Japan 9: A Tea Farm and a St. Michael's College grad.

Cameron Laliberte  

On Friday, May 15th, the group traveled to Wazuka, Soraku-Gun, Kyoto, Japan, to tour the Obubu Tea Farm. We met founder Hirokazu Matsumoto, staff member Katrina Wild, and SMC alum David (DJ) Tetreault, who guided us through the tea farm and led a tasting. We began in the tea fields, sampling our first tea: Houjicha, a roasted sencha of the Yabukita cultivar. This tea, picked at the end of spring, is grown in open fields and brewed at 5-10 °C or 90-100 °C. As we drank, DJ described the harvest and cultivation methods. 

 

Tea trees are maintained to stay in a small perennial hedge form. The tea harvest season starts in the spring, and there are generally 3-4 harvesting periods: Winter harvest (Kyobancha), Spring harvest (Ichibancha), Summer Harvest (Nibancha), and Autumn harvest (Sanbancha). Between harvests and in preparation for the harvest season, they use special handheld machines to trim and shape the hedges. Keeping the tea trees in their hedge form also ensures optimal height and leaf growth. 

 

Next, we headed down to the factory where we tried another tea and learned about the different machines they use to process the various tea leaves and how they know when the tea leaves are at their final stage. 

 

After that, we headed to the tasting room, where an Obubu intern gave us a presentation on the various teas they grow and the cultivation conditions required for each. There are three main kinds of tea: green tea (non-oxidized), Oolong (semi-oxidized), and black (fully oxidized). There are two ways to cultivate tea trees: Roji (Open field) and Kabuse (Shaded). The first tea we learned about is Genmaicha, a Yabukita cultivar, cultivated in open fields. The tea is processed like a sencha and mixed with roasted rice, and brewed at 90-100 °C. 

 

At each table, selected students were able to brew and pour the different teas. The first tea we brewed was a Kabuse Sencha, which comes from the Yabukita cultivar, is shaded for 2 weeks, then undergoes sencha processing, and can be brewed at 0 °C, 5-10 °C, or 60-70 °C. At this time, DJ also discussed traditional Japanese teaware for brewing, the Houhin and the kyusu; the kyusu has a perpendicular side handle, which makes it versatile and easy to pour, especially when brewing at high temperatures; however, this does make it the heavier option. The Houhin is the handleless version of the kyusu and is often used for more delicate teas that are brewed at lower temperatures. The higher the water temperature, the greater the extraction of taste will be for both bitter and sweet. 

 

We learned about 4 different brewing methods: Hot, 90-100 °C for 20-30 seconds; Warm, 60-70 °C for 60-90 seconds; Cold, 5-10 °C for 1 hour-overnight; and Ice, 0 °C, brewed for 30min-1hr. The second tea we brewed was the Japanese black tea, or Wakoucha, from the cultivar Zairai. It's harvested in the summer, in open fields, and processing includes withering, rolling, oxidation, and drying. The tea is brewed at 5-10 °C or 90-100 °C. Each time, the brewer would pour a little tea into each cup and repeat, ensuring the tea's flavor profile was evenly distributed. 

 

Lastly, we learned about Okumidori Matcha, an Okumidori cultivar, harvested in the spring. The tea is shaded for 4 weeks, processed into matcha, and is brewed at 60-70 °C or 90-100 °C. Our matcha powder was first added to room-temperature water, and the brewers gently mixed it, breaking up any clumps. After which, the hot water was added, and the Chasen (bamboo matcha whisk) was used in an M or W pattern to mix the matcha until fully emulsified with the water, with a foamy top. 

 

We wrapped up the day at the gift shop, buying a variety of Obubu Teas. It was great to support their farm and buy directly from them! This was an incredible experience to learn about tea farming especially from an alumni and learn about post grad opportunities like being an Obubu Tea Farm Intern.