Author Archives: Obubu Interns

Tea Ware: Modern Western Tea Wares and Japanese Tea

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 […]

Tea Ware: Chawan, Houhin, and Kyusu

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 […]

The 88th Day: Spring tea picking tradition!

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 […]

Tea Cultivars: All About the Plant!

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 […]

Exploring Wazuka: Shrines and Temples

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 […]

Japanese black tea

Introduction to Wakoucha: Japanese Black Tea

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 […]

What’s in a Name? Part III: Bancha & Hojicha

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 […]

What’s in a Name? Part II: Gyokuro & Kukicha

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 […]

What’s in a Name? Part I: Matcha, Tencha, and Sencha

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 […]

Organic Tea: A Brief Overview

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 […]

Wazuka: 800 Years of Tea

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 […]

Japanese tea & dessert pairings

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 […]

The Calendar of Tea Fields

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 […]

What About Aracha?

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 […]

Dessert Ideas: Matcha Truffles

Matcha truffles? Much has been already said about matcha’s numerous health benefits. If the antioxidant properties or caffeine dose is not enough to convince you to stock matcha powder in your pantry, then a persuasion through desserts is in order. Festive season is upon us and soon it will be time for fun gatherings together […]

Matcha Chia Pudding

Matcha Chia Pudding (serves one or two people) Increase the benefitsthat Matcha is provides by combining the green gold with another super food. In recent years chia seeds from South America have found their way in to the kitchens of numerous health conscious people. Enjoy it as a dessert to round off your meal or […]

A New approach to Japanese Tea and a Chai Latte Recipe

The first thought that comes to everybody’ s mind when hearing ‘Japanese tea’ is an emerald green tea, natural in its flavour and filled full of umami flavours. Here is big news for everyone that didn’t know: some Japanese Farmers also produce black tea, known as Wakocha. Japan, a great green tea producing nation, opened […]

Lahpet Thoke- A Tea Salad from Myanmar

At Obubu, we’re very fond of our tea experiments. Therefore, at every tea tour we all enjoy a beautiful Kabuse Sencha salad. Basically, after brewing Kabuse Sencha three times to extract all the bitterness- Kabuse is a perfect choice for a tea salad, since it is a shaded tea, resulting in softer, sweeter leaves- we […]

Keeping tea for a special moment?

Do you know these thoughts: « Should I have those chocolates? They were so expensive so let’s wait for a special occasion! Will it be a waste if I wear this dress on a normal work day or should I wait for a special event to come up? Should I open this bag of tea now? […]

Hand Picking and Rolling Autumn Sencha

Last week, we held our tri-annual tea picking and rolling event at Obubu to celebrate the beginning of the autumn harvest. The history of hand picking tea in Japan stretches back around 800 years to the Kamakura period, when tea seeds were first brought to the Kyoto prefecture from China. Traditionally, women would wear beautiful, […]

Kombucha for Japan

‘The tea of immortality’ – the name given to Kombucha back in ancient China during the Tsin dynasty (B.C. 211), although the origins have been lost in the mists of time. This name gives us an insight into the truly special qualities of this unique tea and its beneficial effects on the body. Various Kombucha creations made […]

The Best Japanese Iced Tea Recipe

Homemade iced tea is the perfect summer drink for those warm evenings in the garden, sharing with guests at barbecues or to accompany your lazy weekend brunch. Our recipe uses the cold brew method, achieved by steeping the tealeaves in cold water and leaving them overnight. This means that less catechins, which are responsible for the bitterness […]

Summer Sencha

Illuminated by the mangetsu, the beloved full moon, we made our way down to the factory to witness the processing of our final summer tea: the Sencha of the Summer Sun. We were welcomed by Akki-San, whose sun-baked face, bright eyes and mischievous smile revealed yet little of the extraordinary effort he (like many other […]