ABOUT
ABOUT TOBI-EN
We are a young company based here in Uji, the center for green tea production since ancient times. We focus only on the best tea out there, no matter if the tea is made from organic tea fields or standard cultivated tea fields. You can be ensured that the green tea you get with us is always fresh and always the best tea available at the time you place your order with us. The green tea does not come from only one source, we sample different teas so we can have always the best green tea for our customers.
We stand with our name for superior category green tea which is obtained directly from trusted tea farmers only in Uji, directly from Japan. The tea is solely produced by conventional harvesting and traditional processing methods. No middleman, no extra costs for you. All of our teas come from well-known tea farmers and producers. In our store, we almost only have the first tea harvest in spring (First Flush tea) and most of our teas come in limited quantities.
Fresh sprout on in early April in Uji
In the end you buy some tea that costs you not more than what you would pay in a tea store back home. But you can be certain that the tea is of superior quality, fresh and comes from trusted sources. You don’t have to worry how long the tea has already been on a store shelf, how the tea was handled and whether you will really get unspoiled green tea from Uji.
GREEN TEA FROM UJI
The highest quality green tea leaves are essential to brew the perfect cup of green tea. And these quality leaves we find in Uji. The Uji region is the most distinct tea-producing region of Japan, historically and culturally.
To make the perfect cup of green tea, you need, besides good water, high-quality green tea leaves. These you can find in Uji, a small town, located just a little bit outside of Kyoto, the old capital of Japan. Since ancient times Uji is well known for its craftmanship regarding green tea production. Uji is blessed with the quality of soil and surroundings needed for one of Japan’s most famous products, green tea. Here in Uji where the green tea production in Japan has its roots, we still find the most superior green tea in Japan.
Shirasu and Ishitera tea plantations in Wazuka
ICHI-GO ICHI-E
There is a very well-known four-character idiom in Japan: 一期一会, “Ichi-go ichi-e’”, which means roughly translated, “once in a lifetime”. Everything in life, is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, so you should cherish the fact that any moment in life cannot be repeated. The same stands true for our green tea. Our goal is it, that you will have such a unique experience with our tea.
This is what we want to provide for our customers. We would also like to transport the spirit of the classical tea ceremony shaped mostly by Sen no Rikyu (historical figure and tea master for the shogun), who pursued rustic and simple aesthetics. Therefore, less is sometimes more. We try to implement that into the presentation of our products so it will reach our customers.
ABOUT ME
Long before moving to Japan, I was always enjoying a cup of green tea to relax. Green tea was not the first tea I ever had but green tea was the tea that made me interested in Japan in the first place. During my high school years, I started drinking more and more tea and especially Japanese green tea. I literally couldn’t get enough of it, and was always looking for some good tea, but affordable and delicious tea was not easy to find.
I visited Japan for the first time in 2005, and here in Uji, I drank my first true green tea. During this time, I realized what real green tea must taste like. Even the cheap ones taste better than any tea I had back home. Especially the exclusive qualities were a delight and definitely not a comparison to what I used to drink at home.
I really got to know tea in the years I was working in the oldest tea stores in Japan. During these 8 years, I had the privilege to meet many people from all over the world with whom I shared plenty of interesting conversations. Through these experiences, I understood that I wanted to make products, as good as the tea from Uji, more easily available to people. Not everyone can simply come to Japan, to Uji, just to buy its tea from a local store. Bringing the product to them (to you) is my ambition.
And one thing I learned is that tea is not meant to be strict and complicated. There are so many teas and even more ways to prepare and enjoy a cup of tea. The essential thing concerning making delicious tea, is having some good tea leaves and the rest is up to you. You make your own tea, for your own taste at the time you feel like having tea. There is basically no right or wrong when you prepare your own tea, because tastes are, like people, different.
Let us help you find the perfect tea for you!
Thank you for your interest in my company and our products. We wish you to have the best experience with our products and hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
TOBIAS BAER and TEAM TOBI-EN