Samuel Hawley is the author of “The Imjin War” and the novel “Daikon.”

The next time you order a matcha in one of its many forms now so wildly popular — a matcha latte with white chocolate syrup, for example — take a moment to remember the Zen master who started it all, and the warlord and conqueror who ordered him to cut open his belly. And then make sure to really enjoy it, because supplies of matcha might just be running out.

Not a matcha aficionado? It’s powdered green tea, grown mainly in central Japan. When tender new leaves start to emerge on the tea plants, they are shaded to protect them from direct sunlight. This boosts the chlorophyll in the leaves as they grow, giving them their bright green color, and raises their levels of the amino acid L-theanine, known for its calming ef

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