why are you called "n2 matcha"?

n2 refers to the nitrogen gas that is used to flush the bags of my core matcha and hojicha products

this is a safe and inert gas that prevents the matcha and hojicha from oxidising; foil bags also help to prevent any oxygen and light from degrading the product

not all my products will have this as it is not always necessary (e.g. if the tea is already processed to be deliberately oxidised), but the mainstay products will be 😌

 

why do you list your products as competition/imperial/heritage/signature/premium grades rather than ceremonial grade?

i've taken an 🍵 untraditional approach 🍵 to my grading system, influenced by both chinese and japanese tea grading systems

japanese tea manufacturers consider "ceremonial grade" matcha to be more suited for tea ceremonies where the matcha can be enjoyed in its pure form (rather than lose its nuances and flavours in food and desserts, etc.)

however, this is an unregulated/unofficial term that has been overused in western marketing

the matcha i sell is considered to be ceremonial quality in its truest sense, rather than the falsely marketed "ceremonial grade" products that most western brands slap on their literally low quality third or fourth rate (3rd and 4th harvest), poorly stored, old matcha

i don't like to advertise my products as ceremonial grade for that reason, as it actually downplays the quality of my products

i have no time nor interest in selling low quality products 🌈

 

why don't you sell organic matcha and hojicha?

“organic” teas are almost always inferior to their counterparts without the organic certification

manufacturers that make legitimately high-quality matcha don’t need expensive organic certification to sell their products

organically certified teas are often done because those manufacturers may require some marketing advantage (especially in the western world) to help sell an inferior product at a higher price

i'd only sell an organic product if it were actually good and met my standards. if this were the case, i still wouldn't really bother advertising it as organic; you either trust my palate or don't 🤷🏻

 

what if i don't have a matcha whisk (chasen) and bowl (chawan)?

i really don't like expensive equipment getting in the way of enjoying a fantastic product

 a $3 electric milk frother is honestly excellent and will get you most of the way there

i use this at work and don't even sift my matcha/hojicha because you don't really need to if you have a good quality product and are flexible with adaptive techniques

watch my tutorial on the recipes page

 

do you have any discounts?

take your pick:

1. shit tea which saves you an extraordinary $0.20 per serving

or

2. a damn good cup of tea on the worst day of your life (even if you brew it incorrectly)

 

where does the money go?

into the quality of the products i offer. i keep my packaging simple for that reason, too (the default manufacturer's packaging is optimised for freshness/nitrogen-gas flushing and just works ...)

i trust my palate and try many different types of tea, only selecting the best ones that have the best quality for the cost and those that i personally enjoy

i have the tea processed to order and air freight it into the country within the following week (or two if it's super slow through customs)

why settle for extremely slow sea shipments with no temperature control that will degrade the products?

if other companies can constantly offer promotions such as "buy 2 get 1 free", 10-20% discounts straight off the bat, or have other similar, heavy discounts, what does it really tell you about the quality of their products?

if they are still thriving with those discounts, perhaps it goes to show how much profit they are trying to get out of their customers?

my focus is on providing the best tea in new zealand for high-quality people and businesses that understand high-quality tea, rather than appealing to those who don't

n2 matcha is just a small part of my overall food and drink hobby to give back to the community through food and drink

 

why are you so (over)confident with your products?

it’s part of the unhinged persona, but also i have a really in-depth food and drink hobby spanning the last 8-10 years and i'd like to (falsely 😂) think i have a bit of knowledge and high standards when it comes to certain aspects of east asian cuisine

i trust my palate and constantly strive to improve my japanese/korean/chinese tasting menu/fine dining-style home cooking, which i'd like to think is reflected in the quality of my products

try any of my signature grade (or above) matcha and hojicha and tell me if you think another new zealand brand is better, especially for the price

p.s. you can't

 

also i'm busy working too much overtime saving lives at the hospital and don't have time for low quality products 😂

for this reason, i apologise in advance if the shipment takes an extra day or two longer than expected; i do a lot of overtime and on-call work

 

i have an issue with my order

i value time, loyalty, and honesty, and i expect this to go both ways

if you come across any issues let me know via ig @n2matcha or email hello@n2matcha.com and i'll sort it out if i've messed up 😊

 

why does your packaging look so basic?

i print off every label and stick them on by myself since i don't order enough to justify paying way too much for custom bags and labels

sometimes they might be wonky, especially if i'm in a rush from being called into work to save lives lol

be thankful that i don't use ugly colours at least 😂😂😂

 

why can't my resealable bag seal?

occasionally (during air shipment to me or the courier from me to you), i believe the odd bag or two might happen to be squeezed by the weight of other things. this probably forces the inner zip lock seal to open and the powder gets trapped in the sealing mechanism, meaning it physically can't reseal properly

in this case, just use a toothpick or something to clear away the excess powder and it will seal again just fine

i usually offer these bags on discount or as a freebie if it happens during the air transit to me, but apologies if it happens during the courier delivery to you!

 

why are your emails opt-in only?

why would i want to reward people that aren't genuinely interested in what i'm doing or offering?

 

why don't you pay for any marketing?

lol i'm going to try to become nz's number one unhinged tea dealer ⭐️ without paying a cent for ads ⭐️

 

do you sponsor or partner with any influen-

no

 

but i saw your teas on ________'s post!

they might have ordered it or were gifted it and probably just posted about my products because they 🌈 genuinely like them 😏

why would i want to pay money or give away my products for free in exchange for fake reviews? i'm already 🆘 deep in the red 🆘

 

what makes you better than your competition?

what competition? i'm in a completely different league (namely referring to my ego) 😂