Gabriel

New perspectives of Japanese tea to the world featuring our board of advisory - Matsu Yasuharu of @obubuteafarms @ikedokitea @global_japanese_tea . 📍filmed on location - Wazuka town, Kyoto Prefecture Creative Direction and Videography by Takeshi Hayakawa @22phottt 🎥 Ethnography research and interview by Gabriel Coren @gibblegobbles #gentleartefacts #matcha #obubutea #obubuteafarms #japantea #ujimatcha #farmtotable #wazuka #kyototravel #japanesetea #fieldnotes

Gentle Artefacts - The R&D Lab at Index became an in-depth exchange between Matsushita-san and a diverse group of open-mined (and hearted) attendees—from avid tea drinkers to Japanophiles, creatives, culinary professionals, and the culturally curious in general. Over the past month, Matsushita-san and we have been remediating our experiences and encounters from these sessions, drawing out insights to guide us as we develop the concrete steps to take to introduce these novel tea and sake expressions into the U.S. market—while working closely with future partners and collaborators along the way. It’s been a deeply supportive and exciting space to be in as this next chapter—for Matsushitaen Tea Farms and for Gentle Artefacts—begins to evolve. As we anchor and then initiate the rollout of these emerging tea/sake products, we’ll continue sharing glimpses of the research and development that’s shaping what’s ahead and to come. Our vision of connecting the recent past to the present and the present to the near future—through agriculture, craft, and technical innovations forged in collaboration with living nature—has taken us down a rabbit hole. Each step has been eye-opening but also clarifying in purpose. The three producer visits we’ve hosted over the past few months have left us more inspired than ever and resolute in our vision for forging an unconventional yet authentically and deeply spirited path forward. Alongside farmers, we’ve also been connecting with designers, thinkers, artists, and culturalists in the same breath. While the commercial side is important, it’s the moments of dialogue, curiosity, and shared discovery that continue to shape the foundation of what we are building. Special thanks to @thelibiproject @omer.kaplan.studio @brooklyn_misomaru @annn.nyc @averyy.dvd Most importantly to our team of talented translators and support system @ayanoishimura @taikifukui @lulumarine 💚

Japanese tea as a living craft. Our recent R&D Tasting Lab, featuring 7th generation Shizuokan tea farmer, Yoshiharu Matsushita, explored how innovation and tradition can coexist within craft-scale agriculture today—from soil science and macrobiome cultivation to experimental fermentation and distillation techniques in the service of emerging beverage categories. Matsushita-san, whose organic family tea farm is situated in the storied tea producing region of Kakegawa, Shizuoka, has been a pioneer of novel approaches to tea culture and agriculture for generations. As his traditional (albeit organic!) Japan teas have earned his family and a farm a reputation for quality and excellence both domestically and globally, Matsushita-san continues to dream of the possiblities for tea both today and far into the future. For years, he’s been tinkering with the idea of transposing the flavor and aroma of first-rate Japan tea into bottled form. From this itch, he founded and built the Tea Aroma Research Center on his family’s farm, and he’s developed a suite of innovative methods for transforming traditional Japan tea into both sparkling and sake-based sparkling formats. Gentle Artefacts is honored to accompany him as he introduces his approach to tea, sake, and the senses to U.S. audiences for the first time. Through guided tastings and open dialogue, Matsushita-san led participants at the R&D Tasting Lab to explore the challenges and opportunities facing independent tea producers in Japan today—and discovered how new ideas, experimental practices, and technical innovations can reinterpret and transform longstanding agricultural philosophy. 📷 @omer.kaplan.studio

In late February, we gathered at @index_space in an intimate setting to share tea and stories. Presented by Libi Project in collaboration with Gentle Artefacts and Matsushita Organic Tea Farms, the tasting lab brought together members of NYC’s F&B, culinary, and creative community for a guided exploration of contemporary Japanese tea led by Yoshiharu Matsushita. Through tasting and conversation, guests experienced new expressions of tea and matcha while learning about the evolving craft and philosophy behind tea farming today. For the culinary collaboration, we partnered with Kiyomi-san of @brooklyn_misomaru and @annn.nyc on a simple yet deeply comforting pairing of rice, miso soup and white bean paste dessert ( wagashi ). designed to accompany the tea tasting experience.A gathering around the future of Japanese tea. An evening of tasting, dialogue, and learning around tea as a living craft. Food collaboration supported by @brooklyn_misomaru @thelibiproject Photography @omer.kaplan.studio 🍵

Japanese Tea Tasting — Evening Edition with @usal.project 🍵 In partnership with @bonstudionyc and together with our friends from @rakuen.nyc , we hosted an intimate evening of tea tasting, conversation, and cultural exchange. Guests enjoyed a curated selection of pastries thoughtfully crafted with freshly brewed tea flavors, creating a beautiful dialogue between tea and dessert. It was especially meaningful to welcome our producer partner Matsushitaen from Japan, who joined us to share both his family’s traditional teas and his innovative sparkling tea creation. The evening became a social and educational gathering — a chance to connect over craftsmanship, stories from the farm, and the evolving future of Japanese tea. Photography @austinaubry 📷

What a pleasure to host Yoshiharu Matsushita of Matsushitaen Organic Tea Farms, from Kakegawa Shizuoka, here in NYC for his first visit! We are grateful to @bonstudionyc @index_space @thelibiproject and @usal.project (especially @carligordon_ and @bryanaschuyler ) for their generosity in sponsoring our R&D tasting events. And we were delighted to collaborate with @brooklyn_misomaru and @rakuen.nyc to pair Matsushita-sans teas with complimentary aromas and flavors through their original (and beautiful) culinary creations. Aside from events, this is just a snapshot of the BTS spots and sites we explored with our guest, taking him to see how Japanese culinary culture is finding expression in NYC today while conducting tastings of his novel sparkling teas with experts and friends across the city. For their warmth and hospitality we thank @tadaima_ny @inpursuitoftea @million.goods @thirdsbk @brooklynkura @empiricalspirits @rodrigonincao @kettltea @kinjo.nyc and everyone who facilitated, participated, and supported! @averyy.dvd @taikifukui @austinaubry @lulumarine @ayanoishimura !

An intimate evening of tea, lineage, and experimentation. @usal.project and @gentleartefacts invite you to a guided tea tasting with 7th-generation tea farmer and brewer, Yoshiharu Matsushita. From traditional preparations rooted in heritage to sake-based and sparkling expressions developed over the last few years , this is a rare opportunity to experience tea at its source — and at its edge. Small curated pairings from @rakuen.nyc . Shared Tea and Open conversation. Limited seats remaining. RSVP via link in bio.

Celebrating Valentine’s weekend with art, makers, and community 🤍 
Join us at @bonstudionyc for the Art Exhibition × Market Edition. 
We’ll be pouring tea and matcha lattes all weekend — stop by our cozy corner and share a cup with us. In addition to our teas and goods, We are releasing a new premium Samidori Matcha can from our Kyoto producer series this weekend! Samidori matcha cans will be sold online next week and available first on site this weekend :)

Join Gentle Artefacts and The Libi Project for an R&D Tasting Lab led by Yoshiharu Matsushita, a 7th‑generation tea farmer and sake‑brewing innovator visiting NYC from Kakegawa, Shizuoka. Through guided tastings, unreleased tea and sake‑adjacent beverages, and open conversation, this multi‑sensory afternoon invites early adopters and industry peers to engage Japanese tea as a living, evolving craft—grounded in terroir, experimentation, and centuries‑old farming philosophies. Register at the link in bio!

Producer feature for our upcoming Culinary Industry Night on 2/1 at @thirdsbk featuring @gentleartefacts , founded by @iamsabrinali & @gibblegobbles Gentle Artefacts blends Japanese tea with ethnographic storytelling, using research, fieldwork, and lived experience to document the people, practices, and cultural contexts behind tea. Through multidisciplinary collaborations, they foster creative connections across fashion, agriculture, design, and visual arts. Positioned as both a lifestyle brand and creative collective, their work emphasizes process and craft practices, moving beyond conventional boundaries of culture, medium, and discipline. This practice extends into on-the-ground fieldwork documenting tea farmers in Japan, most recently during spring harvest in Wazuka, Uji, Kyoto. You can explore their field notes on their website, and come chat with them at Industry Night about this work :) Ticket link in bio!

December Recap / Thank you to everyone who joined us at @kinjo.nyc omakase counter, shared a cup, asked thoughtful questions, and experienced the teas from Ooyamaseichaen. A special thank you to Yoshitaka Ooyama for bringing generations of tea knowledge (and sound) into the room, and to Kinjo for the care, precision, and hospitality in every pairing. And @million.goods , thank you for creating a space that feels like home — and to everyone who stopped by, supported a small tea startup, picked up gifts, and shared kind words during the holidays. Your support truly means more than you know and our producers and us are truly grateful. As we head into the new year, we carry these moments with us — warm cups, shared tables and a growing community rooted in curiosity and care. You can look forward to our tea stocked in more locations and more in person producer community events and unique teas from us in the new year as we take the time to reflect on our journey these 6 months. 🍵✨

Wrapping up the year the best way we know how 🤍🍃 sharing tea. Our final week of events with our tea partners was one for the books. Part 1 of our recap 🍵 Dec 6 | Dumbo, NYC – Shop the Studio and An afternoon tea event with Kinjo, followed by a panel conversation featuring Carli Gordon of @thelibiproject , Ooyama-san (@ooyamasachaen ), and Matsu-san (Ikedoki, Obubu Farm & @global_japanese_tea ). Dec 8 | Evening An evening with friends at Columbia Tea Club. Grateful for every cup shared, your stories, and the community that makes this all possible 🍵 Special thanks to our supporting partners @kinjo.nyc @columbiateaclub @thelibiproject @dumbo_brooklyn @kasama.studio @sominkang_ceramics