Obubu Tea

Smoky with a faint sweetness in the back of the throat. Toasty tasty. Not a favorite, but very glad I received enough for several cups. Might buy more!

This was the second piece of my December Obubu CSA shipment. Fresh from the minute I opened the pouch to the instant I whisked and drank it. It’s got the trademark bitter leaf taste that is, well, matcha, but it’s not so bitter or flat that it makes you want to set your cup or bowl down. Sweetest variety of matcha I’ve yet tried that wasn’t labeled as ceremonial grade. Nice emerald color, not as chalky as restaurant grades. Love it.
I was able to put some pics and more thoughts on my blog, with a picture of the yanagi bancha leaves as they were steeping (the other part of the shipment). http://bit.ly/ufFqKX
I actually brought my tin of Gokou Matcha with me to the office to enjoy as a mid-afternoon pick-me-up. It’s that refreshing, at least for this matcha fan.

This was part of my December Obubu CSA Club shipment, along with a sample of Gokou matcha (which smells fantastic). This is a lovely everyday green, the flavor is much sweeter than I was expecting from a tea grade described as being “low” – not as buttery as the other grades of sencha, but still that vegetal “hearty” green tea flavor that steeps into a pleasing bright yellow. I got two great steeps out of my first pot.

The dry leaf is also fun, light greens and dark greens and twigs here and there – a sign that it’s fresh. Reminds me of childhood when my grandfather farmed hay and made handmade brooms. Will hopefully get a pic on my blog up soon.

Once again, a well-crafted tea, even if it’s just a ‘lowly’ bancha. Very grateful that Obubu has made their teas available via the CSA club.

Very light tea. Rebrews 3 times. It has a nice sweetness. Not as complex as I usually like, just straightforward tasting. I used up my whole sample, I might have liked the boiling brewing, since I think the warm water method didn’t make it strong enough for my tastebuds. It has a white tea lightness.

I made this gongfu style so take that into account. I wanted to try it this way as I was trying other teas today like so.

It’s good. I like it. The taste is hard to describe. It’s pleasantly sweet and reminds me of barley. It’s light but with a lingering finish, mostly on the front of the tongue.

While I am trading most of my ITFA teas (not that they’re bad, they have all been great quality! Just not favorites for me), I think I’m going to keep this one. Thankfully the sample is huge in this tea club and it’ll last me near forever :D

I definitely suggest trying it if you get the chance!

On first sip I don’t think I like this at all. The smell is very much a burnt smell. A sweet light burnt taste with it.

I can see how others may like it but I cannot stand it.

I prefer this brewed with the Standard method, not so think on the tongue. GREAT WITH SUSHI!

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!

Compared to the spring and summer, I didn’t like this like this tea as much. Lots of twigs, so I was interested in the flavor. I felt it was more bitter than the other samples I’ve had so far. Grassy. It was just simple.

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.

I don’t know why I’ve been drinking this so much. I guess I’ve been it the mood for something toasty. I added a pinch of vanilla honeybush and it took on a vaguely chocolate taste. Vanilla Is awesome.
Oh no! My cup is empty! Time for a refill. :)

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.

Now I know why this tastes so familiar! This tastes like roasted barley tea!

Still good!

Warm and toasty. There’s a spicy flavor. Cardamon? Nutmeg? Very smooth and relaxing.

I love how the leaves look like the stuff you find on the forest floor. It taste far more refined than it looks.

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.

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!

No notes yet.

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!

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…

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!

No notes yet.

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. :)