Nihon Chomiryo Tabi
Sasacho Shinise no Aji Tsuyu (佐々長醸造 老舗の味 つゆ)
The story behind it
Hanamaki is the hometown of the poet Kenji Miyazawa. In its Towa district, Sasacho Jozo has been brewing since 1906.
Shinise no Aji Tsuyu combines spring water from the sacred Mount Hayachine range with shoyu (soy sauce) brewed in-house by tennen jozo (naturally brewed, no temperature control), plus a first dashi of katsuobushi. There are no additives and no chemical seasonings. The plain packaging belies its standing: it draws hundreds of reviews online as one of Tohoku's quiet heavyweights, described as making better whatever you pour it on.
Iwate is the land of wanko soba, and the noodle broth it produced does not stop at soba. It will take on simmered dishes and chawanmushi, and much of the work of the kitchen besides.
How to use it
As a broth for soba and udon. Also for tempura dipping broth, simmered dishes, and chawanmushi. Dilute it and use it as a hot pot base to see what the dashi can really do.