Paris Japanese Tea Event – 4th October, 2013

With Obubu coming to France the Euro trip is on to its second half. All previous events in the UK, Hungary and Germany, were specifically focused on Obubu and Japanese green tea. In France we had many more collaborators to join us, with whom we shared the event space and time.

Our first event in France was a tea event at the Playbac Presse office in Paris. Through the locked gates of the yard into the basement of the building , you would probably wonder how we found this venue in the first place. All thanks to our friend Misato-san, who is a beloved chef there and asked us to come by.

The attendees to the event were largely Japanese and we were a big team from Kyoto of our own: Doi-san a cultural representative of Kyoto, who told the guests more about the area, Mori-san – urasenkei tea master, who provided a historical background of matcha as well as  Nanzan-san a pottery master, who lent us beautiful matcha bows.  The highlight of the event was Mori-san’s tea ceremony, that gathered the event guests cozily around his demonstration table.

France in contract to the UK, where the water was fine for tea, but as expected for Europe, presented us with hard water. How did we know, you may ask? Not only the taste is more plain and metallic, but also water instead of being clear and vivid is cloudy in the cup. For that reason we tried using our home made filter, and it worked!

Another fun moment was a chance to wear a beautiful Japanese kimono, that was kindly lent by Misato-san’s friends. The traditional Cha musume costume, used