An essay on matcha, shortage, and growing tea in an apartment. A log of what I do and what I think at each step.
Thoughts at each step. Newest first.
Plants arriving in 15 days — 12 June 2026.
The cultivar I originally wanted — sold out when I ordered — is available again at Camellia Forest. The plants are very young. I am waiting to see how the first four Yutaka Midori settle before adding anything. Keeping the link here so I do not have to find it again.
Four Yutaka Midori camellias, shipped from Camellia Forest. This is what they look like coming out of the box.
No photos yet. Check back June 12th.
I spent an embarrassing amount of time trying to find grown Japanese cultivars in the U.S. Big box garden centers sell generic "tea plant" if they sell anything. Rarely Yabukita, rarely Okumidori, rarely a name you would hear in Uji. When I found Camellia Forest, Yabukita was gone. Yutaka Midori was in stock in 4 quart size, about two years old. The site showed only two left. I refreshed. I hesitated. Scarcity is not abstract when it is a number next to "add to cart."
I ordered four Camellia sinensis 'Yutaka Midori' from Camellia Forest Nursery. Total with shipping: $220. That is the real number, not the catalog list price. Plants take years to size up. Nurseries cannot spin that up like a factory. I get why only two showed on the page. I still felt lucky and slightly sick.
Next problem: my apartment is not Japan. I need humidity Japan has and my building does not. I need acidic soil and shade on a schedule. I am not decorating a room. I am trying to bend one corner toward another climate, then prove it with sensors so I am not guessing.
I am treating this as the start of the log. Everything before today was reading and wanting. Today money left my account and four plants will cross the country toward my apartment.
Today (besides plants): about $243 to $263
Week 3 to 4: about $62
Week 4 to 6: about $300 to $500, only if the plants are still alive
Rough total if I buy everything: about $605 to $825. The plants alone already committed $220.
I feel the weight of that range. Most of it is optional until I prove I can keep four camellias happy in a room that was built for humans, not for shade grown tea.
No photos yet.