This is the Choya Umeshu no Ume, preserved ume featuring the whole fruit used in the production of Choya’s umeshu. The packaging recommends using the fruit in jams, Western-style desserts, umesours, chūhai garnishes, ochazuke and other snacks.
The ume presented whole, measuring approximately 4 cm in diameter, with a khaki-green hue and the seed intact. Upon opening, the package released an intense alcoholic aroma accompanied by noticeable bitter notes from the residual liqueur.
Initial contact delivered pronounced sour ume balanced by underlying sweetness from the umeshu, although the strong alcohol presence and accompanying bitterness initially dominated the palate. After several months of refrigerated storage, the alcohol softened considerably, allowing the fruit’s natural sweet-sour character to emerge more clearly. The flesh remained notably firm throughout, providing substantial bite without becoming mushy.
Our preferred method was to remove the seed and blend the flesh into a sweetened tea, particularly Vita Lemon Tea Phoenix Dancong. The sweetness of the tea effectively masked the remaining alcoholic bitterness while complementing the ume’s bright acidity. Despite blending, the firm flesh retained distinct tsubu-tsubu texture, contributing intermittent bursts of concentrated ume flavour and pleasant textural contrast within the otherwise smooth beverage.
Overall, a preserved ume product with a mellowing flavour progression and persistent textural integrity, resulting in a versatile ingredient that performs better as a culinary component than when eaten immediately from the package.
This Choya Umeshu no Ume contained 200 g (10 pieces). It was produced in Japan and purchased in Sydney, Australia in 2023.