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Matcha Love: ITO EN’s US Brand from Its Own Farms

Matcha Love by ITO EN uses shade-grown Japanese tea for ceremonial and culinary powders, sweetened mixes, tea bags, and ready-to-drink matcha.
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Who is Matcha Love?

Matcha Love is a matcha brand from ITO EN (North America) Inc., using 100% Japanese matcha from company-owned tea farms in Japan. Its ceremonial, culinary, sweetened, and ready-to-drink products adapt matcha ritual for modern use.

Organic Ceremonial Powder uses ichibancha first-harvest leaves grown under tana cultivation. Leaves are steamed, dried as tencha without kneading, then ground by traditional stone mills.

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Modern Take on an Ancient Ritual

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Matcha Love in details

Matcha Love bridges centuries of Japanese tea tradition with the demands of contemporary life. Born from ITO EN‘s legacy of authentic tea craftsmanship, this brand delivers genuine Japanese matcha in formats designed for how people actually live—from ceremonial preparation to grab-and-go convenience.

Rooted in Japanese Tea Heritage

Since 1966, ITO EN has cultivated relationships with Japanese tea growers and refined the art of bringing premium matcha to global audiences. Matcha Love carries forward this commitment through carefully sourced leaves and traditional processing methods. The brand offers both organic ceremonial grade matcha for purists and culinary grade options for everyday cooking and baking.

This connection to Japan isn’t marketing—it’s embedded in every product. Each variety reflects the same quality standards that have made ITO EN a trusted name in authentic Japanese tea.

Versatility Across 13 Distinct Products

The Matcha Love collection spans three core categories: bottled teas, matcha powders, and tea bags. This range addresses different moments throughout your day without compromising on authenticity.

  • Ready-to-drink options: Energy shots combining matcha with green tea in sweetened and unsweetened versions
  • Professional-grade powders: Barista Craft Blend and single-serve sticks for precise preparation
  • Innovative tea bags: Traditional matcha plus creative blends like Blueberry + Lavender

Meeting Modern Matcha Drinkers Where They Are

What sets this brand apart is its refusal to choose between tradition and convenience. Ceremonial matcha sits alongside bottled energy shots, acknowledging that the same person might want both depending on the situation. The single-serve powder sticks solve portability challenges without sacrificing quality.

Flavored varieties like Blueberry + Lavender introduce matcha to newcomers while maintaining the integrity of the base ingredient. This approach expands matcha’s appeal without diluting what makes it special—a philosophy that resonates with both devoted matcha enthusiasts and curious first-timers exploring the marketplace.

About the Matcha Love Matcha

Matcha Love offers a diverse range of 100% Japanese matcha crafted for different preferences and applications, making the traditional ritual accessible to modern drinkers.

Product Range

  • Organic Ceremonial Powder: made from ichibancha first-harvest leaves shade-grown for several weeks, with rich umami and vibrant green color for the authentic tea-ceremony experience.
  • Culinary Grade Powder: spring-harvested, shade-grown matcha formulated for cooking and baking.
  • Sweetened Powder Mix: spring, shade-grown matcha blended with sweetener for easy lattes.
  • Ready-to-Drink: pre-mixed spring, shade-grown matcha for on-the-go convenience.

Processing

Leaves are steamed to preserve their essence, then dried, and traditional stone mills grind the tencha into fine powder, achieving the vibrant green hue and subtly bitter taste of authentic matcha. Each serving carries 48mg of caffeine per 15g.

Harvest location

Matcha Love sources exclusively from ITO EN's own tea farms in Japan. Direct ownership gives the company control over quality and authenticity across the full production process, from field to finished powder.

Shade cultivation

The tea plants are shade-grown for several weeks before harvest, a method known as tana cultivation. Traditional reed screens and straw coverings, or modern alternatives like cheese cloth, block sunlight and raise chlorophyll and L-theanine while reducing astringency.

Harvest and processing

The spring harvest gives the best conditions, with the first flush, or ichibancha, yielding the highest-quality leaves for ceremonial grade. These tender leaves develop rich umami and a flavor reminiscent of nori. After picking, the leaves are steamed at once to halt oxidation, then dried without kneading as tencha to keep their cellular structure. Traditional stone mills grind the tencha slowly to avoid heat buildup, producing a vibrant green powder.

Matcha Love History

Matcha Love is a brand of ITO EN (North America) Inc., whose parent company was founded in 1966. The Matcha Love brand launched in 2015 to modernize the ancient ritual of matcha for contemporary consumers.

Early recognition

  • 2015: Whole Foods partnership expands retail reach.
  • 2015: BEVNET Best of the Year award for Matcha Love Organic Teas.
  • 2022: Package redesign around the "modern take on an ancient ritual" message.
January 1, 1966

ITO EN Ltd was established, laying the groundwork for what would eventually become the parent company of Matcha Love. This marked the beginning of ITO EN's journey as a leader in the tea industry, emphasizing sustainability and transparency in production processes.

January 1, 2015

Matcha Love was officially launched as ITO EN's strategic effort to modernize ancient matcha rituals for contemporary consumers. The brand emerged with the mission to make authentic Japanese matcha accessible and appealing to modern lifestyles, presenting matcha as both traditional drink and versatile superfood.

December 7, 2015

ITO EN North America Inc was awarded Best of the Year 2015 Best Tea Based Beverage from BEVNET for Matcha LOVE Organic Teas. The ceremony recognized the brand's success in marketing true matcha in an approachable way to new audiences, with the tagline 'Modern Take on an Ancient Ritual'.

August 1, 2015

ITO EN announced a strategic partnership with Whole Foods to launch organic matcha products under the Matcha Love brand. This partnership significantly expanded the brand's retail presence and accessibility to health-conscious consumers seeking authentic Japanese matcha products.

February 7, 2022

Matcha Love unveiled new package redesigns to better communicate the brand's core message of providing a 'modern take on an ancient ritual.' The redesign emphasized the brand's commitment to delivering gentle, naturally invigorating clean energy through 100% Japanese matcha, helping consumers manage their daily wellness routines.

Frequently asked questions

Here are some frequently asked questions and answers.

What kinds of matcha does Matcha Love offer?

Matcha Love offers ceremonial and culinary powders, sweetened powder mixes, tea bags, and ready-to-drink products made with Japanese matcha. Its range is designed for traditional bowls, cooking, baking, easy lattes, and portable drinking. The collection also includes professional-style powder options, single-serve sticks, bottled teas, energy shots, and flavored tea-bag blends for different routines.

Where does Matcha Love source its matcha?

Matcha Love sources its matcha from ITO EN’s own tea farms in Japan. Company ownership of the farms provides control across cultivation and production, from the fields through the finished powder. The tea plants are shade-grown before harvest, and selected leaves are steamed, dried as tencha without kneading, and ground using traditional stone mills.

How is Matcha Love Organic Ceremonial Powder produced?

Matcha Love Organic Ceremonial Powder uses ichibancha leaves from the first harvest. The plants are shade-grown under tana cultivation before picking. After harvest, the leaves are steamed to stop oxidation, dried without kneading to form tencha, and slowly ground by traditional stone mills. This processing produces the fine, vibrant green powder used for ceremonial preparation.

Which Matcha Love powder should I choose for cooking, lattes, or traditional tea?

Choose Organic Ceremonial Powder for an authentic tea-ceremony style cup with rich umami and vibrant color. Culinary Grade Powder is formulated for cooking and baking. Sweetened Powder Mix combines spring, shade-grown matcha with sweetener for straightforward latte preparation. Matcha Love also offers ready-to-drink matcha when pre-mixed, portable convenience is the main priority.

When was Matcha Love launched by ITO EN?

ITO EN’s parent company was founded in 1966, and Matcha Love launched in 2015. The brand was created to adapt the ancient matcha ritual for contemporary consumers. Its history record also notes retail expansion through a Whole Foods partnership, recognition for Matcha Love Organic Teas, and a later package redesign centered on its modern-ritual message.