STiR coffee and tea magazine

22 STiR coffee and tea | 2026 Quarter 1 Spring (Mar/Apr/May) In response to the world's insatiable demand for matcha, Eva Lee now produces Hawaii-grown green tea powders using a ball mill grinder. Photo credit: Tea Hawaii & Co One of Mauna Kea Tea's fields on the Big Island of Hawaii. Photo credit: Dorian Karahalios both the inner and outer layers are filled with biomass, the inner layer is sealed to create the ideal environment for biochar production, and the outer layer serves as the fuel for the process. At recommended dosages, biochar can correct acidic soil, promote mi- crobial activity, and improve moisture and nutrient retention, lasting up to 10 years before reapplication. "I tell people I think about it as a conditioner for the soil," he says. Another of Ahmad's studies found that the addition of biochar into the early stages of composting, just 5% by volume, could shorten the 3-5 month composting process by as much as 16 days. Ahmad says that research into other locally sourced inputs is ongoing, ranging from using washed, dried, and powdered invasive seaweeds as soil amendments (within the same watershed to control their spread) to generat- ing compost from food waste in Hawaii's tourism industry. Local growers are also focusing on tissue culture to produce disease-free propagation in various crops. Lee of Tea Hawaii & Co. also sees sourcing inputs locally as important to the future growth of Hawaii's tea industry, noting that new growers are look- ing to alternative, more integrated methods from conventional input-based agriculture. "Young farmers these days understand the costs of conventional farming inputs," she says. "They incorporate their own amendments that are integrated into their growing system." Lessons From the Matcha Motherland In the fall of 2019, Lee visited a fourth-generation tea farm in Japan. There she found growers mechanically harvesting parts of the tea plant that might have ended up in her compost pile back home. This was an "aha" moment for Lee. "It was a huge pivot," she exclaims. While autumn harvests are not considered ideal, Lee was amazed by the flavor of the matcha from a suppos- edly lesser-quality harvest. "Winemakers have their various grades. They know what is affordable for their production, and they also have their collector's items, their reserve labels." Lee saw this as an area Hawaii-grown teas could focus on, especially in creating entry-level teas for new consumers. "When I came home, the mes- sage to a lot of our fellow growers was to consider, if the numbers work out, not composting some of the material that would be considered just prunings or clippings." Currently, Tea Hawaii & Co. offers various tea powders utilizing this philosophy, and with the future addition of a steaming machine, Lee's facilities will also be able to support the produc- tion of matcha. Lee says that due to global demand for matcha, buyers for the steaming machines are facing wait times of 12-18 months. "We're also looking into new projects, smaller types of steam- ing mechanisms that may be more conducive for Hawaii's level of production, as well as seeing if we can get it manufactured in the US." What the Future Holds The potential for Hawaii-grown teas is high, but Lee believes its growth, as well as for US-grown tea in general, will primarily come from the supply side of the industry. Entry-level tea, what growers might consider second-grade, suitable for boxes of tea bags destined for grocery store shelves, will provide the gateway to grow the domestic audi- ence and make tea culture more accessible to the consumer. "If tea agriculture were scaled up more," Lee says, "whether it be in Hawaii or throughout the US, cultural engagement would follow." For Ha- waii tea to meet its potential, Lee says growers need to help it land "somewhere between com- modity and specialty so that it's more accessible to the consumer and more commercially viable for the livelihood of the grower."

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