Ume Kombucha (梅昆布茶, plum-kelp tea)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Kyūsu (side-handled teapot), or a small heatproof pitcher
• •Yunomi (everyday Japanese tea cups)
• •Suribachi (Japanese grinding bowl), or a clean spice mill
• •Fine-mesh strainer
• •Small baking sheet lined with parchment

Instructions

1. 1

   Dry the ume

   Heat the oven to 200°F/95°C. Pull the pits from the umeboshi and spread the flesh thinly on parchment. Dry for 35 to 45 minutes, until the surface looks matte and the flesh tears rather than smears. Drying matters because fresh umeboshi clouds the cup and sinks in clumps; dried flesh breaks into little sour-salt flecks that season the water evenly.

   Use a salty, sour umeboshi, not a honey-sweetened one. Sweet plum makes a confused cup, and confusion is not a seasoning.
2. 2

   Prepare the konbu

   Wipe the konbu with a barely damp cloth, but don't wash it. The pale bloom on the surface is not dirt; it is where the kelp's sweetness and savor sit. Cut it into small pieces with scissors, then slide it into the oven for the last 5 minutes of drying time so it crisps enough to grind without browning.

3. 3

   Grind the base

   Cool the konbu and umeboshi completely. Grind them with the optional salt in a suribachi, a Japanese grinding bowl, or pulse briefly in a clean spice mill. Stop at a coarse powder, not flour. Fine dust swells into a slick cup, while small grains steep cleanly and leave the plum visible.

   This is your ume kombucha base. If your umeboshi is very salty, leave the extra salt out and correct the cup at the end.
4. 4

   Heat the water

   Heat the water to 175°F/80°C. No thermometer? Bring the water to a boil, pour it into a pitcher, and wait about 3 minutes. Water temperature is the first secret here. A rolling boil pulls bitterness and a slippery roughness from cut konbu; slightly cooler water draws out clean kelp savor and keeps the plum bright.

5. 5

   Dose and steep

   Put 1 level teaspoon of the tea base, about 2g, per 150ml cup into a warmed kyūsu, a side-handled teapot, or a small heatproof pitcher. Pour in the hot water, stir once, and steep for 2 to 3 minutes. Dose and steeping time are the second secret. Too little tastes like salted water with an accent; too much, or too long, makes the kelp heavy.

   If the cup tastes faint, steep one minute longer before adding salt. Depth should come from the konbu first.
6. 6

   Pour and serve

   Strain into yunomi, everyday tea cups, or leave a few fine flecks to settle if you like a stronger cup. Taste before adding more salt, because umeboshi varies wildly. The tea should be gently briny, tart at the edge, and clear-tasting, not sour enough to make you wince. Serve the cups half to two-thirds full. Even a small tea needs ma, the space that lets it breathe.

Chef Tips

• •Choose konbu with a clean sea smell and a dry, even surface. Ma-konbu gives a rounded cup, Rishiri is clearer and firmer, and Hidaka is the sensible everyday one.
• •Avoid honeyed umeboshi for this. It is a fine thing in its place, but this tea needs sourness and salt, not sweetness trying to be helpful.
• •Commercial packets are convenient, and there is no shame in convenience when you name it plainly. For this cup, whole konbu and real umeboshi show you what the packet is copying.
• •Brew the base double strength and cool it if you want to season rice, ochazuke, or quick pickles. Use it like a sour-salty dashi accent, not like a sauce meant to hide anything.

Advance Preparation

• •The dried umeboshi and konbu tea base keeps for 2 weeks in an airtight jar in the refrigerator. Because the plum still carries a little moisture, cold storage is the honest choice.
• •The umeboshi flesh can be dried a few days ahead and chopped just before mixing with the konbu.
• •Brewed ume kombucha is best just made. If using it for rice or pickles, brew it double strength, cool it, and use it the same day.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 160g)