Barely a decade ago, Korean matcha lived quietly in its ceremonial bowl. Today, it is everywhere: in biscuits, brownies, granolas, chocolates, and pretzels. Understanding how a beverage became a universal ingredient means understanding something essential about contemporary Korean cuisine.

Originally, matcha (말차, malcha in Korean) is a stone-ground green tea leaf powder, whisked into hot water using a bamboo chasen. A thousand-year-old ritual, a sacred beverage, an austere practice reserved for enlightened connoisseurs. In Korea, as in Japan, matcha was first and foremost an art of living, not a food flavoring.

Then something changed. Not all at once, but gradually, as Korean gastronomy modernized and Korean consumers developed a strong appetite for products that tell a story—of terroir, tradition, and identity. Matcha checked every single box. It also possessed something extra: a flavor profile both familiar and intriguing, sweet yet bitter, vegetal yet umami, which chefs and confectioners took years to fully tame.

Korea found its definitive matcha in Jeju. The southern volcanic island, with its mineral-rich soil and mild subtropical climate, has been producing a green tea since the 1970s that stands out for its natural sweetness. It was OSULLOC—the house founded in Jeju in 1979—that popularized this matcha to the general public, first as a drink, then as a baking ingredient, and finally as the signature flavor of an entire range of delicacies.

OSULLOC, the pioneer that changed everything

OSULLOC understood before anyone else that a high-quality matcha could become a taste marker, both literally and figuratively. When the brand began translating its Jeju tea into wafers, chocolates, langues de chat, and biscotti, it wasn't simply looking to expand its product line. It was out to prove that matcha was complex enough to adapt to any texture and any form.

The result goes far beyond a stylistic exercise. The OSULLOC Green Tea Wafers are crispy and light, with a clean, sharp green tea taste that doesn't try too hard to please. The OSULLOC Matcha Biscotti Chips boast an aromatic intensity that surprises with every bite. The Jeju Green Tea Chocolate Bar reveals its complexity in the mid and late palate, never at first touch—a rare elegance.

What is truly remarkable about the OSULLOC approach is its consistency. Their green tea spread shares the exact same flavor DNA as the wafer and the langue de chat. Matcha is never treated as an added artificial aroma; it is a central ingredient that structures the entire product. This integrity is what sets authentic Korean fine foods apart from imitations.

The Wave Expands: The New Entrants

Following in the footsteps of OSULLOC, the entire Korean confectionery industry embraced matcha. Not out of mere mimicry, but because the demand was real—and because each brand sought its own unique way to interpret this demanding ingredient.

Orion, with its **Market-O** range, chose the brownie. This was no trivial decision: the brownie is a Western format that Korea has completely reappropriated. The Market-O Jeju Matcha Brownie is not an American brownie with matcha; it is a distinctly Korean brownie—fudgier, less oily, with a generous enough proportion of matcha to ensure a vibrant green hue and an instantly identifiable taste. Twelve individual portions, each perfectly balanced. It illustrates better than most products the ability of Korean confectionery to take a foreign staple and transform it into something uniquely its own.

Lotte Wellfood, on the other hand, chose to matcha-ify its own classics. The Castard Cake Matcha & Strawberry—released in 2026—takes one of Korea's most beloved pastries of the last few decades and elevates it: more filling, a rich matcha cream, and premium Seolhyang strawberry jam. The result is a sophisticated little pastry that shares little with the original Castard other than its shape. The Binz Premier Matcha biscuits follow the same logic—a chocolate-coated biscuit wafer known to everyone in Korea for thirty years, masterfully reinterpreted with a matcha selected for its flawless balance.

Matcha Breaks Free: Snacks and Breakfast

The matcha wave didn't stop at biscuits and cakes. It crossed over into the snack aisle, and that is where **HBAF** made the most noise.

HBAF (pronounced "baff") is the innovative Korean brand that invented the premium flavored almond concept. Honey butter, wasabi, garlic, black pepper—each flavor is a masterclass in taste precision. Their Jeju Matcha Almonds work on the exact same principle: a perfectly roasted almond, a sweet glaze infused with Boseong green tea, and a dusting of pure Jeju matcha powder on top. The vegetal bitterness layered over the sweet, nutty base creates a sensory contrast that makes the snack utterly addictive. The brand is now exported to over 30 countries, and matcha has played a huge role in that success.

Even more surprising: the artisan brand **Lukt** has introduced matcha into the world of breakfast granola. Their Granola Matcha Yuzu Soboro is an original creation pairing the bitterness of Korean matcha with the bright, citrusy freshness of yuzu, all brought together by a buttery, oven-baked soboro crumble over an oat and almond base. It is technically a breakfast granola, but it doubles as a standalone gastronomic object, illustrating just how far matcha can evolve when placed in the right hands.

What this matcha wave ultimately reveals is something beautifully simple: Koreans love flavors with character. Bitterness is never viewed as a flaw to be masked, but rather as a quality to be highlighted. Matcha—with its deep vegetal undertone, discreet umami, and subtle astringency—aligns perfectly with this Korean appreciation for nuance. It integrates seamlessly into everything precisely because it never completely fades away.

The wave shows no signs of slowing down. Every season brings new arrivals, new interpretations, and new brands eager to leave their mark. What continues to shift is the level of excellence demanded—and that is exactly what guides our curations at Maison Boseong.