From the cold and dry winter we finally started stepping into the blooming season. Spring here has such an enchanting and magical power!
The awakening of the season started in the most precious way! We took part in a handpicking and handrolling event held by Kenta-san, president of the Hand Rolling Preservation Society but also a farmer here in Wazuka.
It was my first time experiencing first hand the entire hand made process of green tea, and it was life changing! We started off the day with some time in the field to harvest the fresh products of spring, the “two leaves one bud” that would transform, during the day, into the beautiful needle shaped sencha that I had the opportunity to taste! Fresh and hand made sencha really has a unique taste: deep in umami and sweet flavors, but still fresh, with a light and delicate texture that persists for a long time.
This year sakura in Wazuka have left us waiting a couple of weeks more than expected to fully bloom! Having a yard of sakura trees blossoming right in front of my bedroom window made me realize why Spring is such a unique time in Wazuka.
The whole town seemed to wake up together with the trees, as we were also getting ready for the busiest season of the year at Obubu.
Sakura blossoms were the unbeaten protagonist for the rest of the month! While we were charging our energies for the harvesting season, we would take daily walks and breaks to enjoy the sakura trees as much as we could since they would last only a couple of weeks.
Just before the start of the Spring Harvesting Season, we welcomed a new batch of Interns!
On the 1st of May, the Traditional 88th day of the Japanese Calendar “Hachiju Hachija” , we started our spring harvest! It was a month focused on tea tours and processing shifts at the factory, where we would always gather to spend some time at night as the leaves were getting shaped and dried. It definitely was my most important time at Obubu: attending the process from field to bag changes the way of perceiving and consuming a product. You are able to see how a single cup of tea shapes the culture, the environment, and the daily life of people.
A special mention goes to one of the happiest days of my life. I had the unique opportunity to harvest and process a batch of tea with Zehra (#196) and Kayo-san, one of Obubu’s staff members, the sweetest and kindest person that I know. We had the unique opportunity to learn from her knowledge to create a small batch of Natural Sencha from our Natural field, Aoi Mori.
Being Spring the time where leaves are the most concentrated in nutrients and components, it is also the time where we held the most hand processing events. After nine years, Obubu took part again in the Kansai Tea Competition. Farmers from the Kansai region compete to win the prize as most delicious tea of the year, so we helped hand pick around 30 kilos of tea for the competition!
During this day, everyone gathered to help hand pick! Old friends from Obubu joined and more new friends were made along the way! The farming community of Wazuka came together in such a unique place: the colours of the Spring made the whole scenario so stunning!
We wrapped up the month with an even more special factory shift. During one of the lasts nights at factory we celebrated Garance’s (#199) and Tran’s (AM #12) birthdays! We baked a houjicha and strawberry cheesecake that we enjoyed while dancing with the tea leaves! Such a precious moment!
Spring season was full of cherished and unique moments that I will carry forever with me! However, as every beautiful moment, it came to an end! It’s time now to take a deep breath and dive into Japan’s hottest and most humid season!
See you for the next one!