Switching Matcha Suppliers Without Disrupting Your Menu

Switching matcha supplier goes wrong when the new powder simply replaces the old one on a Monday morning with the same recipe. Treat the switch as a recipe change: test side by side, recalibrate the dose, overlap the stock, brief the team, then listen to regulars for a few weeks. Done that way, most guests notice a drink that is at least as good, not a drink that is different.

Why regulars notice

Regulars order the same drink often enough to know its colour, sweetness and strength. Two matchas at the same dose can differ in how strongly they come through milk, how bitter they read and how green the drink looks. If your recipe was tuned to the old powder, the new one will not land in the same place without adjustment.

That is also why price should not drive the timing. Switch when you have stock overlap and a quiet week, not when the old bag runs out.

The five-phase plan

Phase	When	What you do	Done when
1. Compare	Week 1	Side-by-side test of current vs new matcha	You know whether the new one meets your standard
2. Recalibrate	Week 1–2	Adjust dose, paste water and milk to match or improve the house drink	New recipe card written
3. Overlap	Week 2–3	Order new stock while the old is still in use	New bag in hand, old bag still at least a week from empty
4. Brief	Day before go-live	Train staff on the new card and what to say	Every barista has made the new drink
5. Listen	Weeks 1–4 after go-live	Log feedback and adjust once if needed	Four weeks with no unresolved pattern

Phase 1: Compare fairly

Make both drinks, your current matcha and a 10 g sample of the new one, at your current house recipe first, then at the dose that looks right for the new powder. Keep milk, cup, temperature and method identical. Taste blind if you can: one person makes, another tastes. The guide to comparing a new matcha with your current one sets out the controls in detail.

Record four things per cup: colour, matcha strength through milk, bitterness, and texture (any grit or clumps).

Phase 2: Recalibrate the recipe

Change one variable at a time. Dose usually matters most. If the new matcha comes through milk more strongly, a lower dose may give the same drink; if less, you may need more.

Every dose change also changes your cost. Use matcha cost per serving = price per kg × grams per serving ÷ 1,000.

Hypothetical example: you currently use 2.5 g of a matcha at €160 per kg excl. VAT: €160 × 2.5 ÷ 1,000 = €0.40. The new matcha 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). If your test lands at 2 g, the cost is €195 × 2 ÷ 1,000 = €0.39. At 2.5 g it would be €195 × 2.5 ÷ 1,000 = about €0.49. The dose you settle on in the test, not the price per kilo, decides the real difference. Both figures are matcha only, before waste, not the cost of the drink.

Write the result into a new recipe card the same day. Writing a matcha recipe card and SOP gives a template.

Phase 3: Overlap the stock

Order the new matcha while you still have at least one to two weeks of the old. That gives you room for a delayed parcel and lets you finish the old bag in an orderly way.

Work out how long your remaining stock will last: theoretical stock duration = usable quantity ÷ daily use.

Hypothetical example: 400 g of the old matcha left, 15 lattes a day at 2.5 g = 37.5 g a day. 400 ÷ 37.5 = about 10.7 days. Order the new bag now, not in a week. If you want a firmer rule for this, see reorder point and safety stock.

Two choices for the changeover itself:

• Hard switch: finish the old bag, start the new one on a set day. Simpler for staff.
• Split period: never mix powders in one container, and never run both on the same drink at the same time. If you must run both, run them on different drinks.

Label containers clearly in both cases. Mixing two powders in one container makes any feedback impossible to read.

Phase 4: Brief the team

Keep the briefing short and practical.

• What changed: the supplier and the recipe card.
• The new dose, paste water and method, made once by every barista.
• What the drink should look like: hold up a reference cup.
• What to say if a guest asks: "We have changed our matcha and adjusted the recipe. Let us know what you think." No claims about the product beyond what is on the menu.

Phase 5: Listen and adjust once

For four weeks, keep a simple log at the till.

Date	Drink	Comment (guest's words)	Positive / neutral / negative	Action

Look for patterns, not single comments. If three or more regulars say the same thing ("weaker", "more bitter"), make one adjustment, update the card and brief again. Avoid changing the recipe every few days; that confuses staff more than it helps guests.

Common mistakes

• Switching on the day the old bag runs out, with no test.
• Keeping the old dose without checking it suits the new powder.
• Mixing old and new in one container to "use it up".
• Forgetting iced drinks and specials, such as dirty matcha and other espresso combinations, which need their own check.
• Not telling staff, who then hear about the change from a guest.

Switching checklist

• ☐ Side-by-side test done, notes saved
• ☐ New dose and recipe card written
• ☐ Cost per serving recalculated at the new dose
• ☐ New stock ordered with at least one to two weeks of overlap
• ☐ Containers labelled, no mixing
• ☐ All baristas have made the new drink
• ☐ Feedback log at the till for four weeks
• ☐ Specials and iced drinks checked separately

Next step

Start Phase 1 with the 10 g Ceremonial Barista Matcha sample (€4.95 excl. VAT at the time of writing; check the product page for the current price) next to your current matcha. If it meets your standard at a dose you are happy with, order the 1 kg bag with enough overlap to switch calmly.