Inkampani yetiye iMarukyu Koyamaen ithi igama letiye layo elidumile elifakwe emathinini amnyama likopishwe kulesi siphuzo. (Izindaba ze-ABC: James Orton)
Uma uqala ukuyibona, le matcha ibukeka ingokoqobo, inegama lomkhiqizo le-Isuzu elidumile kanye nezinye izici zomkhiqizo.
Impuphu yetiye eliluhlaza laseJapan ithandwa kakhulu kangangokuthi umenzi ohlonishwayo uMarukyu Koyamaen ukhawulela inani lokuthenga ngekhasimende ngalinye ukuze avimbele ukuqongelela.
Kodwa uMatsutsugu Nonomura, owayephethe ukuthengiswa kwenkampani kwamanye amazwe, wayazi ukuthi ithini letiye le-Isuzu matcha ayeliphethe lalingelona iqiniso.
I-Matcha latte ithola ukuthandwa ngenxa yesithombe sayo esikhangayo ezinkundleni zokuxhumana. (Wikimedia: Irvan Ary Maulana)
I-Matcha isithandwa kakhulu eminyakeni yamuva nje, futhi abalimi baseJapan babhekene nobunzima bokuhlangabezana nesidingo esikhulayo.
Izihlahla zetiye zithatha iminyaka emihlanu ukukhula, futhi inqubo yokukhiqiza impuphu yetiye iyinkimbinkimbi kakhulu. Ukuze kwandiswe okuqukethwe yi-chlorophyll kanye ne-amino acid, abalimi kumele bafake umthunzi ezihlahleni zetiye cishe amasonto amathathu ngaphambi kokuvuna.
Ngemva kokuvuna, amaqabunga ayaphekwa ngomusi imizuzwana eyi-10, omiswe emoyeni, bese egaywa kusetshenziswa umshini wokugaya amatshe wendabuko, okhiqiza amagremu angu-40 kuphela ngehora.
Ukulebula itiye le-Matcha akulawuleki kakhulu, futhi abanye abakhiqizi baseJapan besaba ukuthi abakhiqizi baseShayina abangathembekile basebenzisa ithuba lokukhula kwesidingo sokuthengisa imikhiqizo yetiye esezingeni eliphansi ngaphansi kwelebula elithi “Japanese matcha”.
Nakuba noma ubani engenza i-matcha, abakhiqizi bathi amanye amalebula noma amaphakheji e-matcha abawabona kwamanye amazwe akopisha imikhiqizo eyaziwayo yaseJapan noma bathi itiye livela ezifundeni zaseJapan.
Njengezinhlobo eziningi zetiye, i-matcha yenziwe ngesitshalo esifanayo—isihlahla setiye (i-Camellia sinensis)—kodwa indlela ecutshungulwa ngayo ihluke kakhulu. (Izindaba ze-ABC: James Orton)
Muva nje lesi siphuzo sesithandwa kakhulu ezinkundleni zokuxhumana, lapho abathengi besincoma ngezinzuzo zaso zezempilo, ukunambitheka okucebile kwe-umami, kanye ne-caffeine ethambile kunekhofi evamile.
I-Matcha uhlobo olukhethekile lwetiye eliluhlaza oluvela eJapane futhi lunomlando osukela eminyakeni okungenani engu-400. (Izindaba ze-ABC: James Orton)
Lesi sithako sesivamile emakhefini emhlabeni wonke, sivela kuma-latte, amakhekhe, kanye ne-ayisikhilimu, kodwa akusikho okokuqala isidingo saso sikhula.
Ukuntuleka kokuqala kwe-matcha kwenzeka ngawo-1990, lapho umenzi we-ayisikhilimu uHäagen-Dazs ethula i-ayisikhilimu enongiwe ngetiye eliluhlaza eJapane.
“Ngizizwa nganeliseke kakhulu ukubona ukuthi isiko laseJapan, noma la masiko omlando ahlala isikhathi eside, ayaqashelwa abantu emhlabeni wonke,” kusho yena.
Ngonyaka odlule, ngenxa yokwanda kwezokuxhumana, ukuthunyelwa kwetiye eliluhlaza eJapan kukhule ngo-25% unyaka nonyaka, kwafinyelela ezingeni eliphezulu kakhulu.
Kulo nyaka, lawo marekhodi aphinde aphulwa: ukuthengiswa komdlalo kusukela ngoJanuwari kuya kuSepthemba kudlule inani lokuthengiswa kwango-2024 wonke.
UMnu. Yamamoto uthe: “Siyazisola kakhulu ngokuthi asikwazi ukuhlangabezana nezidingo zabantu emhlabeni jikelele.”
Kunokukhathazeka ngokuthi ukwanda kokukhiqizwa kwe-matcha kuzothinta ukutholakala kwezinye izinhlobo zetiye eliluhlaza ezisathandwa ngabathengi baseJapan.
E-Uji, enye yezindawo zetiye ezidumile kakhulu eJapane, imigqa emide yezivakashi ihlala ihlangana ngaphandle kwezitolo ze-matcha, futhi itiye eliseshalofini lithengiswa lingakapheli amahora amaningi livuliwe.
Ukuthenga ngqo kumkhiqizi kuseyindlela ethembekile, kodwa uMnu. Nomura ukhathazekile ngokwanda kwabasabalalisi be-inthanethi abangathembekile.
Ezinye izinhlobo ze-matcha zaseShayina ezithengiswa emakethe zilingisa amagama kanye nokupakishwa kwemikhiqizo eyaziwayo yaseJapan, kanti ezinye zithi zikhiqizwa ezindaweni zetiye zaseJapan njenge-Uji.
Uthe: “Uma abathengi bethenga umkhiqizo becabanga ukuthi yi-Uji matcha kodwa bathole ukuthi awumnandi njengoba bebelindele, cishe bazoyeka ukuwuthenga.”
"Ithemba lokuthi imikhiqizo enjalo mbumbulu izosabalala hhayi eShayina kuphela kodwa nasemhlabeni wonke lingabangela umonakalo omkhulu emakethe."
Iziphathimandla zezolimo zaseJapan zithi njengoba ukuthandwa kwe-matcha kukhule, nenani lemikhiqizo mbumbulu liye landa, kodwa azikwazanga ukunikeza izibalo ezithile.
UMnyango Wezolimo, Amahlathi kanye Nezokudoba waseJapan ukhuthaza ngenkuthalo ukubhaliswa kwezimpawu zokuhweba ezinjalo phesheya kwezilwandle futhi ukholelwa ukuthi ube nempumelelo ethile ekunxenxeni iShayina ukuthi ilwe nemikhiqizo edukisayo.
I-Matcha yenziwa ngokugaya amaqabunga etiye omisiwe aluhlaza, ngemva kokususa imithambo, abe yimpuphu ecolekile. (Izindaba ze-ABC: James Orton)
“Siyazi ukuthi, isibonelo, izinkampani zaseShayina ezingahlobene ne-Uji zifake isicelo sokubhalisa uphawu lokuhweba lwe-'Uji Matcha' eShayina,” kusho uTomoyuki Kawai womnyango wetiye wesifundazwe.
Ukwanda okusheshayo kokuthandwa kwe-matcha kuholele ekushodeni komhlaba wonke kwale mpuphu yetiye esezingeni eliphezulu. (Izindaba ze-ABC: James Orton)
Ubudlelwano phakathi kweChina neJapan bungene embuthanweni omubi ngemuva kokuba uNdunankulu waseJapan uSanae Takaichi eveze ukuthi kungenzeka ukuthi iJapan ingenele empini yaseTaiwan.
I-ABC ixhumane ne-National Intellectual Property Administration yaseShayina kodwa ayizange ithole impendulo.
Le nsizakalo ingaqukatha okuqukethwe okuvela ku-AFP, APTN, Reuters, AAP, CNN kanye ne-BBC World Service okuvikelwe yi-copyright futhi akumele kukhiqizwe kabusha.
Siyaqaphela ukuthi ama-Aboriginal ase-Australia kanye nabantu baseTorres Strait Islander babeyizakhamuzi zokuqala zase-Australia kanye nabagcini bendabuko bomhlaba esihlala kuwo, esifunda kuwo futhi esisebenza kuwo.
Isikhathi sokuthunyelwe: Disemba 17-2025