Choya Uji Green Tea Umeshu

Uji Green Tea Umeshu from CHOYA is a Japanese plum liqueur, umeshu, flavored with green tea from Uji, the Kyoto-area region long associated with Japanese tea. At 10% ABV it sits well below most spirits-based liqueurs and closer to a strong wine. That lower strength is part of why it works as a sipping drink rather than a mixer ingredient only. The reference description points to a balance of sweetness, tartness and earthy tea character, and that is what to expect: the plum's sweet-sour fruit up front, with a grassy, slightly bitter green tea note running underneath that keeps it from tasting like plain plum syrup. Umeshu of this kind is typically soft-bodied and lightly viscous, with no tannin to speak of and no oak influence. Acidity from the ume fruit usually does the work of keeping the sweetness in check, and the tea element tends to lengthen the finish with a faint dry, leafy edge. Treat those as the expected style rather than a measured profile of this exact bottle. Serve it well chilled, straight from the refrigerator, or over a large ice cube in a small rocks glass. A small wine glass or a sake-style cup also suits it if you prefer to sip it neat. It needs no decanting. For a longer drink, top it with soda water or a dry tonic at roughly one part umeshu to two or three parts mixer, which sharpens the tea character and cuts the sweetness. At the table, it pairs naturally with Japanese foods such as sushi, tempura and lightly salted grilled fish, where the plum acidity cleans the palate. It is also good beside mild cheeses, or after a meal with mochi or other not-too-sweet desserts. Umeshu is made to be enjoyed on release rather than cellared, so open it whenever you like. Once opened, keep it refrigerated and finish it within a few weeks so the tea aromatics stay fresh.