Monthly Delivery Service

Updated June 16, 2025

Notice: Temporary / Indefinite Suspension of Monthly Delivery Service

We regret to announce that we are suspending our monthly delivery subscription service once again.

The first time we paused subscriptions was during the COVID-19 pandemic, when international shipping became unpredictable and highly delayed. While we were eventually able to resume, several new challenges have recently emerged that now make continuing the service unfeasible:

• Unstable and Uneven Shipping Costs: Since the pandemic, international shipping rates have become increasingly erratic. The cost to ship to the USA is not only significantly higher than before — it now stands out as disproportionately more expensive than almost any other country we ship to. This makes it especially difficult to set standardized subscription pricing across regions.
• Frequent Postal Disruptions: Canada Post has experienced repeated strikes, leading to unreliable delivery times and returned packages. This makes it nearly impossible to guarantee regular monthly deliveries to Canadian customers.
• Matcha-Driven Market Instability: A serious matcha shortage is currently affecting tea production in Japan, and we do not expect the situation to resolve soon. As growers shift away from traditional green tea cultivation to focus on matcha leaf production, other types of green tea are becoming more expensive or, in some cases, completely unavailable. Prices are fluctuating widely — but mostly upward — making it difficult to maintain a fair and consistent subscription model.

Due to these combined factors, we are unable to maintain the quality, consistency, and fairness that we believe our subscription customers deserve. Rather than risk disappointment or confusion, we have made the difficult decision to pause all monthly tea subscriptions for the time being.

We deeply appreciate your understanding and continued support.

— The O-Cha Team