Press kit —
Matcha · Myths & Realities.
Everything you need to cover the book: press release, full press kit, high-resolution images, quotable excerpts, and a direct line to the author. The English edition is out now on Amazon.
01 · The book
An investigation into what matcha has become.
Global demand for matcha now exceeds what Japan can actually produce. Writing from Fukuoka, Jimmy Braun examines how this green powder became, in ten years, one of the most misread ingredients in the world. First published in French in April 2026, the book is now available in English: Matcha · Myths & Realities — 101 Questions to Sort Fact from Fiction.
Lattes, ice creams, cosmetics, cookies, brands borrowing the word as a shorthand for desirability: since 2015, matcha has spread everywhere, and with it a structural confusion between ceremonial matcha, culinary matcha, and plain green tea powder. Industry estimates suggest the volume sold worldwide under the name "matcha" now far exceeds actual Japanese production. The gap is filled by substitutes whose origin and process sometimes have little in common with the original product.
"Matcha deserves better than slogans. It deserves to be understood — as a plant, as a technique, and as a culture. This book doesn't sell matcha. It explains it."
101 questions, 12 chapters, verifiable sources. Every entry follows the same protocol: myth, reality, explanation, key takeaway. Three reading paths are offered depending on the reader's level: newcomer, practitioner, connoisseur.
02 · Quick downloads
The essentials.
Two main documents to prepare your story, plus a complete pack to grab everything at once.
03 · Story angles
Five angles for the press.
Any of these can serve as an entry point for an article, an interview, or a broadcast segment. Sources and additional data available on request.
The structural gap between production and demand.
Japan tripled its tencha production in thirteen years, and it still wasn't enough. Global demand grew faster. More than half of production now goes to export, and the price of seasonal tencha crossed the 10,000 yen per kilo mark in 2026, up 15.8% in a single year.
No protected designation anywhere in the world.
Unlike champagne or parmesan, the word "matcha" describes a technique, not an origin. No international legal framework protects the name, which means any green powder can be sold under it.
What the science says — and what it doesn't.
The cult figure "137 times more antioxidants" comes from a single American study comparing matcha to one specific Starbucks tea. The book goes back to what research actually establishes: the chemical specificity of catechins, their bioavailability, and how EGCG modulates cellular pathways.
A matcha latte is not matcha.
Milk proteins, including caseins, bind to catechins and reduce their bioavailability. Most matcha lattes served in Western cafés also use sweetened industrial powders whose concentrations of active compounds are far below those of a bowl of matcha.
Written from Japan, not from a marketing desk.
Plenty has been written about matcha in English, most of it from outside Japan and much of it recycled. Jimmy Braun writes from Fukuoka, after more than fifteen years of practice, having visited the producing regions and talked with the growers. The book began as the first documented French-language investigation on the subject; this is its English edition.
04 · Quotes · Free to reprint
Selected lines from the book.
Quotable without prior permission. Required credit: Jimmy Braun, Matcha · Myths & Realities, 2026.
"Matcha is defined not by what it is, but by what we do: grinding, shading, whisking, passing it on. It is this gesture, repeated for nine centuries, that made it a philosophy before it ever became a market."
"Without shading, there is no matcha. The color, the umami, and the sweetness are born of the deprivation of light."
"Thirty grams per hour from a stone mill. One hour of grinding for a standard tin. Good matcha cannot be rushed."
"The label 'ceremonial grade' is defined by no regulation anywhere. Anyone can print it."
"Reducing matcha to its technique of origin is like confusing the tool with the work. A product's identity is more than its birthplace."
05 · The author
Jimmy Braun.
Based in Fukuoka for nearly ten years, Jimmy Braun is an author, art director, and publisher. He works at the crossroads of French and Japanese cultures and has been exploring matcha for more than fifteen years, between research, daily practice, and fieldwork.
His approach combines observation, documentary research, and editorial rigor. His first book was published by Ideo / Hachette in 2019. In 2025 he released MAJO, a tasting journal designed as a quiet companion to the practice.
With Matcha · Myths & Realities, first published in April 2026 and released in English in July 2026, he delivers his most documented work: 280 pages, 101 questions, twelve chapters. A slow investigation, written from the field.
- 2026 Matcha · Myths & Realities nonfiction · 280 pages · French & English editions
- 2025 MAJO — Tasting Journal guide · 120 pages
- 2019 Chacun son régime ! Ideo / City éd. / dist. Hachette · guide · 272 pages
Interviews in English and French, by video call from Japan. Time zone JST (UTC+9). Replies within 48 hours.
06 · Available images
Image preview.
Book cover, author portraits, Instagram contact sheet. All available for download in high resolution in the section below.
07 · All files
All downloads.
Complete list of available files, to download individually or via the ZIP archive in the Quick downloads section.
- PDF Full press kit ↓ Download
- PDF Short press release ↓ Download
- PNG Book cover · high resolution ↓ Download
- PNG Back cover · high resolution ↓ Download
- PNG Author portrait · black & white · print ↓ Download
- PNG Author portrait · color · web ↓ Download
- PNG Instagram contact sheet ↓ Download
- ZIP Complete press pack ↓ Download
For anything this page doesn't cover — extra images, interior spreads, figures, scientific sources, English review copies — contact the author directly.
08 · Press contact
A question, an interview, an angle?
The author personally answers every press inquiry, in English or French. Available by video call from Fukuoka, Japan.
For urgent requests (live radio, TV), use the phone or put "URGENT" in the email subject line.
JST · UTC+9
jimmybraun.org/matcha-book
jimmybraun.org
jimmybraun.org/matcha · cited studies
Press kit — version française
Press kit updated July 2026 · All files are free to use for editorial coverage of the book.
Consulter ce press kit en français →