✨ Koji Lovers Unite! ✨
The Koji Collection is officially live on Substack, which will host the kind of koji knowledge you won’t find in any one fermentation handbook—think secrets, stories, and science that’s been hiding just out of reach in English—and yes, we’re going into excruciating detail.
This project is a labor of love from a small: @elad_liam and @datagrazing It’s been a joy to develop, and we’re excited to finally start sharing it with you.
Let’s mold our minds together—tell us what you think! 🍶💫
🔗 Link in bio and below 👇
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#thekojicollection #koji #substack #Aspergillusoryzae #fermentation #kojibuildscommunity #aspergillus #麹 #麹生活 #麹ライフ
I want to explore grilled miso more… grilled miso of all types, the first I heard of it was by connection to the samurai, and I was very happy when I managed to locate those grilled miso tools in my visit to Japan. My current favorite is charcoal grilled miso added to a cream sauce, just amazing consistency combined with the best flavor. #miso #grilledmiso
This is less than half of what I got from Japan, this is just 1 suitcase worth of soy sauce. I also sent 2 packages to Germany while traveling and there is also like 4kg worth of miso in the fridge and not to mention everything that was consumed already like amazake. I counted 93 bottles of soy sauce but im not going to count again so give or take 5 maybe. This is for educational purposes of course but would love to share it somehow with more people in Berlin. #shoyu #soysauce #kojibuildscommunity
I was lucky enough to spend a few days at @sakaeshoyu in Shizuoka Prefecture.
They are making renovations and built a new space, so for me it was a rare opportunity to see how an old brewery both renovates as well as move into a new facility.
Moving those big kioke was definitely a challenge but the team made it look incredibly easy.
Especially I was impressed with the thought process behind each action. Once again I see the uniqueness of each brewery in its activities. So although the koji production was halted it was still a fascinating learning experience.
Thanks again to everyone at @sakaeshoyu
#shoyo #soysauce
I have too many pictures of stones…
I felt a bit awkward asking so many brewery people how they washed the stones, but I got a nice understanding and learned a lot.
Stones are used as weights for miso and tamari shoyu.
I feel like I have gotten a good understanding of them from my experience in Japan but I would like to explore it more in regard to sourcing new stones for newly made breweries.
As the book said, there are no sourcing of new stones and if you do want to get river stones yourself from a river… you would need approval permits from the government.
In Italy we used river stones and it was a fascinating experience. I did get the feeling that the more we used them it was easier to use. Since the microbial community was better established.
There aren’t many written documents regarding the stones, I found a good chapter about the stones when I flipped through a sample book of “Kakukyu Hatcho Miso: A 380-Year History” at the brewery store, so of course I took a copy.
#miso #tamari #tamarishoyu
Finished a short but very meaningful internship experience at Yamakawa brewery @tamariya_gifu that specializes in Tamari soy sauce.
I learned so much from working, experiencing and talking with them. Tamari is very unique as a shoyu production and so it was a very valuable learning opportunity for me.
I have only made tamari personally once, and that was funnily enough before I tasted any tamari shoyu so when my tamari was brewing I got some store bought to try. Ever since I felt tamari is very unique and too small in production compared to its amazing taste.
I have learned a lot and already wish I could stay longer in Yamakawa brewery and fill another kioke.
Thanks to Kanako Yamakawa for allowing me this opportunity.
1. Group picture
2. Walking between kioke
3. Mixing a tamari moromi is very different than koikuchi shoyu, the liquid is drawn from the hole and splashed on the stones.
4. Trying not to fall inside.
5. I was listening to a school tour in Japanese of course, very amazed by how tamari was explained.
6. In the koji preparation. Usually of course work doesn’t allow time for pictures so most I take when in break but here’s a nice change in action.
7. Soaking soybeans.
8. Inoculated soybeans move into koji room.
9. Time to clean the NK-can from inside (imagine climbing inside a pressure cooker to clean it)
10. Koji is ready.
11. Soybean koji
12. Soybean koji
13. Making mame miso.
14. A cutting machine for moromi (tamari moromi is very dry, so it is cut and pieces are put in the cloth for pressing)
#shoyu #tamari #koji #たまり醤油 #醤油
I would continue to look for more mirin.
1. Hon mirin by Mirinya from Aichi.
2. 3 years aged hon-mirin by Mirinya from Aichi.
3. Koji essence syrup by Aoki Miso from Niigata.
I find the idea of shoyu and miso in powder form very intriguing, but at the same time I think there is room for improvement in terms of flavor. There is also some confusion for me as it is not always the same product when they say “powder” so Im unsure what Im getting before opening
1. Shoyu powder by Naogen shoyu from Ishikawa.
2. Miso flakes smoked version by Honda miso from Kyoto.
3. Chili shoyu sauce by Yo-chan farm from Miyagi.
4. Ponzu shoyu by Inoue honten from Nara.
5. Sake flavored shoyu by Onojin shoyu from Kyoto.
6. Saishikomi by Onojin shoyu from Kyoto.
Standard soy sauce color kit
The Japanese Agricultural Standards (JAS) requires the shoyu producers who hold their certification to purchase and use this color kit once a year.
The kits are made and sold by the Japan Soy Sauce Technology Center (日本醤油技術センタ) .
As you can see this refill kit is from 2020 so very much unusable, as it can only be used in the same year. But it is very intresting to get this and experiment with comparisons, you get empty tubes to compare your own sauce. The information on how it is used is also interesting to know.
The numbers here are between 2-30 so it is used to measure koikuchi shoyu and tamari shoyu. Whereas numbers 28-56 are for usukuchi soy sauce and shiro tamari shoyu.
#shoyu #醤油 #soysauce
1. 5 grains Shoyu made by Osakaya from Osaka. (Sold by Kingoma from Hyogo).
2. Ponzo sauce by Yamaroku from Shodoshima.
3. Dashi shoyu by Kinryo from Shodoshima.
4. Raw shoyu by Imashibori from Kyoto.
5. Shoyu by Kinryo from Shodoshima.
6. Moromi shoyu by Sawai shoyu from Kyoto.
7. Shoyu by Shoda Shoyu From Gunma. 7-eleven product.
1. Koikuchi shoyu by Yuasa shoyu from Wakayama.
2. Koikuchi shoyu by Daitoku from Hyogo. @daitoku_soysauce
3. Koikuchi shoyu by Naogen shoyu from Ishikawa.
4. Black soybean shoyu by Yuasa shoyu from Wakayama. @yuasasoysauce
Shoyu moromi mixed with ingredients to create an edible shoyu paste-like.
Made by Imashibori from Kyoto. @imashiborishoyu
1. Chili, sesame oil and shoyu
2. Shoyu moromi
3. Olive, garlic and shoyu
4. Sansho pepper, rapeseed oil and shoyu
#shoyu #shoyumoromi #醤油
