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Specialty Matcha Podcast
PodcastKunstEssenEnglisch

Specialty Matcha Podcast

NeuInterview with James Green, KyuTeaCo06.11.2026 · 58 Min.
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120
Erscheint
wöchentlich
Letzte Folge
6. Nov. 2026

Über den Podcast

The Specialty Matcha Podcast is hosted by Ryan Ahn and Zongjun Li, cofounders of Sanko Matcha Products. We discuss the growth in popularity of matcha, innovation, and matcha science. We also interview thought leaders, tea merchants, and tea educators to discuss everything from sourcing, processing, blending, milling, storytelling, health claims, and much more. Sanko Matcha Products is a startup dedicated to using functional design to create contemporary matcha gear and the use of new technology to innovate the matcha milling process.

Folgen 120

  1. Interview with James Green, KyuTeaCo

    58 Min.Staffel 5 · Folge 18

    In this episode, cohosts Ryan and Zongjun (Sam) interview James Green, founder of KyuTeaCo (Kyushu Tea Company), a Wisconsin-based brand working directly with eight small family farms across Kyushu. Topics …

    Shownotes

    In this episode, cohosts Ryan and Zongjun (Sam) interview James Green, founder of KyuTeaCo (Kyushu Tea Company), a Wisconsin-based brand working directly with eight small family farms across Kyushu. Topics range from James’s host family in Fukuoka in 1998 and his JET year in rural Ukiha, to selecting farmers prefecture by prefecture, importing without distributors or exclusivity agreements, hojicha and genmaicha as the next step after matcha, and why “ceremonial” and “Uji” labeled on matcha tell you nothing.


    https://kyuteaco.com/about

  2. Zairai, matcha milling, and more with Pau from Tea Nursery

    1 Std. 33 Min.Staffel 5 · Folge 17

    In this episode, cohosts Ryan and Zongjun (Sam) welcome back Pau from Tea Nursey and who works as a tea farmer in Wazuka. Topics range from a Zairai summit in Shizuoka where genetic sampling is being used to …

    Shownotes

    In this episode, cohosts Ryan and Zongjun (Sam) welcome back Pau from Tea Nursey and who works as a tea farmer in Wazuka. Topics range from a Zairai summit in Shizuoka where genetic sampling is being used to trace which prefectures share seed stock and to test the legends about who planted tea where, to what it takes to bring a century-old abandoned Zairai field back into production, to the day to day complexity of operating ishi usu stone mills.


  3. Interview with Zach Mangan, Kettl

    1 Std. 25 Min.Staffel 5 · Folge 16

    Ryan and Zongjun (Sam) are in discussion with Zach Mangan, founder of Kettl, to discuss 16 years of sourcing Japanese tea. Topics range from how the art of gogumi (tea blending) works, drawing on Zach's …

    Shownotes

    Ryan and Zongjun (Sam) are in discussion with Zach Mangan, founder of Kettl, to discuss 16 years of sourcing Japanese tea. Topics range from how the art of gogumi (tea blending) works, drawing on Zach's conversations with Masayoshi Koyama of Yamamasa Koyamaen, to the history of single estate matcha before the Meiji era, what "Uji" means on a label, and Zach's framework for approaching matcha sensory. They close on how tasting other loose life teas can further contextualize matcha, Zach's advice for new matcha brands, and his desert island tea.


    https://kettl.co/products/miyabi-sencha?variant=45770145136890

  4. Thailand's Advanced Matcha Market

    53 Min.Staffel 5 · Folge 15

    In this episode, cohosts Ryan and Zongjun (Sam) record from Bangkok the day after Thailand Coffee Fest 2026, where around 40 matcha brands exhibited and the Sanko Usu One had to be pitched from a poster because …

  5. Interview with Lorela Lohan, WanderlusTea

    1 Std. 5 Min.Staffel 5 · Folge 14

    https://www.wanderlustea.com/In this episode, Ryan talks with Lorela Lohan, founder of WanderlusTea, a Brussels-based consultancy for specialty tea businesses in Europe. Lorela has spent five years advising …

  6. Largest *Matcha Factory in the World

    41 Min.Staffel 5 · Folge 13

    *If you consider matcha produced from shaded Chinese-grown tencha as matcha. In this episode, cohosts Ryan and Zongjun (Sam) report from Tongren, Guizhou, after touring Guicha and driving another hour into the …

    Shownotes

    *If you consider matcha produced from shaded Chinese-grown tencha as matcha.

    In this episode, cohosts Ryan and Zongjun (Sam) report from Tongren, Guizhou, after touring Guicha and driving another hour into the mountains to see the tea fields. Topics range from EU compliance testing and poverty alleviation economics, to high mountain matcha grown above 1,000 meters, to the made-up choreography of Song dynasty diancha and the 70:30 foam to liquid ratio their host insisted on.

    They also get into why Japanese tencha equipment makers are the quiet winners of the matcha boom, and why the commodity end of the market is what feeds the specialty end.


    Referenced in episode:

    • 12,325 active tea farmers in Japan in 2020 (source: MAFF) https://www.maff.go.jp/kanto/seisan/engei/tokusan/attach/pdf/index-8.pdf
  7. Interview with Maren Fichter, Tea Educator and Writer

    1 Std. 12 Min.Staffel 5 · Folge 12

    In this episode, cohosts Ryan and Zongjun (Sam) talk with Maren Fichter, a tea educator and writer whose Substack Tea & all the rest covers farming, heritage, tourism, and education in specialty tea. She has …

  8. Interview with Jeff Fuchs, Tea Explorer

    1 Std. 3 Min.Staffel 5 · Folge 11

    https://www.jefffuchs.com/In this episode, cohosts Ryan and Zongjun (Sam) are joined by Jeff Fuchs, author of The Ancient Tea Horse Road and the first documented westerner to trek both main trunks of the route …

  9. Opinion: Where is all the perspective?

    39 Min.Staffel 5 · Folge 10

    https://open.spotify.com/episode/4uIvpxzwyVbQRTeRrnrlvW?si=KqUfE4DJQFmM0Tw6Cue9LgRyan and Zongjun (Sam) discuss the lack of unique perspective in contemporary matcha branding. Topics range from the emerging …

  10. Chinese vs Japanese Narratives about Matcha

    45 Min.Staffel 5 · Folge 9

    In this episode hosts Ryan and Zongjun (Sam) discuss the narrative differences between Chinese and Japanese made matcha. Sam has recently come back from Hubei and Henan, where he and a friend discovered …

  11. The Rise of Chinese Matcha

    47 Min.Staffel 5 · Folge 8

    Recorded: Early May 2026In this episode, Ryan and Zongjun (Sam) record live from Canton Fair in Guangzhou to map the Chinese matcha scene in 2026. They cover what changed in two years: "average quality" …

  12. Debate: What should Uji matcha be?

    1 Std. 31 Min.Staffel 5 · Folge 7

    In this episode, Ryan and Zongjun (Sam) close out the Uji matcha series with a debate: can Uji matcha actually be defined? The episode maps the full spectrum of definitions, from the least conservative, where …

  13. "Japanese Tea" GI Granted & Startup Update

    29 Min.Staffel 5 · Folge 6

    Ryan and Sam (Zongjun) discuss the recent GI status granted to Japanese tea, its implications for the industry, and the problems associated with the definition …

  14. What is and was Uji Matcha?

    1 Std. 2 Min.Staffel 5 · Folge 5

    In this editorial conversation, Ryan and Zongjun (Sam) interrogate the term "Uji matcha" and its tangled provenance: what it once meant, and how it has quietly changed over the years. Was Uji ever really a …

  15. Uji-no-Matcha: The inconvenient truth about Japan's most mythologized tea label

    49 Min.Staffel 5 · Folge 4

    https://open.substack.com/pub/sankomatcha/p/uji-no-matcha-the-inconvenient-truth?r=3mxquk&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=webIt started with the disturbing realization that almost all Uji Matcha sold is not grown …

  16. Notes at Origin: Nishio, Aichi

    39 Min.Staffel 5 · Folge 3

    Cohosts Ryan and Zongjun (Sam) discuss their experience in Nishio, Aichi including learning about pest control techniques, unique tana-shelf shading structures of Aichi, differences between a Mikawa and Horii …

  17. Notes at Origin: Toyota, Aichi

    58 Min.Staffel 5 · Folge 2

    Cohosts Ryan and Zongjun (Sam) discuss their learning journey hand picking tea for 3 days in Toyota, Aichi. They discuss tencha processing (including a unique withering step this producer uses which produces an …

  18. Breaking: Japan Seeks GI for "Japanese Tea"

    44 Min.Staffel 5 · Folge 1

    Ryan and Zongjun discuss the legal, cultural, and economic implications of geographic indications in the tea industry.https://open.substack.com/pub/sankomatcha/p/japan-filed-for-japanese-tea-gi-status?r=3mxquk&u …

  19. 100th Episode 🎊 : No Easy Answers

    1 Std. 4 Min.Staffel 4 · Folge 25

    We are very proud to upload our 100th podcast and the end of season 4. https://sankomatcha.com/https://sankomatcha.substack.com/p/load-bearing-myths

  20. Mythologizing in Matcha

    55 Min.Staffel 4 · Folge 24

    Accompanying Substack Article: Load-Bearing Myths https://open.substack.com/pub/sankomatcha/p/load-bearing-myths?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=webHosts Ryan and Zongjun (Sam) explore the …

  21. Matcha companies we wish existed

    52 Min.Staffel 4 · Folge 23

    Ryan and Zongjun (Sam) explore the evolving landscape of matcha, drawing parallels with the coffee industry, discussing innovation opportunities, and envisioning a future ecosystem that empowers farmers …

  22. Our Startup Updates

    43 Min.Staffel 4 · Folge 22

    Hosts Ryan and Zongjun (Sam) discuss updates on their countertop matcha mill Sanko Usu One, the development of new community tools and projects, and their upcoming research article about unpacking the …

  23. Interview with Tea Industry Veteran, Billy Dietz

    52 Min.Staffel 4 · Folge 21

    In this episode, cohosts Ryan and Zongjun (Sam) speak with Billy from BHD Consulting who shares his two-decade journey in the tea industry, focusing on matcha, branding, sourcing, and industry trends. Discover …

  24. Matcha Community PSA - Missing Person: Ben Barbante

    1 Min.

    Contact: https://www.instagram.com/julesreyes_/More Info: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DWUiO-YgcpW/?igsh=MXI3a2tmY3M2Z3drZg==From Jules' Post:We have reason to believe that Ben made it to Bangkok, Thailand.Up …

  25. Visiting Shirakawa Uji with Koto Tea Space

    1 Std. 3 Min.Staffel 4 · Folge 20

    Ryan and Zongjun (Sam) in conversation in Kyoto alongside khun Pop and Yusuke-san of Koto Tea Space in Bangkok after visiting Tsuji-san, one of Japan's most decorated matcha producers. The conversation goes …

  26. Interview with Teaism, Khun Gan

    56 Min.Staffel 4 · Folge 19

    In this episode, Khun Gan from TeaismExplorer shares his journey with tea, from working in Uji to becoming the first Thai-national Nihoncha Instructor. We explore the nuances of matcha production, regional …

  27. Next Level Specialty

    1 Std. 24 Min.Staffel 4 · Folge 18

    In this episode of the Specialty Matcha Podcast, Ryan and Zongjun (Sam) share their experiences and learnings from their recent trip to Kyoto, where they met renowned matcha farmer Tsuji-san, toured Marukyu …

  28. Is matcha just a format now?

    1 Std. 24 Min.Staffel 4 · Folge 17

    In this episode, Ryan Ahn and Zongjun (Sam) Li delve into the complexities surrounding how the word "matcha" is being used by both marketers and consumers all over the world. The conversation highlights the …

  29. Interview with ChaEn Tea Experience, Khun Big

    50 Min.Staffel 4 · Folge 16

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KirlTPzWoqoIn this episode, Ryan and Zongjun (Sam) sit down with the founder of ChaEn Tea Experience in Bangkok, khun Big. They discuss the unique cultivation of Jinxuan cultivar …

  30. It's all about the References

    1 Std. 25 Min.Staffel 4 · Folge 15

    https://sankomatcha.com/collections/tenchaBuy Tencha References Online (a very humble start of a list! Please forgive us, sourcing tencha is very difficult at the moment): In this episode, Ryan and Zongjun …

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