Kobataen

Ujitawara, Kyoto

Founded in the 1700s in Ujitawara, a hillside town at the heart of Kyoto’s Uji tea region, Kobataen is a tea maker shaped by centuries of quiet refinement. Now led by Hyo Morita, the 12th-generation tea master, Kobataen devotes its craft to the appraisal, selection, blending, and care of exceptional Uji teas, guided by an intimate understanding of tea and by a practice of listening to what the leaves and each harvest reveal. This work unfolds through close dialogue with farmers he has trusted for decades.

Kyoto is where tea culture was refined, and Uji is where its highest standards were set. Within that lineage, Kobataen pursues depth over scale. Its matcha reflects the accumulated knowledge and heritage of Uji, an origin long revered for its clarity, balance, and profound umami. Kobataen is not simply from Uji; it is part of the tradition that defines what Uji tea means.

Henry: I first met the export manager from Kobataen in 2020 on a Zoom call arranged by JETRO, the Japanese government's trade agency. Because it was COVID, all of the food and beverage shows that JETRO organized went online. I met with five to ten tea companies, through my own research as well, but I kept thinking about Kobataen because of their long history and location in Ujitawara. Uji is Kyoto's tea-making region, essentially, being in Kyoto prefecture and forty minutes from Kyoto City by car or train. There was also almost no information about Kobataen, just a very basic website with a photo of an old hut for the tea ceremony. I had been to old, remote huts like this to receive the tea ceremony so I felt this was a sacred place.

Looking past the commercial image of today's Kyoto and matcha, Kyoto is the center of the tea ceremony, "Cha no yu" or "Sado." Kyoto is home to the Omotesenke and Urasenke schools of tea ceremony which trace their origins to Sen no Rikyu, the founding figure of the Japanese tea ceremony, influenced by Zen principles. So, I really wanted matcha from Uji to provide this prestigious product. In late 2024, I restarted the email chain from four years earlier and was greeted by the new sales manager and the owner, Morita-san. I visited them in May, 2025 and, in January, 2026, we launched Kobataen matcha. When we are ready, we will import their gyokuro, another prized product.

In the wine world, "estate" bottled wine is more valued than "negotiant" wine because the wine is made at the vineyard. In the Japanese tea industry, there are "soil-to-cup" tea makers, but they are often larger, more commercial companies. Even these companies contract with farmers, matcha grinders, or other experts in their specific field. The tea company's expertise then focuses on appraisal, selection, blending, and quality control of tea and the entire process. High-end tea stores, department stores, performers of tea ceremony, restaurants, and hotels rely on these experts and these relationships on selection, packaging, or other last steps. We are grateful to be working with Morita-san and Kobataen, such experts in Uji tea.

Founded as a tea farm in the 1700s, Kobataen is now managed by Mr. Hyo Morita, the 12th generation of the Morita family. "Kobataen," means "old field garden." Over centuries, as Kobataen grew, tending to old fields and new, they expanded tea production, as well. Like other tea makers, they found it impossible to do everything well and decided to focus on advising farmers to whom they sold fields, evaluating tea from start to finish, blending, storage, packaging, and sales. By the mid-1900's, Kobataen was no longer growing tea and had become a highly respected maker of matcha, gyokuro, and sencha. Kobataen also developed deep relationships in its hometown of Ujitawara, in the southern hills a few kilometers from Uji City. Ujitawara is known for super-premium matcha.

Mr. Hyo Morita, 12th generation owner and tea master

The 12th generation president, Hyo Morita assumed leadership more than thirty years ago. He is a licensed tea appraiser and instructor, and a licensed oolong tea instructor. He engages in every step of tea making, from contracting with farmers, tasting, evaluating, and advising during growing and harvesting, evaluating harvested tea, collaborating with local "kilns" on drying, selecting tencha to be ground into matcha by local experts, and selecting, blending, storing, and packaging matcha. He oversees last steps again when re-ordering to achieve the highest level of freshness and quality.