The matcha trend isn’t going anywhere, anytime soon — it only gets better.
French chocolate house Valrhona is launching Matcha Inspiration globally in 2026, its newest couverture chocolate created in collaboration with L’École Valrhona Tokyo. Made for professionals, the new product blends cutting-edge technique with premium Japanese matcha, reimagining how matcha green tea is used in modern desserts.
Sourced from first-harvest leaves from Kagoshima, the matcha delivers a naturally vibrant green color, gentle sweetness, and layered umami. Known for its volcanic soil, the region produces some of Japan’s most celebrated green tea — making it the perfect choice for Valrhona’s latest innovation.
Joining Valrhona’s five existing Inspiration couvertures, Matcha Inspiration combines dehydrated fresh fruits and first-class matcha green teas with cocoa butter, delivering a bold aroma, brilliant color, and intense flavor — without any additives. The result is a couverture that preserves matcha’s delicate aroma and bright hue, while solving challenges such as bitterness, inconsistency, and oxidation.
With its refined 15-micron texture and plant-based formula, the couverture is designed for versatility. It pairs beautifully with flavors like coconut, gianduja, rice pudding, strawberry, black sesame, kinako, and red bean paste, and works seamlessly in bonbons, pastries, plated desserts, and confections. The Matcha Inspiration is also free from dairy, allowing chefs to create more modern menus.
To mark its launch, Valrhona is distributing Matcha Inspiration Discovery Boxes to top chefs across Australia, Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, and Thailand, featuring curated recipes such as the Tokyo Matcha Bar developed by L’École Valrhona Tokyo, which highlights matcha’s versatility and creative potential.
Valrhona’s Matcha Inspiration is more than just a product launch, but a reflection of the brand’s commitment to craftsmanship and experimentation. By turning ceremonial-grade matcha into rich couverture, Valrhona is opening new creative pathways for pastry chefs worldwide — one where Japanese tradition meets Valrhona technology, and flavor meets feeling.
For more information, visit the Valrhona website and follow their Instagram page.
