Unified Ferments x Kettl Soba

This one will confuse you at first. That's the point.

Soba is a collaboration between Unified Ferments and Kettl, a Brooklyn importer of exceptional Japanese teas. The base is Nagano Soba Cha, toasted buckwheat tea, which is exactly what soba noodles are made from. Once you know that, the savory almost brothy quality on the nose makes complete sense. You're not imagining the ramen vibe. It's the grain.

The fermentation does something unexpected with it, pulling the buckwheat toward its fruitier side: poached pear, persimmon, a whisper of spun sugar underneath the toasted grain. The result is simultaneously the most savory and most unique bottle in the shop. There is no useful wine comparison. Nothing in your existing reference points quite covers it.

Pair it with anything Japanese: ramen obviously, but also yakitori, tempura, or a bowl of rice with something good on top. It also works with roasted vegetables or anything with a caramelized quality. If the food has been near heat long enough to get interesting, this bottle is your pour.