How Much Matcha Should a Café Order the First Time?

For most cafés the right first order is the two 10 g samples, then a single 1 kg bag of the product that passed your test. Forecast a low and a high case, check that one kilo fits between them, and review real use after four weeks before you order more. Guessing a single number for demand is where first orders go wrong; a range plus a review date takes the pressure off.

Why a range, not a number

Before launch you do not know how many matcha drinks you will sell, so any single forecast is a guess. A range is more honest and more useful. It tells you whether 1 kg is too much, about right or likely to run out quickly, and when to look again.

Stage 1: Samples before stock

Order the 10 g Ceremonial Barista Matcha sample first, plus the Ceremonial Matcha sample if you plan a pure serve. Samples answer the question that matters most: does this matcha make the drink you want? Ten grams covers 10 ÷ 2 = 5 drinks at 2 g, enough for a side-by-side latte test and a few staff tastings. To split it without running out, see how many test drinks a 10 g sample makes. Both samples cost €4.95 each excl. VAT at the time of writing (November 2026); check the product page for the current price.

Stage 2: Forecast a range

Fill in a low and a high case. Base it on things you can see: your current daily transactions, how many people already ask for matcha, and how prominent the drink will be on the menu.

Line	Low case	High case
Matcha drinks per day
Grams per serving
Daily use (g) = drinks × grams
Loss % (sieving, spills, test drinks)
Usable grams per kg = 1,000 × (1 − loss)
Days per kg = usable ÷ daily use

Worked example (hypothetical)

Hypothetical: a coffee bar trading seven days a week expects between 8 and 25 matcha lattes a day, at 2 g each, with 8% loss in the first month while staff learn the recipe.

• Usable grams per kg = 1,000 × (1 − 0.08) = 920 g.
• Low case: 8 × 2 = 16 g a day → 920 ÷ 16 = 57.5 days.
• High case: 25 × 2 = 50 g a day → 920 ÷ 50 = 18.4 days.

So one kilo lasts somewhere between about 2.5 and 8 weeks. That is a sensible first order: it will not run out in a few days, and even at the low case it is used within about two months. For the full servings arithmetic, see how many servings are in 1 kg.

Stage 3: Choose the starting quantity

Your range says one kilo lasts	First order
Less than 2 weeks (high case)	1 kg now, and set your reorder point on day one
2 to 8 weeks	1 kg
More than 8 weeks even in the high case	1 kg only with a decanting plan; or reconsider how matcha sits on your menu

Ordering 2 kg or more on day one rarely makes sense when demand is unknown. If the high case is right, you will know within a week or two and can reorder in good time. If you stock both products, size each one separately: a pure water serve usually sells more slowly than lattes.

For milk drinks, the starting product is Ceremonial Barista Matcha in a 1 kg bag at €195.00 per kg excl. VAT (at the time of writing, November 2026; check the product page for the current price). At 2 g that is €195 × 2 ÷ 1,000 = €0.39 matcha cost per serving, before waste, not the cost of the drink.

Stage 4: Set a reorder trigger

Do not wait for the bag to run out. Decide now at what weight you will reorder. A simple trigger: reorder when the remaining stock covers your delivery time plus a safety buffer.

Hypothetical: at the high case of 50 g a day, if you want 7 days of cover in hand when you reorder, the trigger is 50 × 7 = 350 g remaining. For delivery times, check the B2B FAQ and build that into your buffer. The guide to reorder point and safety stock makes this more precise.

Stage 5: Review after four weeks

Weigh what is left after four weeks and compare it with your forecast.

Review line	Your figure
Grams at start	1,000
Grams left after 28 days
Grams used
Real daily use = grams used ÷ 28
Matcha drinks sold (from till)
Grams per drink sold = grams used ÷ drinks sold
Difference from your recipe dose

The last line is useful on its own. If your recipe says 2 g but you are using 2.4 g per drink sold, the gap is waste, over-dosing or untracked drinks. Fix that before you scale up the order.

Hypothetical: 560 g used in 28 days = 20 g a day. Till shows 250 matcha drinks. 560 ÷ 250 = 2.24 g per drink sold, against a 2 g recipe: (2.24 − 2) ÷ 2 = 12% above the dose. Worth a look at the sieving and test drinks.

Next step

Start with the samples from Stage 1. When the test passes, fill in the range table and follow the first-order steps for account and checkout.