Prefecture: Nara
Ingredients: Tea extract (Darjeeling, Uva and Keemun), brewing alcohol, sugar
Style: Tea liqueur
Food pairings: Vanilla ice cream, chocolate cake, kaya toast, baked cheesecake
Taste: Aromatic, caramel, sweet, gently bitter
Alc.: 24%
TEAra is a tea liqueur made from high-quality Darjeeling, Uva and Keemun leaves. The nose is intensely aromatic, with exotic notes of white flowers, burnt caramel and sweet vanilla syrup, and it pours a deep coffee-brown colour. On the palate it is rich and flavourful, with a pleasing balance of sweetness and bitterness. Serve well chilled, on the rocks, or lengthened with soda or tonic water; it also makes an excellent base for cocktails.
About the brewery
Kitaoka Honten is based at Kamiichi in Yoshino Town, Nara, and dates its commitment to full-time sake brewing to 1868. Its sake brand, Yatagarasu, is named after the three-legged crow of Japanese myth that guided the first emperor through the Yoshino mountains. Alongside sake and shochu, the company makes a range of liqueurs from Yoshino and Nara produce, including shiso, peach, chestnut, kiwi and jabara citrus.
