An Overview of the Commodity and its Trade in Japan from 538 AD to 2024 AD Jack A. Ryan Obubu Intern #180 Foreword About the Author and Introduction This work is a brief primer which focuses on the commodity and trade history of tea in Japan. The impetus for the writing of this document stemmed […]
The following blog is about some specialty teas I decided to use, one of which Obubu has and another I was able to enjoy and learn about while in Japan. These two teas are Sakura tea and Awabancha. For the first specialty tea that I decided to use was sakura sencha which is a blended […]
I was lucky that my grandparents served me both sencha (Japanese green tea) and wakoucha (Japanese black tea) every time I visited them in Japan. But as I grew up in New York, my encounters with these teas were reserved to their home for the most part, and the global popularity of the two types […]
Tea is one of the cornerstones of Japanese culture (and history). Perhaps the most well-known of these are the Japanese green teas: sencha (煎茶) and matcha (抹茶). Matcha especially has seen a global meteoric rise in fame in recent years as matcha lattes, smoothies, and various sweet treats. Did you know that Japan produces other […]
After making the Hojicha White chocolate cheesecake we tasted 4 different teas to find the perfect pairing. Sencha of the Forest GlowWakouchaSencha of the WindKyobancha Here’s the results: Sencha of the Forest Glow A high grade, unshaded, spring tea with naturally sweet, umami taste. Undertones of orange and cinnamon can be detected. Harvested in May, […]
At first glance, handmade tea is very intimidating. In Wazuka, hand-picked and hand-rolled tea are the most expensive senchas in Japan. Because of its high price, only the masters are allowed to touch the tea during this process. Nevertheless, you can make your own handmade tea at Obubu, and it is actually quite simple. Whether […]
A natural phenomenon as spectacular as the sakura of springtime is the coming of the Japanese autumn leaves, or kôyô (紅葉). Japanese forests are transformed with bright red, orange, and yellow foliage, and the star-shaped leaves of the momiji or Japanese maple trees, are exceptionally breathtaking! Wagashi artisans incorporate these vibrant colours into their creations, […]
Summer in Japan can be intense, to say the least. The high temperatures and harsh humidity are brutal. Nonetheless, we still want to eat wagashi, of course! So here’s my little guide to enjoying Japanese sweets in the summertime. Summer calls for sweets that bring cooling images to mind. Summer wagashi tend to be lighter […]
In spring, Japan is steadily covered in a blanket of pink. From late March to early May, cherry blossoms decorate the landscapes of Japan as sakura trees burst into bloom across the country. As the sakura are only briefly in full bloom, they are celebrated for their beautiful reminder of impermanence and seasonal changes. In […]
Winter is a time when we need countless cups of hot tea. It goes without saying at this point that every cup of tea is an excellent time to eat a bit of wagashi as well. During winter, multiple occasions call for sweets, notably New Year celebrations, which are of great importance. Wagashi is also […]
What a first day in the field for the new Interns Obubu! At 9 o’clock this morning, Kali, Kamiko, Lana, Nathan and Patrick, joined their senpais Kirstine and Jenifer for the first harvest in Aoimori, the Blue Forest tea field. Ready with gloves, boots and rain pants, at 9 o’clock the team went up the […]
Konnichiwa!! This is Gabrielle (intern #161). Sadly, it is my last week here at Obubu.. Where has the time gone?! It has been an unforgettable 3 months full of many memories. My internship period was for the Autumn season and I lived in Wazuka from September-December. Here is a recap of my time at Obubu! […]
Hello! I’m Cameron, intern #160, here to tell you about how I got the chance to make my own black tea by hand. We got up early to hand pick our tea, getting to the field about about 7 in the morning. We used Aoimori 青い森茶畑 (Blue Forest) tea field, an all natural tea field […]
Hello everyone welcomes to our cycling guide of Wazuka, we’ll provide you with essential information about the best cycling routes, whether you’re an avid cyclist seeking a challenging ride or traveler looking for a tranquil escape. Wazuka Tea Field Exploration: Exploring Wazuka covers approximately 20 kilometers (12 miles) with an elevation gain of 430 meters. […]
Intern #156 Maren explores some common tea words and shares the stories behind some of Obubu’s tea names
Hello everyone! It’s me, WJ Justin! Coming back with updates from February to March. It feels like time flies so fast! February and March passed in a flesh! How was your February and March? Well, for me, I think it was very intense with a lot things happened at Obubu. And, I would like share […]
Hello everyone! My name is Jean, and I am working as an Assistant Manager at Kyoto Obubu Tea Farms in Wazuka. I am also a former intern at Obubu. You are presently reading my first blog post! Yaaaaaay! This blog will be about my life in Japan and what Obubu has been up to. You […]
Over the last several posts we’ve tested four of Obubu’s teas from all over Japan and all over the world. At least as much as one can do with eight waters, but it does illustrate an important fact. Depending on the water used to brew tea, the flavour of the tea can be drastically changed. […]
Justin, Patrick, Katrina, Hannah, Alex, and Satomi-san here! During our internship, we went on several trips and tea-related festivals and events, both individually and as a group. Being located in the Kansai region, there are countless possibilities for discovering many different places in Japan. In this blog, we will tell you a little bit about […]
Intern Tea Potato here with even more water experiments! The Waters The two waters we’ll be experimenting with this week are Crystal Geyser and Onsen Sui 99. Crystal Geyser comes from the United States of America. There are several different springs from where the water is sourced, so it’s important to check the bottle […]
Hello hello hello! Tea Intern, the Tea Potato, here! We’re going to start a really fun and interesting journey today. It involves *SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS* With water! … Wait! Don’t go! I swear, this will be really fun. Water makes up more than 99% of tea. If you’ve ever tasted a water that was awful, it […]
Para el texto en español [PULSA AQUI] If you want to read the second part of this series please go [HERE]/Si quieres leer la segunda parte de esta serie pulsa [AQUI] Hello! This is the last issue in the HEALTH BENEFITS OF GREEN TEA series. It has been a pleasure to write this article for […]
Para el texto en español [PULSA AQUI] If you want to read the first part of this series please go [HERE]/Si quieres leer la primera parte de esta serie pulsa [AQUI] Hello! Welcome to the second part of the three-part series: HEALTH BENEFITS OF GREEN TEA. Today we are discussing the physical benefits of green […]
Para el texto en español [PULSA AQUI] Hello everyone! My name is Lourdes, one of the new interns in this amazing adventure that is life at Obubu! よろしくお願いします! If you are reading this article is because you love tea, right? I associate tea with a moment of stillness and calm. Tea can be brewed […]
Hachijyu Hachiya symbolizes the 88 nights of spring and marks the beginning of the spring tea harvest, also known as Shincha. While the date fell officially on May 2nd, this year’s harvest came early — on April 26, to be exact. In fact, it was the earliest that Akky-san had ever harvested in his entire […]
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