cafe Grade serves as the versatile virtuoso of their lineup, perfect for lattes, smoothies, and creative culinary applications. Made from more mature leaves with a bit of stem and vein in the blend, this grade maintains the hallmark shade-covered, chlorophyll-rich quality while offering a robust flavor profile that can stand its ground among other ingredients. The flavor presents a delightful interplay of boldness and balance, with a hint of astringency to temper the sweetness.
All Gotcha Matcha teas undergo meticulous processing: shade-covered for enhanced chlorophyll and amino acid content, steamed to preserve freshness, air-dried with care, and ground on hand-carved stone grinding wheels in small batches. This traditional process unlocks a delicate, slightly sweet flavor often graced with hints of vanilla, completely banishing any trace of bitterness, especially when crafted from coveted first harvest leaves.
The stone-grinding process is particularly noteworthy, with each grinder yielding only about 40 grams of matcha per hour, demonstrating the care and precision woven into every step. Before transformation into matcha powder, the leaves are processed into Tencha (the precursor to matcha), with the entire harvest process completed in just twenty seconds to shield leaves from oxidation and preserve vibrant color, flavor, and freshness.
Gotcha Matcha emerged from a modern revelation in 2019, when founder Alissa White experienced what the French call coup de foudre – love at first sight with matcha. This transformative moment came not from ancient tea ceremony traditions, but from a friend’s simple act of sharing matcha, forever changing her perspective on this emerald elixir.
White’s journey began with travels to Thailand, where she developed an appreciation for vibrant tea cultures. However, it was that pivotal matcha encounter that sparked her calling to educate others about the profound benefits, time-honored rituals, and exquisite objects associated with this traditional Japanese tea. Recognizing the potential to create something extraordinary, White partnered with Ludlow Kingsley to birth an elevated wellness brand with a singular mission: empowering individuals to confidently embrace and prepare matcha tea.
While Gotcha Matcha doesn’t own tea farms directly, the company has cultivated deep partnerships with ancestral farms nestled in Japan’s most distinguished growing regions of Uji and Nishio. These relationships ensure unwavering adherence to centuries-old cultivation techniques that have been passed down through generations of skilled farmers and tea artisans.
The brand’s commitment to authenticity shines through their meticulous sourcing process. Their teas undergo traditional shade-covering for at least three weeks before harvest, using methods like Kanreisha (synthetic cloth canopies) and possibly the ancient Honzu method employing reeds and straw. This shading process elevates chlorophyll and L-theanine levels, creating the distinctive smooth, sweet flavor profile that defines quality matcha.
Every batch of Gotcha Matcha undergoes the time-honored process of stone-grinding on hand-carved wheels, with each grinder producing only about 40 grams per hour. This painstaking method preserves the delicate flavor and captivating aroma that mass production cannot replicate. The company prioritizes the first spring harvest, known as Ichibancha, capturing the very essence of the season in each vibrant leaf.
The brand’s philosophy extends beyond mere tea sales to curate a complete experience celebrating morning rituals, community building, and the appreciation of beautiful objects. Through their café locations and online presence, Gotcha Matcha has established itself as more than a tea company – it’s become a gateway for introducing Western audiences to authentic Japanese matcha culture.
Alissa White founded Gotcha Matcha after experiencing a transformative ‘love at first sight’ moment with matcha shared by a friend. Her travels to Thailand had previously sparked an appreciation for vibrant tea cultures, but this pivotal encounter inspired her mission to educate others about matcha’s profound benefits and time-honored rituals.
Alissa White joined forces with Ludlow Kingsley to create an elevated wellness brand focused on empowering individuals to confidently purchase and prepare matcha tea. This partnership provided the strategic foundation needed to transform a personal passion into a comprehensive matcha education and retail platform.
Gotcha Matcha established partnerships with centuries-old tea farms in Japan’s most distinguished growing regions of Uji and Nishio. These relationships ensured access to premium matcha produced using traditional shade-covering techniques, precise steaming, air-drying, and stone-grinding on hand-carved wheels, maintaining authentic Japanese cultivation methods.
Gotcha Matcha expanded beyond online retail to open its first physical café location, offering innovative flavor combinations like mango matcha and hojicha latte. This space became a community hub celebrating morning rituals, beautiful objects, and great food, embodying the brand’s philosophy of creating experiences rather than just selling tea.
Find below some answers to the most common questions about Gotcha Matcha.
Gotcha Matcha elevates every single beverage with Ceremonial grade matcha, which is highly unusual in the industry. Most brands reserve ceremonial grade exclusively for traditional tea ceremonies due to its premium cost.
This means whether you order a latte, smoothie, or any café drink, you’re getting matcha made from the youngest, most tender leaves that are completely de-stemmed. The result is a rich, creamy texture with natural sweetness and zero astringency – qualities typically found only in the highest-grade matcha preparations.
Alissa White’s transformative experience in 2019 wasn’t just about discovering matcha – it sparked her mission to educate others about matcha’s profound benefits and time-honored rituals. This founding vision directly shapes Gotcha Matcha’s approach today.
Rather than simply selling tea, they focus on empowering customers to confidently embrace and prepare matcha. Their partnership with Ludlow Kingsley reflects this educational philosophy, creating an elevated wellness brand that celebrates morning rituals, beautiful objects, and community building around matcha culture.
While Gotcha Matcha sources from both Uji and Nishio regions, they prioritize Uji matcha for its distinctively smoother, richer flavor profile. Uji, located near Kyoto, is renowned as Japan’s most prestigious matcha-growing region with centuries of tea cultivation expertise.
This focus on Uji sourcing ensures every cup delivers the luxuriously smooth experience that defines the Gotcha Matcha difference.
Ceremonial Grade uses only the youngest, most tender leaves that are completely de-stemmed, creating a rich, creamy, and vegetal taste with natural sweetness and no astringency. This grade features the vibrant green color from meticulous shade-covering and stone-grinding processes.
Cafe Grade incorporates slightly more mature leaves with a bit of stem and vein in the blend, making it robust enough for lattes and culinary applications while maintaining shade-covered, chlorophyll-rich quality. The flavor profile offers a delightful balance with a hint of astringency to temper the sweetness.
Gotcha Matcha uses traditional hand-carved stone grinding wheels that produce only about 40 grams of matcha per hour – a testament to their commitment to preserving delicate flavor and aroma. This time-honored process is crucial for maintaining quality.
The stone-grinding method prevents heat buildup that could damage the matcha’s cellular structure, preserving the delicate, slightly sweet flavor with hints of vanilla that characterizes their matcha. This careful process, combined with their shade-covering, steaming, and air-drying techniques, ensures the complete absence of bitterness, especially in their coveted first harvest Ichibancha leaves.
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