Cuzen Matcha, a Revolutionary Machine that Grinds tea leaves and Makes Fresh Matcha, is Changing the World of Matcha Cocktails! - Part I -

This month, we introduce a matcha machine that is gaining attention in the American restaurant scene, which is experiencing a matcha boom. What is Cuzen Matcha, which can grind tea leaves and prepare matcha?

writer：Ryoko Kuraishi

This is the "Cuzen Matcha", a matcha version of the espresso machine. It is compact enough to carry around and enjoy The machine is compatible with drinks other than water, so it can be used to brew matcha with spirits such as vodka and gin. The machine is compatible with drinks other than water, so it can be used to brew matcha with spirits such as vodka and gin. It is also compatible with drinks other than water, so it is great for brewing matcha with spirits such as vodka and gin. It is also available in a matte black finish.

アメリカで抹茶ドリンクのマーケットを切り拓く。This is the "Cuzen Matcha," a matcha version of the espresso machine. It is compact enough to carry around and enjoy authentic matcha. The machine is compatible with drinks other than water, so it can be used to brew matcha with spirits such as vodka and gin. It is also available in matte black.

The U.S. market for high-end green tea is expected to reach $26.1 billion by 2028.

Matcha drinks have become a household name overseas as well, and there is a matcha machine that makes it easy and convenient to prepare matcha.

The "Cuzen Matcha" grinds tea leaves (tencha) and makes matcha at the touch of a button, just like an espresso machine that grinds beans and brews espresso.

When it was first released in the U.S. in the fall of 2020, it won numerous prestigious awards, including the "iF Design Award 2021," one of the world's three major design awards, and "Best Innovations of 2020," selected by TIME magazine.

Now, after the Corona disaster, it is said that cafes, restaurants, and bars in major cities such as California, Washington DC, and New York are beginning to take notice.

Two of the founders of World Matcha. On the right is Mr. Tsukada, and on the left is Daiki Hatta from Yame, Fukuoka Prefecture, a major tea production area.

What makes this machine unique is that it can grind tea leaves into powder and make matcha (powdered green tea). In other words, you can taste the whole freshly ground tea leaves.

Matcha is usually made in powder form, but if the tea leaves are left to grind, they easily oxidize, damaging the aroma and color.

Using the machine is a three-step process. Fill the tea canister with tea leaves and the special cup with water. 2Select the tea leaves from three levels of strength. Press the start button.

After 120 seconds, you can enjoy freshly ground and freshly brewed matcha.

The machine was developed by Eijiro Tsukada, who has long been involved in the development of soft drinks and tea beverages at Suntory.

After creating "DAKARA" and "Gokuri," he went to the U.S. and was in charge of setting up the tea business.

After returning to Japan, he was involved in brand management of "Oolong Tea" and "Iemon" and the development of "Tokucha" in Japan, which got him hooked on tea.

The pop-up at RITUAL COFFEE ROASTERS in San Francisco.

Tea is a beverage that can be enjoyed in a wide range of flavors depending on the condition and thickness of the tea leaves, the temperature of the water, the brewing time, and the teacup.

Like wine, it has a wide range of flavors.

If you want to enjoy the fresh flavor, aroma, and vivid color of tea, nothing beats a freshly brewed cup. This is especially true of matcha, which is sensitive to heat.

As I learned more about the taste of tea, I came to want to deliver simply delicious tea.

At my previous job, I was thinking about how I could express tea's unique flavor within the framework of PET bottled beverages, but I decided to approach tea away from PET bottles once and for all.

Just around that time (around 2015), in the United States, people concerned about excessive caffeine intake were turning to green tea, especially matcha, as an alternative to coffee in the face of growing health consciousness.

In fact, cafes selling tea have appeared mainly in major cities such as New York City. The pink-and-green branding, which was designed to look good on social networking sites, seemed to be popular among the Generation Z crowd.

Seeing the potential in this, Suntory launched "STONEMILL MATCHA," a café specializing in matcha green tea, in San Francisco as a new business venture for Suntory.

With the success of this café, he felt that he could make inroads into the huge U.S. coffee market.

From stores introduced overseas. This is DEAN&DELUCA in Hawaii.

At the same time, I felt there was a crucial difference between coffee and coffee. At the same time, I felt that there was one crucial difference between coffee and matcha: you can't drink it at home.

Even if matcha powder is sold, no one has a tea whisk, and no one knows how to make matcha in the first place. So there is no other option but to order it at a store.

In other words, there is no spread with the powder.

So we decided to develop a "matcha espresso machine" that would make it easy for anyone to make matcha at home.

In 2019, he became independent from Suntory and launched World Matcha Inc. in the U.S. to develop Cuzen Matcha.

The following January, he exhibited the "Cuzen Matcha" at CES, the world's largest consumer electronics trade show, where it was awarded the "CES2020 Innovation Awards Honoree" for innovative products!

Cuzen Matcha" was unveiled at CES, the world's largest consumer electronics trade show held annually in Las Vegas. We received inquiries from many tech companies about introducing the system.

Connecting consumers and tea farmers support the tea industry.

Cuzen Matcha" was highly evaluated because it has a built-in mill. The machine is equipped with a built-in mill, so it can express the taste, aroma, and color of freshly ground tea. 2The tea leaves are specially prepared for the machine. 3. Professional-grade matcha can be easily enjoyed at home.

Actually, the key point is the "exclusive tea leaves. This is because sencha, not matcha, is what most people have at home.

Ground and brewed sencha has a strong bitterness and its color is not so good. The water content of tea leaves is higher than that of matcha, and it takes more time and effort to maintain the mill.

We also thought it was important that the tea leaves be safe and secure as well as tasty, considering that we consume the tea leaves as a whole.

Therefore, we decided to include in our service the provision of quality matcha, which is pesticide-free, chemical fertilizer-free, and domestically produced, in a responsible manner.

Procuring tea leaves at a reasonable price protects the tea farmers and tea plantations that produce high quality tea leaves, and helps to pass on the tradition and culture of tea making.

With 'Cuzen Matcha,' we aspired to create a business where both consumers and producers can be happy."

In the second part, we will share feedback from bars that have actually installed "Cuzen Matcha" and also introduce a commercial machine that may fit even better in cocktail making.


Continue to Part 2.