Shochu that goes with sobacha (roasted buckwheat tea)

Tea and coffee

Roasted buckwheat, in any Japanese grocery, hot or cold. In a soba restaurant the same serve is made with soba-yu, the starchy water the noodles were boiled in, which is thicker and cannot be bought.

Best bottles for sobacha (roasted buckwheat 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.

Mannen Boshi 'Genshu' Barley ShochuMugi (barley) · Miyazaki

Sobacha (roasted buckwheat tea): Oolong-hai and green tea highballs are on every izakaya menu, and barley is clean enough to let the tea lead.

Naka Naka Barley ShochuMugi (barley) · Miyazaki

barley, honey, caramel, chocolate

NakanakaMugi (barley) · Miyazaki

barley, chocolate, toast, pepper

Nakanaka 'Pretty' Barley ShochuMugi (barley) · Miyazaki

barley, chocolate, toast, pepper

Yokaichi Mugi Honkaku Barley ShochuMugi (barley)

barley, buckwheat, banana, berry

Aka Oni Shochu Red Devil 12Mugi (barley) · Miyazaki

barley, earthy, mineral, pepper

Aokage 'Forty-One Genshu - Throughbred Stallion' Barley ShochuMugi (barley) · Miyazaki

barley, sesame, caramel, chocolate

Ark JakuunbakuMugi (barley) · Fukuoka

barley, roasted barley, chestnut, vanilla

Asahi MannenboshiMugi (barley) · Miyazaki

barley, chocolate, umami, smooth

Chingu Black Iki Barley ShochuMugi (barley) · Nagasaki

barley, rice, chocolate, earthy

Chingu White Iki Barley ShochuMugi (barley) · Nagasaki

barley, rice, tropical fruit, light-bodied

Fukiage Kura Cask Reserve ShochuMugi (barley) · Kagoshima

barley, smooth, rich, light-bodied

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 and anything poured at our bar come first. The ranking is the same engine that recommends a mixer from a bottle, run the other way round.

Mugi shochu

Oolong-hai and green tea highballs are on every izakaya menu, and barley is clean enough to let the tea lead.

Mannen Boshi 'Genshu' Barley ShochuMugi (barley) · MiyazakiStart with Sobacha (roasted buckwheat tea), Genmaicha Naka Naka Barley ShochuMugi (barley) · MiyazakiStart with Sobacha (roasted buckwheat tea), Coffee (cold brew)NakanakaMugi (barley) · MiyazakiStart with Sobacha (roasted buckwheat tea), Coffee (cold brew)Nakanaka 'Pretty' Barley ShochuMugi (barley) · MiyazakiStart with Sobacha (roasted buckwheat tea), Coffee (cold brew)Yokaichi Mugi Honkaku Barley ShochuMugi (barley)Start with Sobacha (roasted buckwheat tea), Genmaicha Aka Oni Shochu Red Devil 12Mugi (barley) · MiyazakiStart with Mugicha (barley tea), Genmaicha

50 more, all of them in Mugi shochu

Imo shochu

Green tea and oolong are how shochu is drunk with dinner across Kyushu. Tea's tannin meets the earth without covering it.

Kuro Kirishima ShochuPouredImo (sweet potato) · MiyazakiStart with Pu-erh tea, Kurozu (Kagoshima black vinegar)Satsuma Kuradashi Genshu ShochuPouredImo (sweet potato) · KagoshimaStart with Mugicha (barley tea), Daidai (bitter orange)Kirishima Melt 15yr ShochuPouredImo (sweet potato) · MiyazakiStart with Ginger beer, Daidai (bitter orange)

18 more, all of them in Imo shochu

Soba shochu

Roasted tea and buckwheat are one flavour from two plants. Hojicha and soba-yu are the same instinct.

Soba Unkai ShochuPouredSoba (buckwheat) · Miyazaki (Gokase)Start with Sobacha (roasted buckwheat tea), Hojicha Towari Soba ShochuPouredSoba (buckwheat) · KyotoStart with Ginger beer, Kurozu (Kagoshima black vinegar)

1 more, all of them in Soba shochu

Awamori

Oolong and jasmine both belong to the same Chinese-adjacent kitchen awamori grew up in.

Zuisen "Hakuryu" Kusu AwamoriAwamori · OkinawaStart with Ginger beer, Daidai (bitter orange)Chuko Ryukyu AwamoriPouredAwamori · Okinawa (Naha)Start with Pu-erh tea, Black pepper Seifuku Vintage AwamoriPouredAwamori · Okinawa (Ishigaki)Start with Pu-erh tea, Daidai (bitter orange)Zuisen Hiryu AwamoriPouredAwamori · Okinawa (Naha)Start with Pu-erh tea, Yuzu kosho Zuisen Kouryu AwamoriPouredAwamori · Okinawa (Naha)Start with Ginger ale, Black tea (Earl Grey)Kumejima's KumesenPouredAwamori · Okinawa (Kumejima)Start with Lemon soda (ramune, Sanpellegrino), Hyuganatsu

22 more, all of them in Awamori

Kome shochu

Rice shochu with green tea is an ordinary Kyushu dinner order, not a novelty.

MotokoKome (rice) · MiyazakiStart with Oolong tea, Green tea (sencha)Kiuchi Rice Shochu ClassicPouredKome (rice) · IbarakiStart with Oolong tea, Black tea (Earl Grey)

19 more, all of them in Kome shochu

Kokuto shochu

Coffee and black tea meet the molasses in the bottle rather than arguing with it.

Amami Kokuto ShochuPouredKokuto (brown sugar) · Kagoshima (Amami)Start with Ginger beer, Pineapple Lento Kokuto ShochuPouredKokuto (brown sugar) · Kagoshima (Amami Oshima)Start with Ginger beer, Ginger Nankai White Oak ShochuPouredKokuto (brown sugar) · Kagoshima (Amami Oshima)Start with Ginger beer, Cinnamon

6 more, all of them in Kokuto shochu