GUIDE · FRESHNESS
Why matcha fades, and why we pack weekly
Matcha does not go off the way milk goes off. It fades. From the moment it is milled, the colour dulls from vivid green towards olive, the sweetness drops away, and what is left tastes flatter and more bitter. Nothing about it becomes unsafe. It simply stops being worth the money, which is why how recently matcha was milled matters more than almost anything printed on the tin.
Updated September 2026
Why does matcha lose its flavour?
The process starts at milling, not at opening. Once the leaf is ground, its surface area increases enormously and the compounds that make matcha taste sweet and savoury begin to oxidise. A sealed tin slows it down. It does not stop it.
Where does the time usually go?
Most matcha sold in Britain is milled in Japan, packed in Japan, shipped in bulk by sea, warehoused, then distributed. Each of those steps is sensible on its own and each one adds weeks. By the time a tin reaches a shelf it can easily be a year past milling, and nothing on the label will tell you.
This is the part of the industry that is least talked about, because it is the hardest to fix. Grade is easy to print. Freshness is logistics.
What does Raku do differently?
Our matcha comes from a tea house with nearly two centuries of expertise in Uji, Kyoto Prefecture. First harvest, milled in Uji each month, packed in London the week it's sold. It is a less efficient way to run a supply chain, and it is the main reason our matcha tastes the way it does.
How do you keep matcha fresh at home?
Keep the tin sealed, cool and out of the light. An opened tin is at its best within about four weeks at room temperature, or about six in the fridge. Keep it away from anything strongly scented, because a fine powder takes on the smell of whatever sits next to it.
Buy smaller tins more often rather than one large one slowly. A 30g tin is about ten bowls. If that lasts you two months, 30g is the right size for you.
Ready to taste the difference? Start with Hikari, our smoothest matcha.