Beni Tonbo
| Ingredients | Sweet potatoes, rice koji |
|---|---|
| Alcohol | 25% |
| Size | 720ml |
| Distillation | Normal pressed distillation |
| Koji | Shiro koji (white koji) |
For Beni Tonbo, our mission was to bring out the sophisticated aroma and sweetness in shochu, so we started by paying special attention to koji* rice, using Japanese domestic rice. By heightening the rice-polishing ratio, we were able to eliminate possible odor causing contents, such as oil, thus producing strong koji. To extract the ideal aroma, it’s brewed with murasaki imo (purple sweet potato) and by managing its moromi* fermentation at a low temperature, we were able to produce “Beni Tonbo” to our satisfaction. The rich, sweet aroma that floats with the steam, and the single serving bottle size is superbly balanced.
*koji is steamed rice cultivated with mold spores and moromi is a fermented mash.
Suggested Way to Drink
Oyuwari (Mixed With Hot Water)
Mix Beni Tonbo and hot water at a 6 : 4 ratio, always pouring the hot water first. It has such an appealing fragrance that you’ll have hard time resisting and once you taste it you'll experience the joy of its sweet flavor.
Okan (Warmed)
In choshi (sake server also called tokkuri), mix Beni Tonbo and water with a 6 : 4 ratio, then heat until it’s hot to the touch. Serve in larger sized ochoko (drinking cups).
Snacks and Side Dishes
Serve with seasonal food such as nanohana (rapeseed plants) no sumiso-ae (tossed in vinegar and miso) in spring or in early Summer with bamboo shoots, using extra mirin (sweet cooking sake) and sugar to bring out the sweetness. Cooked kuromame (sweet black soybeans) is also nice.
Tips and Additional Background
“Beni Tonbo means "red dragonfly" and refers to the dragonfly which is spread throughout the Nansei Islands and Satsuma Peninsula. In recent years, there are records of them being seen in the Kyushu and Shikoku regions, perhaps an effect of global warming.
