Soft Cheese and Tea Pairings

Soft cheeses, with their delicate textures and buttery flavors, call for equally refined tea pairings that enhance their richness without overwhelming their subtlety. Let’s explore the perfect infusions to complement these melt-in-your-mouth delights. Rocamadour PDO & Kabuse Sencha Small but mighty, Rocamadour is a soft cheese from the Southwest of France. It is made from […]

Assistant Manager Blog by Alix [Winter 2024]

Hello everyone, Alix here (AM #6) ! In this blog I am writing about my experience of my last quarter at Obubu, which seems a bit surreal after such an amazing and intense year. Winter is the most quiet period in terms of activities at Obubu since there is little to no farming and tourism […]

Cooked Pressed Cheese and Tea Pairings

Cooked pressed cheeses, like Comté and Gruyère, develop deep, caramelized flavors through careful aging, making them an exciting partner for a well-chosen tea. Let’s dive into the best pairings to enhance their savory-sweet complexity. Abondance & Natural Okumidori Matcha Why not swap out your wagashi for (w)Abondance ? This pressed paste cow’s raw milk cheese is […]

Blue Cheese and Tea Pairings

Known for its pungent aroma and tangy bite, blue cheese can be an intimidating yet rewarding choice for tea pairings. The right brew can balance its intensity, mellow its saltiness, and highlight its complex flavors, let’s find out how! Bleu des Causses PDO & Natural Sakura Sencha As its name suggests, Bleu des Causses is […]

秋: Assistant Manager Blog by Katrina [Autumn 2024]

Hey hey, Katrina here! I am back! In autumn 2022, I joined Obubu as an intern (#138), and while I was volunteering at the sister project Ikedoki in Higashi Sonogi last year, also made a brief return to Wazuka, where I had a great time getting involved in the construction shenanigans during the renovations of […]

Uncooked Pressed Cheese and Tea Pairings

When you think of cheese, you probably think of wine and bread as good foods to pair it with. While these are, of course, great options, one of the products that pairs surprisingly well with cheese is tea ! There are many ways to pair tea and cheese but here are some of my personal favourite […]

Assistant Manager Blog by Alix [Autumn 2024]

Hello everyone! Welcome to my third blog about my adventures as an Obubu Assistant Manager! Autumn in rural Japan is the season of higanbana (red spider lilies), persimons, chestnuts, beautiful fall colours everywhere, and cooler weather (we finally brought out kotatsus in Obubu house!). It was also my third quarter at Obubu, marking my transition from […]

An unexpected party – Assistant Manager Blog by Marcello [Autumn 2024]

My name is Marcello, and I’m from Italy. I recently joined the Assistant Manager Team as its 7th member. I studied at the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo, Piedmont. But my passion for tea started at an early age while I lived in the UK. As well as drinking it daily I also went […]

Awabancha Adventures in Shikoku

As the golden colors of autumn spread across the Japanese countryside, there’s a special kind of magic that happens here at Obubu in the fall. This season marks a time of both reflection and preparation. It’s a period of transition—where the heat of summer slowly gives way to the crisp, cool air of autumn. With things beginning […]

Assistant Manager Blog by Alix [Summer 2024]

Hello everyone! You might have read my Spring Blog about my first quarter at Obubu. If you are interested in learning more about what assistant managers get up to in the summer and what I did in my second quarter here, keep reading! Summer in Japan is no joke: 37°C at 80% humidity is what the […]

Assistant Manager Blog by Pau [Summer season]

After the spring harvest, we had a bit of a downtime from extensive fieldwork like harvesting. Soon after, we switched to farming mode again to prepare for summer harvest and also had the chance to do some deep cut trimming in our somada field, where we harvest our kabuse sencha. Usually, tea bushes get a […]

Assistant Manager Blog by Pau [Spring season]

Spring is by far the busiest period of the year at the farm. It is high season for tourism, so we welcomed many guests for our 4-hour tours and our other experiences. For farming, the season started with a late winter harvest for Kyobancha. Then we started with early trimming, shading and many other preparations […]

Exploring the Art of Photography and Tea Farming: A Journey Through Light and Leaf

Photography, in all its forms, has been a lifelong passion of mine. From the  tactile experience of darkroom work to the precision of digital imaging, each method offers a unique view of the world, reflecting vision in different ways. You’re probably wondering what a tea farm has to do with this type of art? Surprisingly, […]

Assistant Manager Blog by Sarah [2023.09月 – 2024.09月]

One year as an Assistant Manager at Obubu みなさん こんにちわ! This is Sarah and, together with Pau, I joined Obubu as an Assistant Manager in September 2023. It is now the end of my program, and I wish to give a brief summary of how incredible this year at Obubu has been. Following on my […]

Assistant Manager Blog by Alix [Spring 2024]

Hello everyone ! My name is Alix and I am Assistant Manager #6 at Obubu. I come from the North-West of France (Brittany and Normandy !) and I studied agriculture and food engineering. My combined interest in Japanese culture and high quality products of origin pushed me to apply for this amazing opportunity. I am so excited […]

Assistant Manager Blog by Pau [Winter season]

After the Autumn harvest, and having had the chance to process the autumn moon tea and plenty of Bancha, we headed to the fields to do some trimming work. Trimming quickly became my favorite filed work activity, it is a bit more technical than harvesting or other activities. It requires a lot of attention to […]

Assistant Manager Blog by Mac [2024.04月]

Bonjour, je m'appelle Mac :) Mon voyage avec Obubu Tea Farms a commencé en 2015 lorsque j'ai été accepté en tant que stagiaire dans le cadre du programme de stage d'Obubu. Ce programme incroyable se déroule au cœur de la magnifique campagne japonaise. C'est un endroit où l'art de la culture du thé se mêle à des pratiques séculaires, et où chaque feuille représente [...]

Blog de la gestionnaire adjointe Sarah [2023.12月]

Re-bonjour ! J'espère que vous restez tous au chaud en ce mois d'hiver ! Sarah écrit ici sur les fleurs, pour le mois de décembre ! Ce mois-ci, dans tous les jardins privés et sur le côté des maisons, le manryō (万両) a fièrement exhibé ses baies rouges, apparaissant si vives en contraste avec le ciel gris de l'hiver. Le manryo, [...]

Assistant Manager Blog by Pau [Autumn season]

Bonjour, je m'appelle Pau, l'un des nouveaux assistants managers d'Obubu. Voici mon premier journal mensuel sur le blog. J'espère vous montrer mes expériences de vie à Wazuka et de travail dans ses magnifiques champs de thé. Je suis arrivée le 7 septembre, il y a déjà trois semaines. Le temps a passé si vite [...]

Blog du gestionnaire adjoint Sarah [2023.09月]

みなさん こんにちわ ! Je m'appelle Sarah et, avec Pau, j'ai récemment rejoint Obubu en tant que nouvelle assistante manager. En fait, vous m'avez peut-être déjà vue, trottant sur le blog et les médias sociaux d'Obubu [La vie (pas si) secrète d'une stagiaire - mai 2023] car au printemps dernier, j'ai d'abord rejoint Obubu en tant que stagiaire [...]

La vie (pas si) secrète d'un stagiaire - mai 2023

Bonjour desu ! Ici Jia En et Sarah en direct d'Obubu. Vous nous avez peut-être vues trotter sur le compte instagram d'Obubu au cours des trois derniers mois, de mars à juin. Nous avons eu beaucoup de plaisir à préparer et à participer à la récolte de printemps de cette année. Mais il est presque temps pour nous de dire [...]

Blog du directeur adjoint Jean [2023.06月]

Konnichiwa ! Jean ici pour raconter d'autres histoires sur Obubu Tea Farms. Le mois de mai a été occupé par la récolte de printemps. Mais en juin, c'est l'heure de la récolte d'été. C'est très excitant ! Nous préparons la machine à récolter et les sachets de thé pour collecter le thé. Les stagiaires et moi-même montons souvent à l'arrière du camion. Les stagiaires et moi-même montons souvent à l'arrière du camion.

Blog du directeur adjoint Jean [2023.05月]

Bonjour à tous ! C'est encore Jean. Dans mon précédent billet, j'ai parlé de mon arrivée à Obubu au Japon et de tout ce que j'ai fait au cours de mon premier mois. Nous sommes maintenant à la fin du mois de mai, et il est temps de partager avec vous quelques unes de mes aventures. Le mois de mai est le mois des [...]

Assistant Manager blog WJ Justin [2023.02月~03月]

Bonjour à tous ! C'est moi, WJ Justin ! Je reviens avec des mises à jour de février à mars. J'ai l'impression que le temps passe si vite ! Février et mars sont passés en un clin d'œil ! Comment se sont passés vos mois de février et mars ? Eh bien, pour moi, je pense que c'était très intense avec beaucoup de choses qui se sont passées à Obubu. Et j'aimerais partager [...]

Blog du directeur adjoint Jean [2023.04月]

Bonjour à tous ! Je m'appelle Jean et je travaille en tant qu'assistant manager à Kyoto Obubu Tea Farms à Wazuka. Je suis également une ancienne stagiaire chez Obubu. Vous êtes en train de lire mon premier article de blog ! Yaaaaaay ! Ce blog parlera de ma vie au Japon et des activités d'Obubu. Vous [...]