London is always bubbling with tea, and so going there always feels like coming home. This year we could add some strength to the collaboration with the UK Tea Academy, led by Jane Pettigrew; and went to hold two events at their seminar room in Westminster Kingsway College. The day started with a Sencha Workshop […]
The stop in Berlin this year was the first for Obubu. We really wanted to come once we have heard about the creation of the Berlin Tea Academy. The Berlin School of Coffee has already been around for a decade. In the group they also have their own coffee roaster, coffee and tea shop; and café. […]
This year the Obubu Europe Tour starts in Madrid. With the help of our friend and Obubu internship alumni Anna, we were able to hold two events about Japanese tea: a tasting event and a workshop. Welcomed again by the Japan Foundation in Madrid, we introduced Japanese tea to Japanese culture enthusiasts in Madrid. Because […]
More and more individuals are becoming enchanted by the Japanese tea room and ceremony service. Chado (the Japanese tea ceremony) searches for finesse in simple movement, and showcases elegance and purity in form. When coming to Japan, it seems as if these qualities are inherently ingrained within the lifestyles of the people. Coming to Japan […]
There are many ways to make tea, and just as many kinds of teapots. Today we’re going to talk about the three types of Japanese tea ware we use most often at Obubu: the chawan, houhin, and kyusu. Chawan 茶碗 Chawan, or tea bowls, are used together with bamboo whisks for making matcha in the […]
Hachijuu-Hachiya, the 88th Day 八十八夜 The 88th day of traditional Japanese calendar, which falls right around May 1st or 2nd, is famous as an important date for farmers, and especially tea farmers. For several hundred years, the 88th day has been considered the best day to start the spring tea harvest. Those tender new shoots […]
During tea tours, we are often asked whether there are different types of plants for different teas. Read on for the answer! Tea Cultivars A cultivar is a group of plants that have been bred by farmers for desirable characteristics. Cultivars can be more or less suited to weather conditions (frost hardy or early […]
Shrines and temples are everywhere in Japan, from the huge buddha at Todaiji in Nara to tiny Jizo statues along roadsides, and Wazuka has its own collection of beautiful cultural sites, several of which are part of our hiking tea tours. Tenmangu Shrine The picture at the top of this page is of Tenmangu, the […]
As we’ve seen in the “What’s in a Name?” blog series, Japan is famous for producing green tea in great variety. There’s sencha, tencha, matcha, gyokuro, kukicha, bancha, genmaicha, and houjicha. These have been central to Japanese production for hundreds of years. However, if we look beyond green tea, there is even more delicious tea to […]
Are you ready for part 3?! Here come bancha and hojicha! Bancha 番茶 The character for ban includes the characters for rice and field, and refers to a turn or a number in a series. Bancha is usually translated as coarse or common tea, and is made from mature leaves picked in between the four main harvests […]
Welcome back to our blog series on tea names! Today, we’ll cover gyokuro and kukicha. Gyokuro 玉露 Gyokuro, meaning “jewel dew,” conjures up an image of morning dewdrops collected from rare jade, and the tea liquor is a vibrant green color to match. Gyokuro is famous as a luxury tea; it’s harvested just once […]
Hello everyone! This week’s post is the first section of a series on Japanese tea names. If you’ve ever been curious why a tea is called by a particular name, this is the post for you! Tea 茶 Perhaps the most important word on this list is cha, or tea. The Japanese character has its […]
Today’s post is about organic tea. What makes a tea organic? What are the implications for farmers and tea drinkers? Is organic tea better? What does “organic” mean? The term “organic”, referring to farming, came into use in the 1940s, referring to a balanced relationship between plants, soil, and nutrients. However, since the 1960s, the […]
Today’s post is about the history of tea in Wazuka, the beautiful hometown of Obubu, where all our teas are grown. Chagenkyo, Wazuka’s nickname, means the home origin of tea, or Teatopia, as we like to translate it. In fact, Wazuka has cultivated tea since the Kamakura period, over 800 years ago, when Japanese green tea […]
This was our third time to visit Barcelona and all thanks to Mateo – the Cofounder for the Hidden Café Barcelona. Introduced by Mateo this year we could also collaborate with the Spanish Coffee Institute that organizes coffee courses and training. Barcelona seems to be mesmerized by Matcha, so one of the events was a […]
Our event in Antwerp was probably the most unique this year – it was a unique collaboration between Japanese tea and Japanese style chocolate. Invited and supported by Marc from Royce – Japanese chocolate maker in Belgium and our tea club member, we could spend two days in Antwerp. The events also had a different […]
Oxford is one of those places that you want to come back again and again. Especially that we get to hold our tea events at one of the oldest universities – Oxford University. All thanks to James Thirlwall, the founder of Chayou Tea and Elixir Living Tea, who lured us to Oxford during our second […]
Madrid surprised us again by how many people wanted to learn about Japanese tea! With the help of our past intern Anna Poian and our friend tea sommelier Charo as well as the support from the Japan Foundation in Spain, we could visit this bubbly city for the second time. This year we had three […]
We love going to Milan, as we are always very warmly welcomed by Barbara and Steven, who run La Teiera Eclettica tea house. Being part of the Italian Association for Tea Culture, they have cultivated a tea community in Milan for long years. So we are always greeted by a full house and immense curiosity. […]
This was the first time for Obubu to visit Copenhagen. That is all thanks to our friend and the founder of the Sing Tehus – teahouse in Copenhagen. She came to visit us in Wazuka last year and has been our tea club member since. We held an event about Japanese tea and about 20 […]
Hague is one of our favorite places to visit on the world tours, because we are always met by a warm welcome from Richard and Deirdre from the International Tea and Coffee Academy and really enthusiastic students. This year we only stopped for one day, but what a day it was! The day was split […]
Every year London welcomes us differently. This year we got to collaborate with the UK Tea Academy as Jane Petigrew put us in contact with Andrew Perriman – who is the owner of the newly opened tea house – Tea and Glory, where the events were held. Jane also helped to spread the word about […]
Pairings with Japanese tea and desserts exist albeit uncommon. Matcha is a popular choice for many although the variety that Japanese tea could offer is fascinating. One will be surprised how it could pair well with foods such as desserts. Dessert and tea have both their own unique character. When paired together, it makes one harmonious […]
Tea fields are spectacular sights regardless of season. During spring, vivid green, well-manicured rows of tea plants look beautiful with the sakura as a background. Warm summer weather signals for the peak of harvest. The autumn foliage provides a contrast between the hues of red and green, then as the winter chill sets in, one […]
If you search how to assess tea quality, one of the criteria you will find is a uniform, deep green colour and a consistent leaf size. However, are this criteria inclusive enough to appreciate the wonderful thing that is Aracha? What is it? Also called “farmer’s tea”, “raw tea”, or just unrefined tea, Aracha is the result […]
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