Uchiwaya is a shop in Kyōto that specialises in confectionery and tea using kuromame. We’re most fond of black soybean tea, so we picked up this bag of Uchiwaya Black Soybean Tea when we visited their store on Ninenzaka in Kyōto.
The black soybeans used by Uchiwaya are tanba black soybeans that are famous for their large size. These were pre-roasted, but kuromame tea can also be prepared at home by roasting black soybeans on high heat until the skin cracks and the beans turn a brown colour.
Infusing 5 g in 500 mL of just boiled water for 3 minutes yielded an infusion with a transparent pale brown colour with a sweet nutty aroma.
Served hot, the infusion had a comforting nuttiness that developed with a mellow sweetness in the body before a clean finish that left no aftertaste. Served chilled, the natural sweetness of the black soybean was more pronounced, building to a pleasant intensity in the body but receding just as quickly and cleanly in the finish, making it the perfect tea when we’re after something sweet and comforting but not sugary or caloric.
This Uchiwaya Black Soy Bean Tea contained 200 g. It was produced in Japan and purchased in Kyōto, Japan in 2018.