Assistant Manager Blog by Alix [Winter 2024]

Hello everyone, Alix here (AM #6) ! In this blog I am writing about my experience of my last quarter at Obubu, which seems a bit surreal after such an amazing and intense year. Winter is the most quiet period in terms of activities at Obubu since there is little to no farming and tourism […]

Cooked Pressed Cheese and Tea Pairings

Cooked pressed cheeses, like Comté and Gruyère, develop deep, caramelized flavors through careful aging, making them an exciting partner for a well-chosen tea. Let’s dive into the best pairings to enhance their savory-sweet complexity. Abondance & Natural Okumidori Matcha Why not swap out your wagashi for (w)Abondance ? This pressed paste cow’s raw milk cheese is […]

Winter in Japan – Assistant Manager Blog by Mac

As the first signs of winter creep into the valley, the landscape slowly transforms into a serene tapestry of soft whites and deep greens. Wazuka takes on a quiet beauty during this time and this winter has been no different. The mist rolls through the hills, tea bushes are dusted with frost and mountains are […]

Blue Cheese and Tea Pairings

Known for its pungent aroma and tangy bite, blue cheese can be an intimidating yet rewarding choice for tea pairings. The right brew can balance its intensity, mellow its saltiness, and highlight its complex flavors, let’s find out how! Bleu des Causses PDO & Natural Sakura Sencha As its name suggests, Bleu des Causses is […]

秋: Assistant Manager Blog by Katrina [Autumn 2024]

Hey hey, Katrina here! I am back! In autumn 2022, I joined Obubu as an intern (#138), and while I was volunteering at the sister project Ikedoki in Higashi Sonogi last year, also made a brief return to Wazuka, where I had a great time getting involved in the construction shenanigans during the renovations of […]

Uncooked Pressed Cheese and Tea Pairings

When you think of cheese, you probably think of wine and bread as good foods to pair it with. While these are, of course, great options, one of the products that pairs surprisingly well with cheese is tea ! There are many ways to pair tea and cheese but here are some of my personal favourite […]

Assistant Manager Blog by Alix [Autumn 2024]

Hello everyone! Welcome to my third blog about my adventures as an Obubu Assistant Manager! Autumn in rural Japan is the season of higanbana (red spider lilies), persimons, chestnuts, beautiful fall colours everywhere, and cooler weather (we finally brought out kotatsus in Obubu house!). It was also my third quarter at Obubu, marking my transition from […]

An unexpected party – Assistant Manager Blog by Marcello [Autumn 2024]

My name is Marcello, and I’m from Italy. I recently joined the Assistant Manager Team as its 7th member. I studied at the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo, Piedmont. But my passion for tea started at an early age while I lived in the UK. As well as drinking it daily I also went […]

Assistant Manager blog WJ Justin [2023.02月~03月]

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 […]

Tea Adventures of Current Interns

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 […]

Spring Teas Are Here!

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 […]

Volunteer Event – Kanagawa Cherry Blossom Project

The best cherry blossom production area in Japan: Hadano, Kanagawa Prefecture A project to pick cherry blossoms and leaves, make tea and deliver them to the world. We are looking for support volunteers! You think cherry blossoms are for watching! Actually, in this volunteer activity, we pick cherry blossoms and leaves! Details: Date and time: […]

Tea Garden Update – I’m working on it!

Good morning(*^^*)Ladies and gentlemen, it’s me, Akky!How are you doing?It’s getting warmer these days and the pollen is flying and flying.My nose just won’t stop running today!Well, this time we will continue with the previous re-planting project 😊 I put in the bamboo last time and then backfilled it.From here, we can start replacing the […]

Welcome to Tea Planting!

Hello everyone!How are you doing?It’s getting warmer during the daytime these days!Risshun has passed and the tea season is just around the corner😄.This time it’s a planting change! Replanting is not about having dinner together ❗️….Plant again! The first is “the start time”.Due to the old age of the predecessor, Mr. Yabukita ↓. Some of […]

Tea of the Month – August 2021

Introduction For Tea of the month this month we bring you something special, a new brewing method for a fast and easy cold brew. Combine this new brewing method with a rarer tea and you will get a sweet and refreshing cuppa, ideal for those hot summer afternoons!   This month we have another of […]

2021 New Tea!

2021 Obubu’s Shincha – New Tea Arrival In the middle of April in 2021, Wazuka town, where our farm is located, had a huge amount of damage from frost. Usually, at this point of the year, tea fields are full of beautiful fresh green new buds just like the photo below. And this is what […]

What is ‘sustainable agrictulture’ and a new Gyokuro tea field!

Akihiro Kita, the President of Obubu Chaen, has been a tea farmer and processor for about 25 years including his training period. From the emotional encounter with a cup of Kabuse Sencha Tea by experiencing a part-time job at a tea farm in Wazuka,   Introduction to Japanese Tea Akky 16 years ago?! He dropped […]

Herbs and tea ・Our experiment of a mint infused Matcha!

Have any of you been annoyed by the hundreds weed and grasses growing on their own in your garden at home? We perfectly understand… But we have actually a good news for you tea lovers!  Yes, a lot of herbs, plants and flowers are very delicious when brewed with tea! And one of the most […]

Tea Storage Tips at Home

Today’s topic is about tea storage! I love tea, but always the flavours decrease before I finish it. I receive high-quality tea as a gifts, but I tend to hesitate to open it because I don’t want the tea taste to become stale before I finish it. You may have felt the same before. I also […]

Tea in Indonesia

Today, I interviewed one of the interns, Andre from Indonesia who has been here since Spring to talk about Indonesian tea industry! But first, let me introduce him a little bit! Andre was born and raised in a tea family who runs a tea trading company with a history of over 60 years in Sukabumi,West […]

May’s Spring Harvest 2020

In May the Spring Harvest is well under way! The terrain is very steep at the top of the mountains, so we will carefully harvest the plants while paying close attention to foot placement! The harvesting machine weighs about 10 kg. As the harvested leaves are blown into bags, the weight of each bag is about […]

An Old Tea Box Revival

Hello everyone! How are you doing? I think there are many people who are having troubles or are having a hard time due to the influence of the new coronavirus. I hope that these things will come to an end quickly. At times like this, everyone is amazed with the power of Japanese tea. For […]

Non-traditional Tea Brewing Methods And Tools I Part I – Brewing With Siphon

By Giedre Trumpiene   Tea has thousands of years of history over which many different forms and brewing techniques have been developed. Interestingly, unusual brewing techniques and tools foreign to our current times can be read about or seen in museums – it is a great testament to the lengths that tea has evolved over time. […]