Which premium matcha brands are fully in stock?
Marukyu Koyamaen has the cleaner record as of 2026-09-10: 7/7 blends in its own retail lineup in stock. DTC fulfillment direct from Japan (their store ships from Japan, not a US warehouse) keeps their catalog available even as US distributors face supply gaps. Several blends also available via Sazen Tea and Ujicha Matcha as alternative buy points. Price range: Isuzu at the entry tier up to Eiju at the top of the retail range. Ippodo Tea is close behind: 6 of 7 blends in stock at its own US-warehouse store — Kuon is temporarily out; Sayaka isn't carried by the US store at all right now, only via Ippodo's Japan site. Ippodo maintains direct Uji producer relationships developed over their 300+ year history, with allocation agreements that prioritize their retail catalog. Despite publicly stating that "all of our matcha varieties are currently limited and sell out quickly," their blends reliably restock — the window just narrows. Price range: Wakaki at the latte end up to Kanza at the koicha ceiling. Available at ippodotea.com and Ujicha Matcha (US importer). Between them, these two brands represent the most reliable ceremonial-grade supply in 2026, even with Kuon's current gap.
Which brands have significant stock gaps?
Partial availability (significant OOS by blend): Kettl — 22/26 blends in stock (~85%, up from ~69% earlier in the shortage). Kettl sources across multiple Japanese farms and regions. Their farm-specific and single-cultivar blends are the most constrained — limited annual production meets high demand from US buyers who track single-origin releases. Their Uji-origin tiers are more frequently OOS than Kagoshima-sourced blends. Restocks are announced via newsletter with no fixed schedule. Sazen Tea — 15.4% OOS rate across 469 tracked checks (worse than earlier in the shortage); Austrian importer with strong Japanese sourcing relationships, carries Marukyu Koyamaen and other Uji brands. Kanso Tea — 6.1% OOS rate across 476 checks. Ujicha Online is now the most reliable merchant we track — 0.2% OOS across 448 checks. Significant OOS issues: Horii Shichimeien — 95.3% OOS rate across 319 tracked checks. Traditional Kyoto maker primarily focused on domestic market; US availability is opportunity-based and unreliable. Not a reliable retail source for US buyers.
What does the OOS rate actually look like across the market?
From our tracking database (12,541 availability snapshots, 363 blends, through September 2026): overall in-stock rate: 81.3%. Most reliable merchant: Ujicha Online at 0.2% OOS. Kettl OOS rate: ~15% (4 of 26 blends OOS). Horii Shichimeien OOS rate: 95.3%. Marukyu restock cadence: Mon/Wed/Fri — sells out in 24min–8hr. Ippodo restock cadence: variable, limited windows per blend. The 81.3% aggregate in-stock rate is misleading — it includes culinary grades where availability is not constrained. Filtered to premium ceremonial ($1.50+/g), the effective in-stock rate is materially lower.
Where should I buy if my usual source is out of stock?
Fallback hierarchy by reliability: (1) ujicha.online — 0.2% OOS, the most reliable merchant we track. (2) marukyu-koyamaen.co.jp — direct Japan DTC; ships internationally; full 7-blend retail catalog in stock. (3) ippodotea.com — US-based; 6 of 7 blends in stock, Kuon currently out; restock windows announced via email. (4) kanso-tea.com — small US importer, low OOS rate, curated Uji-focused catalog. (5) ujichamatcha.com — US importer carrying Ippodo, Marukyu, and others. Brands and tiers to avoid if you need to be certain of quality: any "ceremonial" brand priced below the entry-ceremonial floor without explicit origin disclosure — almost certainly Kagoshima or Chinese at those price points. Any Amazon-fulfilled ceremonial claim without an identifiable Japanese producer behind it.