Papan

Introducing a sweet mead made with plums diligently gathered in Yamanashi, where Yazawa’s "Papa" Nobuyoshi-san has been enjoying his retirement life as a farmer!🎐

Yazawa got a good scolding over the phone, with a "How am I supposed to ship these things!", but honestly, a part of him was a little happy. Parents are truly something else.

Anyway, this batch of mead is bottled and waiting for the labels to arrive. Since the data says the labels should arrive on the 22nd, I’ve set the earliest shipping date for Friday the 23rd, but I’ll let you know if there’s a delay!!

〈Family ⇒ Son〉

Yazawa's family loves farming. My father and mother in particular have been tending the fields in front of our house since I was little. Eggplants, tomatoes, green peppers, shishito peppers. I still remember being scared to eat the shishitos as a kid because there was always a spicy one mixed in.

I’ve always wanted to create a product involving my family, and in my third year of production, it’s finally a reality: papan.
For the plums, we chose a rare variety called Hollywood. With its strong acidity and rich fragrance, I thought it would be perfect for mead, and it turned out to be just that.

I steeped a little cinnamon and cacao nibs in it, inspired by the fruit jam my mother used to make when I was young.
This product is packed with love—not just from my family, but from everyone in Yamanashi who helped with the harvest. Since it's low-alcohol, it’s great even after a day of farm work. Maybe even enjoy it like a saison beer.

〈Tasting Note〉
ABV is 4%. A sweet initial taste followed by a strong acidity. The scent of red plums and the sweet aroma of cinnamon waft through the nose.
The cacao nibs are subtle enough that those in the know will catch them, resulting in a well-balanced finish. Even those who aren't big drinkers can join a party and feel "good" with this.

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Style: Sparkling Melomel
ABV: 4%
Carbonation: Yes
Volume: 500ml
Ingredients: Honey (Sunflower from Myanmar), Plum, Cacao nibs, Cinnamon
Sweetness (1-10 scale): 7 (Sweet)
Serving Temperature: Well chilled (4-8℃)
Pairing: Toasted bread, chocolate, ice cream

〈Mead making〉
We pitted the plums, blended the flesh, and boiled it with honey, cinnamon, and cacao nibs. We combined a "Bochet" mead-making method with fruit and spices. After boiling for an hour, it was cooled for fermentation. During the final stages of fermentation, we steeped a small additional amount of cinnamon and cacao nibs to create a complex body despite the low alcohol content.

〈Naming〉
From "papa". I wondered if people would ask, "What about mama?", but I only realized that while writing this, and it was already too late. The Lapin car commercial song started playing in my head, and I thought, "Wow! It has to be Papan!" and just went for it.
The label reflects all the people who were involved.