Shochu that goes with pu-erh tea
Tea and coffee
These are bottles to mix pu-erh tea into. Some of them taste of it too, and where that is the reason a bottle is here, its line says so.
Loose or bagged, brewed weak: at full strength it takes the glass over. Takara's own guide to tea-wari lists it alongside mugicha and sobacha.
Best bottles for pu-erh tea
The strongest matches in the catalogue, across every style. Everything below is the same ranking opened out by what the shochu is made from.
Fermented and dark where oolong is astringent and light, so it meets earth instead of covering it
The mushroom note in the cup and the one in the glass are the same note
sweet potato, roasted sweet potato, umami, silky
The bottle already smells of tea, and this puts more of it in the glass.
sweet potato, shiso, smooth, tea
caramel, smoky, rich, earthy
Rice shochu is light enough to let the tea lead, which is how it is drunk with dinner in Kyushu.
One of the few mixers that can go under a heavy bottle hot without the drink turning bitter
sweet potato, umami, rich, sweet
sweet potato, umami, sweet, rich
sweet potato, umami, smooth
sweet potato, umami, rich
Grouped by what the shochu is made from, because that is the level the reasoning works at: what this does to an imo shochu is a fact about imo shochu rather than about one bottle. Within each style the strongest matches come first, and bottles we pour are marked rather than promoted. The scores are the same engine that recommends a mixer from a bottle, run the other way round, but the labels are not: a bottle page badges at most twelve strong matches and at most three per family, so that the twelve describe that bottle rather than the same citrus and soda every time. Here there is no cap, so a pairing badged strong on this page can read as a good match on the bottle's own.
Imo shochu
Green tea and oolong are how shochu is drunk with dinner across Kyushu. Tea's tannin meets the earth without covering it.
The mushroom note in the cup and the one in the glass are the same note
Fermented and dark where oolong is astringent and light, so it meets earth instead of covering it
The bottle already smells of tea, and this puts more of it in the glass.
sweet potato, shiso, smooth, tea
One of the few mixers that can go under a heavy bottle hot without the drink turning bitter
sweet potato, umami, rich, sweet
Show the other 137 pu-erh tea matches
sweet potato, umami, sweet, rich
sweet potato, umami, smooth
sweet potato, umami, rich
sweet potato, umami, rich, aged
sweet potato, fruity, earthy, mineral
sweet potato, floral, fruity, umami
sweet potato, fruity, umami, rich
sweet potato, earthy, crisp, aged
sweet potato, umami, rich, aged
sweet potato, smooth, nutty, umami
sweet potato, soft, tea
Tea is in this bottle itself, not just on its nose, so this adds more of the same rather than a second flavour.
sweet potato, umami
sweet potato, umami
sweet potato, rich, smooth, umami
sweet potato, smooth, umami, light-bodied
sweet potato, earthy
There is enough weight here to stand up to a bitter or a spice without disappearing under it.
sweet potato, sweet, rich, full-bodied
sweet potato, smooth, rich, sweet
sweet potato, citrus, floral, sweet
sweet potato, floral, full-bodied
sweet potato, rich, sweet
sweet potato, fruity, silky, smooth
sweet potato, sweet, sherry-like, cask
sweet potato, apple, soft, rich
sweet potato, soft, rich, full-bodied
sweet potato, smooth, sweet
sweet potato, smooth, aged
sweet potato, milky, soft, aged
sweet potato, aged
sweet potato, smooth, rich, sweet
sweet potato, rich, full-bodied
sweet potato, whisky-like, cask
sweet potato, smooth, rich, sweet
sweet potato, rich, sweet
sweet potato, rich, full-bodied
sweet potato, smooth, rich
sweet potato, smooth, sweet
sweet potato, sweet, smooth, aged
sweet potato, yogurt, creamy texture
sweet potato, lychee, floral, fruity
sweet potato, soft, light-bodied, sweet
sweet potato, rich, full-bodied
sweet potato, tropical fruit, floral, caramel
sweet potato, citrus, floral, caramel
sweet potato, rich, purple sweet potato
sweet potato, whisky-like, aged
sweet potato, rich, crisp, soft
sweet potato, rich, soft, aged
sweet potato, rich, full-bodied, sweet
sweet potato, full-bodied, sweet
sweet potato, soft, smooth, aged
sweet potato, floral, soft, maple
sweet potato, vanilla, toast, spice
sweet potato, sweet, soft, rich
sweet potato, soft, smooth, rich
sweet potato, chocolate, sherry-like, cask
sweet potato, tropical fruit, floral, caramel
sweet potato, roasted sweet potato, aged
sweet potato, sweet, rich, full-bodied
sweet potato, tropical fruit, pepper, sweet
Earth and age bury a bottle whose whole quality is that it is clean
sweet potato, smooth, clean, aged
sweet potato, umami, soft, clean
sweet potato, smooth, soft, clean
Loose or bagged, brewed weak: at full strength it takes the glass over. Takara's own guide to tea-wari lists it alongside mugicha and sobacha.
sweet potato, crisp, bitter
sweet potato, soft, sweet
sweet potato, light-bodied, long finish
sweet potato, lychee, grape, muscat
sweet potato, fruity, soft, sweet
sweet potato, soft, dry, sweet
sweet potato, sweet, soft, light-bodied
sweet potato, fruity, soft
sweet potato, soft, dry, sweet
sweet potato, berry, soft, sweet
sweet potato, roasted grain
sweet potato, smooth, toast
sweet potato, spice, sweet
sweet potato, melon, banana, sweet
sweet potato, citrus, fruity, mint
sweet potato, funky
sweet potato, light-bodied, dry, aged
sweet potato, soft, light-bodied, sweet
sweet potato, fruity
sweet potato, soft, sweet
sweet potato, tropical fruit, floral, smooth
sweet potato, pear, grassy, light-bodied
sweet potato, roasted sweet potato, roasted grain, sweet
sweet potato, white peach, grape, berry
sweet potato, roasted sweet potato, sweet
sweet potato, crisp
sweet potato, soft, sweet
sweet potato, crisp, sweet
sweet potato, smooth
sweet potato, smooth
sweet potato, smooth, sweet, long finish
sweet potato, tropical fruit, spice, light-bodied
sweet potato, smoky, rich, long finish
The flowers in this bottle are delicate enough that a tannic or savoury mixer simply erases them.
Dark fermented tea dulls a bright bottle
sweet potato, sweet, clean, rich
sweet potato, pear, grassy, rich
sweet potato, pineapple, maple, mineral
sweet potato, rich, clean, sweet
sweet potato, smooth, rich, light-bodied
sweet potato, tropical fruit, bright, aged
sweet potato, spice, clean, sharp
sweet potato, roasted sweet potato, rich, clean
sweet potato, vanilla, creamy texture, bright
sweet potato, clean, aged
sweet potato, lychee, chocolate, bright
Kome shochu
Rice shochu is light enough to let the tea lead, which is how it is drunk with dinner in Kyushu.
rice, soft, umami, rich
rice, umami, crisp, sweet
Show the other 55 pu-erh tea matches
rice, vanilla, smooth, cask
rice, vanilla, smooth, sweet
rice, rich, aged
rice, soft, rich, aged
rice, citrus, dried fruit, floral
rice, banana, vanilla, chocolate
rice, smooth, aged, cask
rice, smooth, rich
rice, vanilla, caramel, chocolate
rice, soft, smoky, creamy texture
rice, aged, cask, smooth
rice, ginjo-like, floral, aged
rice, floral, smooth, soft
rice, soft, light-bodied, aged
rice, light-bodied, cask
rice, light-bodied, dry, aged
rice, vanilla, smooth, fruity
rice, floral, fruity, smooth
rice, vanilla, cask, aged
rice, melon, vanilla, toast
rice, steamed rice, citrus, pineapple
rice, citrus, apple, pineapple
rice, smooth, crisp, aged
rice, pear, jasmine, light-bodied
rice, cask, aged
rice, smooth, light-bodied, sweet
Mugi shochu
Oolong-hai and green tea highballs are izakaya staples, and barley is clean enough to let the tea lead.
Fermented and dark where oolong is astringent and light, so it meets earth instead of covering it
The bottle already smells of tea, and this puts more of it in the glass.
barley, earthy, mineral, pepper
One of the few mixers that can go under a heavy bottle hot without the drink turning bitter
barley, chocolate, earthy, smooth
barley, umami, rich, sweet
Show the other 82 pu-erh tea matches
barley, umami, rich, aged
barley, umami, rich, sharp
barley, rice, umami
barley, rice, umami
The mushroom note in the cup and the one in the glass are the same note
barley, vanilla, chocolate, nutty
barley, umami, light-bodied
There is enough weight here to stand up to a bitter or a spice without disappearing under it.
barley, rich, full-bodied, cask
Loose or bagged, brewed weak: at full strength it takes the glass over. Takara's own guide to tea-wari lists it alongside mugicha and sobacha.
barley, smooth, crisp, aged
barley, tropical fruit, light-bodied
barley, smooth, rich, light-bodied
barley, pear, soft, spice
barley, smooth, long finish, aged
barley, rich, crisp
barley, smoky, soft, cask
barley, smooth, rich, aged
barley, smooth, rich, aged
barley, smooth, rich, whisky-like
barley, vanilla, spice, cask
barley, honey, chocolate, spice
barley, roasted grain
barley, sesame, grassy, chocolate
barley, caramel, rich, sweet
barley, toast, savory, rich
barley, toast, rich, light-bodied
barley, smooth, crisp, cask
barley, toast, spice, rich
barley, chocolate, coffee, rich
barley, smooth, dry
barley, white peach, cherry, soft
barley, soft, chocolate, toast
barley, banana, toast
barley, pear, banana, bread
barley, caramel, chocolate, smoky
barley, cask, aged
barley, jasmine, honey, vanilla
barley, toast, light-bodied, sweet
barley, soft, silky, smooth
barley, soft, cask, aged
barley, smooth, crisp, aged
barley, rich, cask, aged
barley, crisp, light-bodied, fruity
barley, toast, cereal, rich
barley, fruity, light-bodied
barley, vanilla, nutty, toast
barley, cask, aged
barley, banana, berry, bread
barley, dry, cask, aged
Earth and age bury a bottle whose whole quality is that it is clean
Dark fermented tea dulls a bright bottle
barley, melon, banana, floral
barley, apple, pineapple, creamy texture
Awamori
Oolong and jasmine both belong to the same Chinese-adjacent kitchen awamori grew up in.
Fermented and dark where oolong is astringent and light, so it meets earth instead of covering it
One of the few mixers that can go under a heavy bottle hot without the drink turning bitter
umami, rich, full-bodied, cask
rice, smooth, maple, umami
There is enough weight here to stand up to a bitter or a spice without disappearing under it.
Show the other 92 pu-erh tea matches
rice, pear, caramel, rich
rice, smooth, savory, aged
rice, cherry, vanilla, chocolate
rice, citrus, cereal, aged
rice, smooth, rich, sweet
rice, soft, smooth, rich
rice, smooth, rich, sweet
rice, soft, rich, sweet
rice, smooth, sweet
rice, soft, aged
rice, smooth, rich, sweet
rice, caramel, chocolate, crisp
rice, sweet, smooth, rich
rice, smooth, soft, aged
rice, sweet, crisp, smooth
rice, roasted grain, aged
rice, smooth, sweet
rice, smooth, sweet
rice, citrus, roasted grain, sweet
rice, sherry-like, aged
rice, soft, smooth
rice, citrus, vanilla, chocolate
rice, steamed rice, soft, caramel
rice, sweet, soft, smooth
rice, smooth, sweet, aged
rice, smooth, crisp, aged
rice, smooth, sweet, oily
rice, sweet, rich, full-bodied
rice, vanilla, funky, creamy texture
rice, citrus, tropical fruit, vanilla
rice, nutty, dry, aged
Dark fermented tea dulls a bright bottle
Earth and age bury a bottle whose whole quality is that it is clean
Loose or bagged, brewed weak: at full strength it takes the glass over. Takara's own guide to tea-wari lists it alongside mugicha and sobacha.
rice, light-bodied, sweet
rice, umami, clean, light-bodied
Soba shochu
Roasted tea and buckwheat are one flavour from two plants. Hojicha and soba-yu are the same instinct.
Fermented and dark where oolong is astringent and light, so it meets earth instead of covering it
buckwheat, nutty, earthy, vanilla
One of the few mixers that can go under a heavy bottle hot without the drink turning bitter
Loose or bagged, brewed weak: at full strength it takes the glass over. Takara's own guide to tea-wari lists it alongside mugicha and sobacha.
Show the other 4 pu-erh tea matches
buckwheat, barley, rice
Kokuto shochu
Tea and coffee meet the molasses in the bottle rather than arguing with it, and the darker the cup the better it holds.
One of the few mixers that can go under a heavy bottle hot without the drink turning bitter
kokuto, soft, light-bodied, sweet
There is enough weight here to stand up to a bitter or a spice without disappearing under it.
kokuto, chocolate, nutty, sweet
Show the other 19 pu-erh tea matches
kokuto, rich, long finish, aged
kokuto, smooth, smoky, cask
kokuto, smooth, cask, aged
Loose or bagged, brewed weak: at full strength it takes the glass over. Takara's own guide to tea-wari lists it alongside mugicha and sobacha.
kokuto, molasses, vanilla, spice
kokuto, vanilla, spice, cask
Kasutori, chestnut and other bases
Tea is in this bottle itself, not just on its nose, so this adds more of the same rather than a second flavour.
One of the few mixers that can go under a heavy bottle hot without the drink turning bitter
barley, smooth, honey, vanilla
There is enough weight here to stand up to a bitter or a spice without disappearing under it.
smooth, rich, full-bodied, sweet
Korui, the continuous-still shochu
Oolong-hai and green tea-hai are this bottle's job. The tea is the drink; the shochu is the proof behind it.
Loose or bagged, brewed weak: at full strength it takes the glass over. Takara's own guide to tea-wari lists it alongside mugicha and sobacha.