MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 5, 2025--
TheOther, a premium matcha brand sourcing ceremonial-grade, first harvest matcha from Uji, Japan, today announced its flagship Master’s Blend is now available at TheOther.com.Master’s Blend retails for $42.99 for 25 grams (12 servings) and $84.99 for 80 grams (40 servings), offering a smooth, umami-forward matcha blend that boasts a superior amino acid profile, rich in L-theanine and a balanced flavor profile to help you through the day.
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“At TheOther, our mission is to redefine a daily ritual while introducing a high-quality product to the American consumer,” said Michael Lillelund, Co-Founder and President of TheOther. “Matcha has long been celebrated for its clarity, focus, and wellness benefits. With Master’s Blend, we’re launching a product that delivers exceptional taste, and an everyday ritual that feels luxurious, without sacrificing on integrity or transparency or craftsmanship.”
INTRODUCING MASTER’S BLEND
Created in partnership with a fifth generation master tea blender from Uji, the Master’s Blend brings together first-harvest leaves selected for their vibrant color, rich amino acid profile, and natural balance of umami and sweetness with exceptionally low bitterness.
“During our visits to Uji, we set out to create a matcha blend that truly meets people where they are whether they’re just beginning their matcha journey or have been committed to the craft for years,” said Harish Koneru, Co-Founder and CEO of TheOther. “Our goal was to develop a blend rich in umami, expertly balanced, and endlessly enjoyable, so that as your appreciation for matcha evolves, it continues to meet your needs.”
TheOther was built on a simple philosophy: no cutting corners, ever. The brand reflects a fusion of Japanese heritage and Scandinavian-inspired simplicity, expressed through clean design, refined sourcing, and a modern approach to wellness. The Master’s Blend represents the pinnacle of this sourcing, offering a smooth, full-bodied ceremonial matcha designed for both traditional preparation and contemporary drinking rituals, while reflecting the brand’s commitment to craftsmanship.
Guided by a tone of cool, quiet confidence and minimalist clarity, TheOther speaks to a discerning audience of health-conscious professionals, creatives, and design-minded individuals who value craftsmanship, mental clarity, and intentional living. The brand’s visual language and product design reflect a fusion of Japanese craftsmanship and Scandinavian-inspired simplicity, emphasizing mindful details and a holistic, sunrise-to-sunset lifestyle.
A FOUNDING TEAM LIKE NO OTHER
Behind the brand is an intergenerational leadership duo shaping the future of lifestyle-driven wellness. Headquartered in Miami with team members also based in Dubai and Italy, TheOther is building an international presence that blends fashion, wellness, and lifestyle. The brand is developing one of Miami’s only matcha-first flagship cafés in early 2026, designed as a calm, design-forward space where consumers can experience TheOther’s matcha through contemporary menu creations developed in close collaboration with esteemed Japanese chefs.
Michael Lillelund is a tastemaker at the intersection of fashion, luxury and wellness. From co-founding 42°RAW, one of Europe’s first plant-based café concepts, to investing early in 818 Tequila, now one of America’s fastest-growing spirits, Michael has a track record of spotting cultural shifts before they happen. As a US partner at Shamballa Jewels and founder of Shamballa Eyewear, he helped position the house as a global name in luxury, while building lasting relationships with icons like Jay-Z, Cavalli, the Kardashians and Valentino. Named a World Economic Forum Global Shaper at just 26, Michael continues to bring a bold, culture-driven vision to every venture he touches.
Harish Koneru leads his family office, where he oversees strategic investments and real estate development with a forward-thinking, global approach. Earlier in his career, he worked with the Techstars Space Accelerator in partnership with Jet Propulsion Laboratory where he supported ten startups in refining their financial projections and fundraising strategies. His family office later acquired Renoon, a pioneering sustainable fashion tech company. There, Harish retooled the product to strengthen its scalability and drive innovation. Shortly after this he began development on a 500+ home real estate project in Texas. His track record demonstrates an ability to turn vision into execution.
ABOUT THEOTHER
TheOther is a premium matcha brand offering ceremonial-grade first harvest matcha, sourced directly from Uji, Japan. With a mission to bring a new, no-nonsense approach to matcha, TheOther blends deep Japanese tea tradition with modern sensibilities, delivering matcha “like no other” through e-commerce and soon at its Miami flagship cafe. TheOther is now available online at TheOther.com, with a Miami café opening in early 2026.
TheOther Introduces Master’s Blend: A New Ceremonial-Grade Matcha to Redefine Your Daily Ritual
A federal judge in Florida on Friday ordered the release of grand jury transcripts from the federal sex trafficking cases of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. U.S. District Judge Rodney Smith said the law President Donald Trump recently signed ordering the release of related to the cases overrode a federal rule prohibiting the release of matters before a grand jury.
Meanwhile, a federal vaccine advisory committee voted Friday to end a longstanding recommendation that all U.S. babies get the hepatitis B vaccine on the day they’re born. The shots are widely considered to be a public health success for preventing thousands of liver illnesses. Democrats are pushing for the release of video of the first U.S. military strikes on a boat in the Caribbean that they say shows a war crime or murder. And Trump took center stage at Friday's 2026 World Cup draw.
The Latest:
The clock is ticking for the government to open up its files on Jeffrey Epstein.
After months of rancor and recriminations, Congress passed and Trump signed legislation compelling the Justice Department to give the public everything it has — and it has to happen before Christmas.
On Friday a federal judge took one step toward by giving the DOJ permission to release transcripts of a grand jury investigation into Epstein’s abuse of underage girls in Florida.
While there’s sure to be never-before-seen material in the thousands of pages likely to be released in the transcripts and other Epstein-related records, much has already been made public.
And don’t expect a “client list” of famous men who cavorted with Epstein. Though it has long been rumored, the DOJ said in July that it doesn’t exist.
▶ Read more about what’s expected to be made public, what isn’t, and how we got to this point
The president entered the White House East Room accompanied by his wife, first lady Melania Trump, and the Italian tenor.
Trump said he and Bocelli are friends and he asked about four weeks ago if Bocelli would sing at the White House. Bocelli agreed during a “weak moment,” Trump said.
The private concert at the White House was attended by Republican lawmakers and members of Trump’s Cabinet.
“This is a tremendous honor,” Trump said.
“We’re going to hear a voice, the voice of an angel.”
Bocelli performed earlier Friday at the FIFA World Cup draw at the Kennedy Center.
The man accused of planting a pair of pipe bombs outside the headquarters of the Republican and Democratic national parties on the eve of the U.S. Capitol attack told investigators he was “disappointed” by the outcome in 2020, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said.
Pirro told ABC News Live that she believes it is “unmistakable” that Brian Cole Jr. was responsible for placing the devices based on evidence collected by investigators. Pirro also suggested that Cole may have been motivated by claims from Trump and his allies that the 2020 election was stolen.
“He was disappointed in various aspects of the election, but this guy was an equal opportunity bomber,” Pirro said. “He was disappointed to a great deal in the system. Both sides of the system.”
A judge ordered Cole to remain in jail after his first court appearance. He did not enter a plea.
Defense attorney John Shoreman declined to comment afterward, saying, “We’re in the very, very early stages.”
▶ Read more about the case
The announcement comes after this week’s launch of the operation, which primarily focused on Somali immigrants living unlawfully in the U.S.. Fewer than half those detained are Somali, officials said.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Thursday that the people arrested are six from Mexico, five from Somalia and one from El Salvador.
ICE said in a statement that eight of them had been charged or convicted of crimes including assault, fraud, domestic violence and driving under the influence.
Minneapolis-St. Paul, which has the nation’s largest Somali community, is the latest area targeted by the Trump administration for mass deportations.
Trump recently targeted Somali immigrants in public remarks, calling them “ garbage ” and saying “they contribute nothing.”
The crackdown has drawn intense criticism from local and state officials who have denounced Trump’s rhetoric and pledged to protect the Somali community. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said city police would not participate in federal immigration enforcement.
The Social Security Administration is hoping to cut visits to its field offices in half next year, a move that advocates for the agency fear signals more closures are coming.
Field offices have long been community-based branches that serve as the public face of the SSA, providing in-person help for people who come to apply for retirement or disability benefits, to get Social Security cards or for other important services.
A November internal field office operating plan shared with The Associated Press outlines a proposed target of 50% fewer field office visitors in fiscal year 2026, or no more than 15 million visits. In the previous year, from Oct. 1, 2024, to Sept. 30, 2025, field offices saw more than 31.6 million visits by SSA recipients, according to the document.
▶ Read more about Social Security offices
The Trump administration is bringing back dozens of department staffers, saying their help is needed to tackle a mounting backlog of discrimination complaints from students and families.
The workers had been on administrative leave while the department faced lawsuits challenging layoffs in the agency’s Office for Civil Rights, which investigates possible discrimination in the nation’s schools and colleges. But in a Friday letter, department officials ordered the workers back to duty starting Dec. 15 to help clear civil rights cases.
A department spokesperson confirmed the move, saying the government still hopes to lay them off to shrink the department.
“The Department will continue to appeal the persistent and unceasing litigation disputes concerning the Reductions in Force, but in the meantime, it will utilize all employees currently being compensated by American taxpayers,” Julie Hartman said in a statement.
The Democrat says she and two staffers were pepper-sprayed and pushed by after appearing at an ICE enforcement event in her southern Arizona district.
She said there were “maybe 40 ICE agents, most of them masked in several vehicles” that some residents stopped in protest “because they were afraid they were taking people without due process.”
Grijalva, who was sworn in last month, said in a video posted online that she “was sprayed in the face by a very aggressive agent” and several spoke to her aggressively.
She said she was “pushed around when I literally was not being aggressive. I was asking for clarification, which is my right as a member of Congress.”
In a statement, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin characterized the group gathered in Tucson as a mob. She said two agents were seriously injured during the clash and disputed Grijalva’s account: “Presenting one’s self as a ‘Member of Congress’ doesn’t give you the right to obstruct law enforcement.”
The judge questioned the administration’s authority and need to maintain command of the guard troops, which it first deployed to Los Angeles in June following violent protests.
At a hearing in San Francisco on Friday, U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer suggested conditions in Los Angeles have changed since the deployment, and he questioned whether the administration could control the troops forever.
California officials have asked Breyer to issue a preliminary injunction returning control of the remaining troops in Los Angeles to the state. Breyer did not immediately rule.
Justice Department Attorney Eric Hamilton said the remaining troops in Los Angeles were allowing immigration agents to continue their mission.
▶ Read more about the case
Trump’s advisers and Ukrainian officials said they will meet for a third day after making progress on creating a security framework for postwar Ukraine and are urging Russia to commit to peace.
The officials met for a second day in Florida on Friday.
They issued a joint statement offering broad brushstrokes about the progress that they say has been made as Trump pushes Kyiv and Moscow to agree to a U.S.-mediated proposal to end nearly four years of war.
The lawsuit filed Friday says agents’ use of gas during protests outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in Portland has sickened residents in the housing complex next door, contaminated their apartments and confined them inside.
The complaint filed by the nonprofit REACH Community Development and multiple residents says tenants have experienced difficulty breathing, coughing, headaches and other symptoms following exposure to chemicals from tear gas, smoke grenades and pepper balls.
It says some have worn gas masks indoors including while sleeping and found canisters on their balconies, in the courtyard and in the parking garage.
The lawsuit seeks to prohibit the use of chemical agents likely to infiltrate apartments unless necessary to protect against an imminent threat.
The Department of Homeland Security and ICE are among named defendants. They did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
On the operation’s third day, Democratic Mayor-elect Helena Moreno said she sent a letter to Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino with a set of demands. Among them was information on how many people have been detained, their identities and charges they face.
Amid growing concerns over aggressive arrests, which have included foot and car pursuits, Moreno asked that agents stop wearing masks and for safeguards against racial profiling.
She also said detainees must have prompt access to legal representation, medical services, language interpretation and family notification.
Liz Murrill urged the city’s police department to “fully cooperate” with federal immigration agents who are carrying out a crackdown in the city.
In a letter sent to Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick on Friday, Murrill said she believes the department’s current practices violate a state ban on sanctuary city policies.
Kirkpatrick could not immediately be reached for comment.
Florida’s Republican-dominated congressional delegation is urging the Trump administration to drop a plan that would allow new oil drilling off the state’s coast.
A letter signed by Republican Sens. Rick Scott and Ashley Moody says the Interior Department plan would put the state’s thriving tourism industry at risk and disrupt military operations in a key training area.
The letter to President Donald Trump is signed by all 30 members of Congress from Florida, including 22 Republicans and eight Democrats. It represents rare pushback against the Republican president by GOP lawmakers and demonstrates how important Florida’s beaches and coastal waters are to its economy.
A spokesperson for Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has also said the Trump administration should reconsider.
▶ Read more about the Florida oil drilling plan
Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., in an interview with the AP: “When the digital ink is still wet on the deal, I think it would be very premature for someone to say, ‘Over my dead body.’ But rather one should say, ‘Yeah, this one we predicted, if it happened, that it would be a serious concern.’ It has now happened, and that serious concern is going to take some time, effort, and study and possible changes in the deal.”
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., on social media: “This deal looks like an anti-monopoly nightmare. A Netflix-Warner Bros. would create one massive media giant with control of close to half of the streaming market. It could force you into higher prices, fewer choices over what and how you watch, and may put American workers at risk.”
Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., in a statement: “One company should not have full vertical control of the content and the distribution pipeline that delivers it. And combining two of the largest streaming platforms is a textbook horizontal Antitrust problem.”
The rocker surprised journalists in the James Brady Press Briefing Room, where he appeared at the podium and parried away a few questions. His appearance came as Kiss is set to be honored this weekend at the Kennedy Center.
His wife, Shannon Tweed, pleaded with him to stop and eventually led him out of the room by the arm.
Simmons joked to the reporters: “It was wonderful to talk to me,” as he left.
Organizers brought out the Village People to perform “YMCA,” a standard on the set list of Trump campaign events.
Naturally, Trump, who watched much of the draw from a Kennedy Center balcony, stood up and danced.
Trump’s national security strategy document released Friday lays out, as “a ‘Trump Corollary’ to the Monroe Doctrine,” to “restore American preeminence in the Western Hemisphere.”
The doctrine formulated by President James Monroe in 1823 was originally aimed at opposing any European meddling in the Western Hemisphere, and later used to justify U.S. military interventions across Latin America.
Along with combating drug trafficking and controlling migration, Trump’s document describes a reimagined footprint after building up the largest military presence in the region in generations. That means, for instance, “targeted deployments to secure the border and defeat cartels, including where necessary the use of lethal force to replace the failed law enforcement-only strategy of the last several decades,” it says.
Rep. Jason Crow of Colorado, who sits on House committees overseeing intelligence and the armed forces, called the strategy “catastrophic to America’s standing in the world and a retreat from our alliances and partnerships.”
“The world will be a more dangerous place and Americans will be less safe if this plan moves forward,” Crow said.
▶ Read more about Trump’s new national security strategy document
Three Somali American lawmakers from Maine issued a joint statement criticizing Trump’s remarks about Somali immigrants. Rep. Mana Abdi of Lewiston, Rep. Deqa Dhalac of South Portland and Rep. Yusuf Yusuf of Portland are the first Somali Americans to serve in the Maine House of Representatives.
“An attack on Somali Americans, on TPS holders, or on any immigrant community is an attack on all Americans. Maine is stronger when we stand together, reject dehumanization, and insist on a future rooted in safety, fairness, and shared belonging,” said the statement sent Thursday.
Maine is home to several thousand residents of Somali descent.
The Supreme Court has agreed to take up the constitutionality of President Donald Trump’s order on birthright citizenship.
His order says that children born to parents who are in the United States illegally or temporarily aren’t American citizens. The justices said Friday they will hear Trump’s appeal of a lower-court ruling that struck down the citizenship restrictions.
Those restrictions haven’t taken effect anywhere in the country. The case will be argued in the spring. A definitive ruling is expected by early summer. Birthright citizenship is the first Trump immigration-related policy to reach the court for a final ruling. The order is part of his administration’s broad immigration crackdown.
But it could happen later this month.
The government had asked the court for permission to include the usually secret grand jury records in the files they are required to make public under the new federal law. The legislation requires the Justice Department to make the documents public in a searchable and downloadable format within 30 days of Trump signing it into law.
The Indiana state House passed a redistricting bill Friday, advancing the legislation backed by Trump to a high-stakes fight in the state Senate.
The House, with a Republican supermajority, voted 57-41 to pass the proposed congressional map that would split the city of Indianapolis into four districts and set the GOP up to win all nine of the state’s congressional districts.
Republicans currently hold seven of the nine districts. It is unknown whether there are enough votes in the state Senate, which is set to convene on Monday, to give final passage to the map.
▶ Read more about redistricting action in the Indiana Legislature
The grand jury transcripts involve the federal sex trafficking cases of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
U.S. District Judge Rodney Smith said a recently passed federal law ordering the release of records related to the cases overrode a federal rule prohibiting the release of matters before a grand jury. The Epstein Files Transparency Act, signed last month by Trump, compels the Justice Department, FBI and federal prosecutors to release by Dec. 19 the vast troves of material they’ve amassed during investigations into Epstein.
Other requests to unseal Epstein documents remain pending:
The Florida request was approved Friday. The New York requests are pending, with the Justice Department facing a Monday deadline to make its final filing — a response to submissions by victims, Epstein’s estate and Maxwell’s lawyers. The judges in those matters have said they plan to rule expeditiously.
U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner’s meeting in Florida on Thursday with Rustem Umerov, Ukraine’s lead negotiator, was “productive,” according to a White House official who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.
The American and Ukrainian officials were due to brief their respective leaders on Friday and reconvene for further talks later in the day, the official added.
— Aamer Madhani
President Donald Trump dances to The Village People as Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and First Lady Melania smile during the draw for the 2026 soccer World Cup at the Kennedy Center in Washington, Friday, Dec. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Protesters gather at a rally for immigrants and workers outside Signature Aviation near the Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport, Wednesday, Dec 3, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Tom Baker)
President Donald Trump smiles after being awarded the FIFA Peace Prize during the draw for the 2026 soccer World Cup at the Kennedy Center in Washington, Friday, Dec. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
FILE - Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., speaks during a news conference, May 24, 2023, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)
President Donald Trump speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the White House, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
