Buying & supplier selection
1 kg Matcha Bags vs Small Tins: Which Pack Size Suits a Café?
A 1 kg bag suits a café that uses matcha every day and is willing to decant it properly; small tins suit low or irregular use, or a bar where nobody owns the storage routine. The deciding question is how many weeks one opened kilo will take you to use, and whether you can keep it sealed, dark, cool and dry for that time. The pack size itself does not make matcha fresher or staler; the time it spends open does.
The trade-off in one paragraph
Storage studies on matcha found that colour and quality decline with heat, time and oxygen exposure (light and moisture were not tested in those studies). A big bag that is opened many times a day, and stays half-full for months, gives the powder a lot of air and time. Small tins limit how much powder is exposed at once, but you usually pay more per gram and generate more packaging. Decanting a 1 kg bag into small, airtight containers gets you most of the benefit of both.
Step 1: Work out your weeks per kilo
Use the standard formulas:
- Daily use (g) = drinks per day × grams per serving
- Usable quantity = purchased × (1 − loss %)
- Theoretical stock duration = usable quantity ÷ daily use
| Matcha drinks per day | Dose | Daily use | Days per kg (5% loss) | Weeks (7-day trading) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 2 g | 10 g | 950 ÷ 10 = 95 | about 13.6 |
| 10 | 2 g | 20 g | 950 ÷ 20 = 47.5 | about 6.8 |
| 20 | 2 g | 40 g | 950 ÷ 40 = 23.75 | about 3.4 |
| 40 | 2 g | 80 g | 950 ÷ 80 = about 11.9 | about 1.7 |
| 20 | 3 g | 60 g | 950 ÷ 60 = about 15.8 | about 2.3 |
The 5% loss is an example; use your own figure. The monthly matcha budget guide shows how to turn drink counts into kilos per month.
Step 2: Use the decision table
| Weeks per kg | Storage discipline | Suggested format |
|---|---|---|
| Under 4 | Any reasonable routine | 1 kg bag, decanted into a working container |
| 4–8 | Good: someone owns storage, airtight containers, cool dark shelf | 1 kg bag, decanted into several small airtight containers |
| 4–8 | Weak: bag left open on the bar, no fixed routine | Fix the routine first; otherwise smaller packs |
| Over 8 | Good | 1 kg bag only if you decant on day one and keep sealed portions unopened until needed |
| Over 8 | Weak | Small tins, or reconsider the menu volume |
Very low, irregular use is typical of self-serve settings; matcha for offices and workplace pantries covers storage when nobody owns the routine.
"Storage discipline" is not about being careful in general. It means four concrete things: a named person, airtight opaque containers, a cool dark storage place away from the machine, and a written routine.
Step 3: If you choose 1 kg, plan the decant
Decanting is what makes a 1 kg bag work for medium and lower volumes. A simple pattern:
- On opening day, divide the bag into portions that each last about one week at your daily use.
- Fill each container close to the top to reduce air space, seal it and label it with the product name and date opened.
- Keep one container on the bar as working stock, the rest sealed in storage.
- Reseal the main bag tightly if any powder remains, pressing out air.
Hypothetical example: 20 drinks a day at 2 g = 40 g a day. Seven trading days = 280 g a week. A 1 kg bag fills three 280 g portions (840 g) with 160 g left, enough for a further four days. Size the containers to fit.
The guide to decanting an opened 1 kg bag covers containers and handling, and working stock behind the bar helps you decide how much to keep out at once.
Cost per gram is only part of it
A bag often costs less per gram than small tins; check your own quotes. Compare at the same dose:
matcha cost per serving = price per kg × grams per serving ÷ 1,000.
At the time of writing (November 2026), Ceremonial Barista Matcha in a 1 kg bag is €195.00 per kg excl. VAT, so €195 × 2 ÷ 1,000 = €0.39 per 2 g serving. Ceremonial Matcha (1 kg) is €265.00 per kg excl. VAT: €0.53 at 2 g. Check the product page for the current price. These are matcha costs only, before waste, not the cost of a drink.
For a small tin, divide its price by its weight in grams and multiply by 1,000 to get a price per kg, then use the same formula. Then add the factor the table cannot show: if a kilo sits open too long and you throw the last 200 g away, your effective loss is 20%, and the saving on the bag can disappear.
Fill-in worksheet
| Line | Your figure |
|---|---|
| Matcha drinks per day | |
| Grams per serving | |
| Daily use (g) | |
| Expected loss % | |
| Usable grams per kg | |
| Days per kg | |
| Storage owner named? (yes/no) | |
| Airtight opaque containers available? (yes/no) | |
| Format chosen |
Next step
Fill in the worksheet with your real drink count. If a kilo lasts you a reasonable number of weeks and the storage boxes are ticked, test the product first with the 10 g samples, then order the 1 kg bag that matches your drinks.