The End of an Era for Mr. Sakamoto’s Gyokuro

Dear Tea Community,

This is one of the hardest announcements we’ve ever had to make at Nio Teas. Due to new import tariffs that are severely impacting our ability to serve customers in the USA and beyond, combined with rising global demand for Japanese green tea, we are now facing not only a matcha shortage but also a Gyokuro shortage.

We ask you to stay with us through this announcement, because at the end we’ll share how you can get the chance to secure Mr. Sakamoto’s upcoming teas before anyone else.

Mr. Sakamoto, the legendary farmer behind some of Japan’s most celebrated Gyokuro teas, has made the difficult decision to end production of several of his iconic teas:

Gyokuro Cha Musume
Gyokuro Sasa Hime
Gyokuro Cha Meijin
Gyokuro Wakamusha
Gyokuro Kukicha

Once our current stock is gone, these teas will never return. This truly marks the end of an era in Japanese tea.

Why This Change?

Mr. Sakamoto is converting 40% of his tea fields to Tencha (the base leaf for matcha) in order to adapt to today’s market realities. With the world’s skyrocketing demand for matcha, and tariffs reshaping how Japanese teas can reach international customers, this transition became inevitable.

But make no mistake, this decision wasn’t taken lightly. Mr. Sakamoto dedicated his life to perfecting Gyokuro, and his teas have brought joy, calm, and umami-rich moments to thousands of tea drinkers worldwide.

A Personal Message from Us

Will recorded a video to explain the Gyokuro shortage in more detail, sharing what this moment means for us, for our farmers, and for the future of Japanese tea.

The Future: 3 New Gyokuro & 2 Matcha Creations

While it is heartbreaking to see some of Mr. Sakamoto’s classics disappear, he isn’t stopping his innovation. He will release three brand-new Gyokuro and two matcha teas — but access will be extremely limited.

New Gyokuro

Gyokuro Kiwami Sakamoto
Gyokuro Sou Sakamoto
Gyokuro Zen Sakamoto

New Matcha

Matcha Kiwami Sakamoto
Matcha Zen Sakamoto

As these will be produced in extremely limited quantities, we’ll only be offering them to our most loyal customers and a small number of new participants in an exclusive sale.

Information About This Exclusive Sale

How It Works:

To participate, you must register using the form at the bottom of this page to get exclusive access by email. Existing customers will have a higher chance of being selected, but not 100% guaranteed. To remain fair, we’ll also invite a handful of new tea lovers.
Once the new products are available (see release date below), we’ll email you a private link to the sale. If you’re lucky, you’ll be among the first to access Mr. Sakamoto’s new teas.
Please note: we cannot guarantee stock for everyone. Past releases have sold out within the hour — sometimes within minutes. We expect this one to move even faster.
We strongly recommend adding the exact release date and time to your calendar with reminders, so you don’t miss out.

Release date & time (NY time): 27th of September 6p.m

At Nio Teas, transparency and authenticity are at the heart of everything we do. We want you to not only enjoy these teas but also understand the challenges, the history, and the resilience behind every cup.

Thank you for supporting Mr. Sakamoto, our farmers, and our mission to bring the best Japanese teas to the world.

With gratitude,

The Nio Teas Team