I heard about this person

Yuki Kai, CEO of Japan Taste (Sake Labo Tokyo)

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Born in Miyazaki Prefecture in 1982. After serving as the No. 1 manager of a major izakaya group, he founded Japan Taste Co., Ltd. in 2011. In Jujo, Tokyo, he operates the sake bar "Sake Labo Tokyo," the invitation-only sake bar "Nihonshu Tsubaki," and the sake salon "ooca." He promotes the appeal of sake both domestically and internationally through his YouTube channel "Sake Labo Channel" and his book "Falling in Love with Sake" (Mynavi Publishing). He was a judge at the 6th World Sake Sommelier Competition.

UCC's edible coffee "YOINED" is paired with Japanese sake

"Sake Labo Tokyo" is a sake-specializing bar located in Jujo, Kita Ward, Tokyo. Owned by sake sommelier Yuki Kai, the popular bar offers over 30 varieties of fine sake from all over Japan, along with dishes that pair perfectly with the sake. Starting February 11, 2026, the bar will be offering a pairing menu featuring two varieties of "YOINED," a coffee product developed by UCC Ueshima Coffee Co., Ltd., paired with two varieties of sake that go perfectly with each. The "Omakase 8-Course Course" (7,200 yen), which includes eight dishes and 12 glasses of sake, will feature a pairing menu that pairs a "YOINED" with the perfect sake.

"YOINED" is a product born from the desire to "try eating the whole coffee bean." Although it looks like chocolate, it does not contain any cocoa beans. Inspired by the chocolate manufacturing process, it is made by roasting whole coffee beans, grinding them into particles similar to pollen, and mixing them with coffee oil, vegetable oil, sugar, etc.

YOINED allows you to fully enjoy the deep, lingering aroma of coffee, which is the orthonasal aroma you smell through your nose before putting it in your mouth, and the retronasal aroma you feel in your mouth after taking a sip. Two types are available: Colombian, which has an impactful tropical flavor, and Guatemalan, which has a fragrant aroma with a hint of fruity sweetness. This collaboration came about after UCC asked Kai to "come up with a sake that goes well with coffee."

Aged sake, doburoku, ancient rice sake, kijoshu... a wide variety of unique sake

When Kai first tried "YOINED," he thought, "Even a small amount is very satisfying. It's like drinking more than a cup of coffee with just one piece." And as the product name suggests, when paired with sake, it has a strong aroma in the mouth, so it has a long aftertaste and a strong aroma that is not inferior to sake, and you can keep eating it slowly without getting bored even if you sip it little by little, so he felt that it was easy to pair with sake. "In fact, I gave it to the brewery as a New Year's gift. Many alcohol lovers are also coffee lovers, so I think it would make a nice pairing to give as a gift with sake," he said.

We had the opportunity to try out the pairing of "YOINED" and sake recommended by Kai.

First, we paired the Colombian "YOINED" with "Shichihonyari Kokoku" (Tomita Sake Brewery Co., Ltd.). "Shichihonyari Kokoku", produced by Tomita Sake Brewery, a long-established brewery in Shiga, is a brand of sake that offers the original goodness of sake refined in a modern style, and this is an aged type.

The trick to pairing sake with food is to first crush the "YOINED" into pieces the size of a fingertip, put it in your mouth and chew, then when the aroma reaches its peak in your mouth, pour in a small amount of sake and blend them together in your mouth. When I actually tried drinking it this way, I was able to enjoy the taste of the fruity aroma of the Colombian "YOINED" floating softly amidst the mellow and tart aroma of the "Nanahonyari Kokoku."

To pair with the Colombian "YOINED," Kai chose "Kuromatsu Senjo Doburoku" (Senjo Co., Ltd.), which is brewed with rice from Nagano Prefecture and water from the Southern Alps. Its flavor is somewhere between the pop and easy-to-drink doburoku that's popular these days and the traditional, strong-bodied doburoku, and when paired with "YOINED," it tastes like milk coffee in your mouth!

Doburoku has an exquisite balance of sweetness and sourness and is low in alcohol, making it very easy to drink.When drunk alone, it has a strong sweetness, but when paired with "YOINED" it has a strong sourness, making for a wonderful pairing.

Next, Kai chose "Ine Mankai Ancient Rice Sake" (Mukai Sake Brewery) as a pairing for the fragrant Guatemalan "YOINED."

This sake is made using ancient rice (red rice and purple black rice), and is characterized by its rosé wine-like color and sweet and sour fruity flavor. The Guatemalan "YOINED" also has a berry flavor, so when combined, it creates an even more fruity wine-like flavor that fills the mouth.

The other is "Organic Nature W Kijoshu" (Senkin). Kijoshu is a sweet sake made using sake instead of brewing water, but this one has a refreshing taste without being too sweet.

It's sweet enough to be just a step away from being a dessert wine, but the rich flavor of the unpasteurized sake was a perfect match for the fruitiness and aroma of the Guatemalan "YOINED."

"Sake is a culture of blending to begin with"

This time, we spoke to Kai about how to find the sake that suits your taste, as well as the sake blends offered by "Sake World."

--Many people don't know what kind of sake they like, so how do you find the recommended sake that suits your taste?

The pairings for the course meals at Sake Labo Tokyo change depending on the season and the sake available, so for example, in the winter, a popular pairing is strawberry prosciutto cream cheese with new nigori sake. Since sake is something to enjoy with each season, it's a good idea to start by pairing seasonal sake with seasonal ingredients.

Also, for those who haven't had much experience with sake, I ask them what kind of alcohol they usually drink. If it's wine, I'll recommend a sake with a fruity aroma similar to wine, or if it's chuhai, I'll approach it with a slightly carbonated sake. Also, presenting the most popular sakes in the industry in order from top to bottom is likely to appeal to many people. If they don't like it, I'll suggest a different type of sake and gradually narrow down their preferences.

--Sake World is developing an original sake brand called "Assemblage Club," which is a collaboration between two long-established sake breweries in Kyoto that combines several types of sake. This applies the concept of wine assemblage to sake. What do you think about this?

I think it's great that long-established sake breweries are taking on this initiative. The average person might have a hard time imagining "blending sake," but blending sake has always been a natural part of Japanese culture. Originally, sake was made by blending several finished sakes together and shipping them as a consistent flavor. In that sense, Assemblage Club is an interesting new and modern form of blending that pursues deliciousness while following the traditional flow of sake.

-- "My Sake World" is a facility in Kyoto where you can make your own original sake. What do you think about that?

I'd love to try this! From a sake lover's perspective, if there were, say, 10 of your favorite famous brands lined up and you were like, "Are you going to mix this famous sake with that famous sake!?", it would be even more fun for sake geeks. I think the more knowledgeable you are about sake, the more excited you are about seeing what would happen if you combined your favorite sakes. Of course, it's also fun to learn more about sake you've never encountered before through explanations and tastings, then blend it and discover your favorite flavor. Sake blending is something you can do at home, but each sake has a certain artistic element to it. Blending sake to your own taste is something we're careful about, even for us, so I thought it would be absolutely fun to have a project that allowed you to do it without feeling sacrilegious.

The opportunity to try Kai's blended sake may be coming soon.

My Sake World Kyoto Kawaramachi store
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Experience making your own sake at [My Sake World Kyoto Kawaramachi Store]. Same-day reservations accepted. A new and exciting sake experience!

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At the end

Through pairing with the coffee product "YOINED," I was surprised by the wide variety of sake available and the difference in how the flavor is brought out depending on the food paired with it. From Kai's talk, I also realized that sake blends pique the curiosity of both sake lovers and novices. I was reminded that there is no right answer when it comes to pairing sake to enjoy flavors you've never tried before, or how to find a sake that suits your taste, and that the appeal of sake is that you can explore its depths as much as you like.

The sake pairing menu with YOINED will be available at Sake Labo Tokyo from February 11, 2026. If you're interested, be sure to stop by the store.

Writer: Junko Ethanol
After drinking various types of alcohol, I finally decided on sake after turning 30.
Lately, I've been addicted to sparkling sake.