Kyoto Obubu Tea Farms
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Very interesting tasting sencha. Thick tasting on the tongue. Just brimming with something…like how some meats are gamey. There’s like no touch of bitter, which makes it weird to me. I enjoy it though. Very calming. Has a seaweed taste to it, would go great with nori wrapped sushi I bet. Mmmm, I just thawed some sashimi salmon and scallops for my lunch tomorrow. This should rock with it!
Preparation
I am really loving this one. When I think of a sencha, this is what I want. It’s medium-strong flavor, great balance of savory, sweet, and astringency. Perfect iced and hot. Rebrews quite nicely. I could easily buy more. Very tasty, this is going to ruin other sencha experiences for me, since they all will have to live up to this. I am really loving this, and all I had was a tablespoon sample. This so far is my favorite tea from the sampler, but I have a few to go through. So fresh, it agrees with me.
Preparation
I had been saving my sample of Kabuse Sencha this past month until I had a nice calm evening to really sit quietly and enjoy the flavors of this wonderful tea. The aroma of the dry leaves is phenomenal and I decided to use the Wazuka, or Southern Kyoto steeping technique which Obubu Tea describes in their brochure and on their website. My small kyusu teapot was used for all, after being warmed first and 5 grams of tea added.
1st (concentrated) steeping: Only 3 oz or 80 ml of 160F/70C spring water, for 1.5 minutes. Brews up a “sencha espresso” that is very sweet, nicely vegetal and tastes like spring. Aroma and after taste have just a hint of a savory character.
2nd through 4th steeping: Full 6 oz or 180 ml of spring water gradually increasing the temperature and time with each steeping. The flavor and aroma become less sweet, and more vegetal with almost no detectable bitterness or astringency. Very nice balance, and truly enjoyable.
The leaves are so tender and hydrated after steeping, that they can easily be eaten. I used mine to make “green rice” for dinner. Simply added the leaves to some pre-cooked brown rice with just a touch of soy sauce and a few green chives on top.
Preparation
This is such a light Genmaicha! Crisp and sweet and light. Whereas the brown rice tends to be the strongest note in a cup of Genmaicha, here, it is more of an accent flavor, while the green tea is the prominent taste. It is a different tasting Genmaicha, but I like it very much.
This is basically a pickled flower. It is lovely once the petals unfurl. It makes me feel like a princess. Everyone knows that flowers are a princess’ favorite food.
The tea itself it a little salty and winey tasting. I’m guessing the wine flavor is actually the vinegar. Mostly it tastes lightly a cherry with a floral character underneath.
It is a pleasant drink but it takes getting used to. I imagine fresh cherry blossoms to taste much better since they won’t need to be preserved in salt and vinegar. I’m guessing you’ll need to be in Japan during springtime for a treat like that.
Actually, it’s the salt/vinegar pickling that brings out this traditional flavor…this is the flavor that is used in traditional sakura mochi etc. It can also be achieved through the leaf as well as the flower. This flavor is popular in Japan during the blooming of the sakura in April, but actually, it takes two-three months to produce so all the sakura-flavored items that you get in Japan in April was actually produced the year before.
By the way, this is one of the best comments I’ve ever read…“Everyone knows that flowers are a princess’ favorite food.” Great!!!
So fresh Sakura don’t taste like cherries? :( thanks for the info. I’ve had Sakura Mochi with the leaves wrapped around them. They are pretty good too. They probably would be great with this tea but I had it with green tea at the time.
Glad I’m at least somewhat entertaining. :)
Sakura are actually a different species of tree from cherry fruit bearing trees. But the cherry blossoms themselves in any case taste nothing like cherry fruit. In fact, I’m not sure eating raw cherry blossoms will generate much flavor…the pickling tends to strengthen the flavor.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherry_blossom
Sometimes you see “Cherry Blossom Green Tea”…look at the ingredients. Some companies make blends with rose petals, artificial cherry fruit flavoring and green tea…i.e. “cherry” + “(rose) blossoms”. Which is not to say that this combination tastes bad…actually can be very yummy.
Well, I thought I tasted a cherry-ish flavor in this tea, which is why I assumed the fresh blossoms would have that flavor as well. As I recall, the sakura mochi also had this cherry-ish flavor. I was surprised that the leaves and flowers would taste like cherries. Or maybe the flavor I’m describing as cherry-ish is actually something else and I’m crazy.
hmmm…maybe I’ll go to the Sakura Festival at the botanical garden this spring and snag a few flowers to try. :)
I thought I had posted a tasting note on this a few days ago, but I guess not. This is my second tasting of this tea. It is a really good Houjicha. Sweet and toasty. There is a creaminess to it too.
I’m off to finish my review of this tea for the SororiTea Sisters!
WOW!
Many Houjicha’s I have tried seem to taste and smell quite similar. This one from Obubu smells like you think it would but I have to say the flavor is much different but in a VERY good way!
This Houjicha is very sweet! Almost juicy, even! There is an incredible smoothness to it too! Near creamy! It also reminds me of spring and summer -a very natural and beautiful flavor. I like this very much and am enjoying it as I type this!
This was an amazing surprise!
This is the first matcha I’ve ever had, although I have had matcha-flavored foods (green tea gelato was delicious!). I guess I can’t really compare it to any other matcha, but I must say this tea is DELICIOUS! The smell is amazing and the taste is super sweet, and very thick. Great tea!
Preparation
Such an interesting tea, quite good flavors and a light peppery aroma.
I have been working my way through my sample pack from Obubu, and thought I would make this one today as it is so very warm and humid. I followed their recommended brewing instructions, using my kyusu to hold the entire 5 gram sample. Nice grassy fragrance to the dry leaves, and mix of leaf size as this is aracha (unsorted) tea straight from the farm.
1st steep: 30 seconds at 185F, yields a really nice light emerald green liquid, with slightly peppery aroma to the wet leaves. I can’t resist drinking this hot, saving the second steep for “iced” tea. It has a really nice vegetal taste, with more spinach flavors and grassy undertones. No kelpiness, just a real nice earthy green flavor.
2nd steep: quick 15 second steep at 185F, then poured over ice. This is truly where this tea shines. It tastes amazingly good, refreshing and ‘sparkling’ — but definitely not too sweet. It is beautifully clear, and an appealing gold-green.
I am cold brewing the remaining leaves to see if I can stretch this sample, not only because I am frugal, but because I am really liking this tea! This one is going on my shopping list…
Preparation
Another very nice tea from Obubu Tea Plantations in Kyoto. I have been drinking this today using the parameters specified by Obubu, and it makes for a very pleasant set of infusions of a very bright and lightly buttery character. Nice vegetal taste with only a slight touch of bitterness in the first steep. It doesn’t take much imagination to taste the “early summer sun shining brightly.”
A really nice healthy green taste; It goes well with food, but I am enjoying it all on it’s own!
Preparation
The aroma of the dry leaves and stems is very pleasant, with a grassy vegetal quality that is reminiscent of fresh cut hay and autumn breezes. The stems in my sample were quite prominent, and sturdier than those in the Yanagi Bancha sample I had tried previously, but the leaves were very fine, and a beautiful dark green.
Using my kyusu I did three extractions of this sample, all using approximately 3.5 ounces of water:
1st steep: 45 seconds at 180 F
2nd steep: a quick steep of only about 10 seconds at 180 F
3rd steep: 30 seconds at 180 F
The wet leaves have an amazing aroma, unlike any sencha I have tried before. An almost peppery quality like mustard greens, but this does not come through in the tea. All three infusions were of similar quality in being a bright yellow green, clear, refreshing and well balanced. There are some nice grassy undertones and a softness that is similar to many spring time pickings.
This would make a nice accompaniment to almost any meal, but is very pleasant to drink all alone. Another very nice tea from Obubu. :)
Preparation
I received my sampler from Obubu Tea and what a beautiful sampler it is. The packaging is artistically done, and all text is in Japanese, so if you may have to do a bit of detective work matching the inscriptions to translations provided on the guide provided. It is filled with different versions of Sencha, Genmaicha, and several different roasts of Houjicha. All great temptations, but I chose to start by brewing up this Bancha and am very happy I did!
Time to load up the sample into my kyusu, and take a few deep breaths of the lovely aroma of the dry leaves and stems. A bit like alfalfa hay, and a real sweetness that is hard to explain, but nice to experience.
1st steep: 30 seconds at about 190 degrees F
2nd steep: 15 seconds at about 190 degrees F
3rd steep: 30 seconds at about 190 degrees F
Now this is real aracha (http://www.obubutea.com/tea-info/aracha/), in the best way possible. It is nicely refreshing in being both mildly sweet and mildly savory. I found myself chewing on a couple of the twigs/stems just to verify this is where that fascinating sweet flavor is coming from. This may not have the refined complexities of the higher grade teas, but for me it is a really pleasant connection to the tea plantation, and I look forward to the other samples to follow!
Preparation
I’m intrigued! I have such little experience with Japanese teas, and I’ve been on the look-out for good vendors. I haven’t heard of Obubu until now, so I think some of their tea may be in my future.
My favorite Japanese tea vendors at the moment are Den’s Tea and Obubu — but I know there are other really good ones out there. I found Obubu because of their involvement with the International Tea Farms Alliance (http://www.teafarms.org/about/) that empowers worldwide tea artisans by connecting them to tea loving consumers… You have to keep us updated on your new experiences with Japanese teas. They can take you on a really amazing journey! :)
You may also want to try Hibiki-an. I bought tea from them a couple times and it was the freshest Japanese tea I’ve ever drank.They have varying degrees of leaf, from House Sencha to Sencha Super Premium, etc. Free Shipping over $36, last time I checked. A very honest, fair company with great quality teas!
Great suggestion Scott! I have heard lots of good things about Hibiki-an, and they have some great teaware that I have been lusting over. :)
Yeah, thats for sure. I ony wish I’d bought one of their Tokoname teapots, the Meteor Stream. Anyway, in 2008 it was $79, now it’s $93. I’m still consideing it, esp if I order tea from there as well. What do I mean IF I order tea from there?!
Also I believe their tea is of higher quality, so it has increased in $$ as well (of course). It is still a bargain. Have you noticed International shipping costs from Japan?!
Years ago, I tried Genmaicha and couldn’t drink it. My tastes in tea and preparation have changed since then. So I’d like to try the Genmaicha Matcha-iri from Hibiki-an too. Going to drink some tea :)………….
This tasting note really makes me want to buy a sampler from Obubu! Thanks for sharing!
A lot more savoury and less bitter than I was expecting, especially as I brewed this tea with near-boiling water. I really like this tea – it has a surprisingly strong taste for a sencha, very vegetal and buttery as you might expect, but with more umami than I would have expected. The taste becomes less rounded and more bitter as the tea cools.
Preparation
I was not expecting to like it. I read in the reviews the word “smoky” and mentally wrote this tea off. Wow, this tea makes me rethink houjichas! Deep, robust, very chocolately. So dark and yum. It’s a sweet kind of smoky likeness. I’m going to try the latte recipe on Obubu’s website. That sounds pretty delightful with heat of the summer day.
Preparation
Check out my video-review here: http://healthyprofessionals.blog.com/2011/06/05/the-tea-show-episode-9-sencha-of-the-spring-sun-obubu-tea/
