The good relationship between tea and alcohol <Part 2>
100 tea splits with 10 different bases and 10 different teas!

The theme for March is tea.The second part of the series focuses on "tea splits" from early on.What is the best base spirit to enhance the aroma and taste of tea?

writer：Ryoko Kuraishi

Tea leaves used at the Nakameguro shop.Clockwise from the back: 'Awa Bancha', 'Roasted Black Tea', Sencha 'Yutaka Midori', 'Fuji Midori' and 'Okumidori'.Top image from left to right: matcha tea x cassis liqueur x soda, Okumidori x ROKU, Yutakamidori x Takara Shochu, Awa Bancha x Hakushu, Roasted black tea x Hennessy V.S.O.P. Photos by HISASHI NAGASU.

We want to make tea splitting a global standard!

Tomotaka Tajimi, managing director of Sanmere, the company behind Chawari, first became aware of chawari five or six years ago.


At the time, lemon sour was attracting attention as the next drink after highball.
The drink became an unprecedented hit, with recipes for the 'ultimate lemon sour' being developed in bars as well as izakaya (Japanese style pubs), and the arrival of such a boom was foreseen.


In the process of planning the new shop, I was thinking about what drink could replace the lemon sour.
A drink that has been around in bars for a long time, that can be adapted to the current era and that appeals to the younger generation.

There were many candidates, but we decided to go for the tea-wari.


Having grown up in an environment where green tea was carefully brewed in a teapot, tea has always been a familiar drink to Tajimi.Tajimi has always been familiar with tea.
However, many people around them said they only knew of bottled tea.


'That is too much of a waste.
If using a teapot at home is too much of a hurdle, then I thought I'd show off the delicious taste of carefully brewed tea with a tea split."

10 high-end tea leaves, 100 different ways to drink.

As a business type, we want to express that we have a full range of tea-serving recipes, like a whisky bar with 100 different brands of whisky.
This way, we can say that tea and alcohol are both nostalgic.


So we decided to combine 10 types of tea and 10 types of spirits and offer 100 different tea splits."


The line-up of tea leaves and spirits varies from shop to shop,The line-up of tea leaves and spirits varies from restaurant to restaurant, with the Nakameguro restaurant offering a creative French menu, so high-end tea leaves have been selected to match the luxurious interior and cuisine.


Incidentally, the selection was made by new-generation tea merchants such as TeaRoom, a tea start-up; Far East Tea Company, a Japanese tea brand specialising in single-origin teas; and The Tea Company, which is also involved in a project to revitalise tea gardens dedicated to fermented teas.The Tea Company is also involved in a project to revitalise tea gardens dedicated to fermented teas.


The Nakameguro shop offers three types of single-origin sencha (okumidori, fujimidori and yutakamidori), matcha and two rare teas (roasted black tea and black yeast fermented tea) that are hard to find elsewhere on the menu.

In addition, there are three other types of syrup boiled with Awa Bancha, Senjicha and Roasted Tea leaves, which are served soda-up.
And one type of tea leaf that changes monthly.

We choose tea leaves that can be drunk as tea, but that also go well with the base alcohol, and that have a strong individuality and character when combined with alcohol."

Matcha and cassis liqueur and soda, a cocktail-like drink.

Base spirits include Kou-type shochu, potato shochu, gin, rum, whisky, brandy, bourbon and three other liqueurs.The brands also vary from shop to shop.


'When we make a suggestion, we recommend a base spirit based on several elements of the tea leaves.

For example, for black yeast fermented tea, we use brandy.The caramel-like aroma complements the fermented taste.

Matcha x Brandy also matches the bitterness of matcha with the matured aroma of brandy.

Yuzu Sencha is a gin that uses tea leaves as botanicals.Gin that uses Japanese herbs and ingredients can easily be combined with Japanese tea.

This is a line-up from another shop, but San-Pin-Cha x Rum is also good.

Tajimi's personal preference is the combination of Sencha Okumidori and ROKU.
The sansho (Japanese pepper) used in ROKU goes well with the moist, mild aroma and gentle sweetness of okumidori.

On the left: pickled tea leaves and yam with 'Yutaka Midori' x Takara Shochu.On the right: pickles with tea leaves and 'Awa Bancha' x Hakushu.

Tea farmers taught me how to utilise extracted tea leaves.

Tajimi says that as she continues to visit production areas and study tea, the way she uses tea leaves has changed.
For example, tea leaves after extraction.'At Chawari, we use tea leaves extracted after only one brewing for cooking.


'It all started when I visited an old-fashioned tea farmer and he served me tea leaves.
After the tea leaves are extracted, they are poured over with ponzu vinegar and eaten as a kind of soaked dish.

Well, good tea leaves are soft and the flavour and taste of the tea is still alive and delicious.
This can be used on the menu!and"


This led to the creation of "cha no baise", a popular dish used in each restaurant, as well as pickles and pickles pickled with the flavour of tea leaves instead of kelp.
A broth is made from tea with a strong flavour, which is then seasoned and made into soups.
The homemade mayonnaise made with powdered green tea has a refreshing taste with reduced acidity and oil.


The company plans to expand its use in food products in the future.

Tea leaves after only one brewing, which can be served as a soak with just a sprinkling of rock salt.

'The interesting thing about tea is that the more you dig, the more your world expands.

The possibilities of tea are endless, so it's hard to catch up, but I want to make use of these trial and error experiences in new recipes and menus.

Approaching tea as a drink and facing it as an ingredient...... If we can enhance our menu using tea as an ingredient, the range of drink and food pairings will expand even further.

In March, we have just opened a new branch in Gakugei Daigaku.
This will be a 'laboratory' of sorts, with a more experimental drink and food menu.

We will use this as a base for developing drink recipes, food pairings and other tea-based production activities.