Saishikomi Shoyu (Twice-brewed Soy Sauce)

Saishikomi shoyu replaces brine with raw soy sauce (before heat treatment) and ferments koji in it a second time. This literal twice-brewing doubles umami and deepens the color to rich amber. Produced mainly in Yamaguchi and the San'in region, it is also called kanro shoyu (sweet dew soy sauce). Ideal for sashimi and sushi where soy sauce flavor is experienced directly, it is a luxurious crystallization of doubled time and effort in fermentation. Also called kanro shoyu for its rich umami, production accounts for less than 1 percent of national soy sauce output. Yet many are astonished by its depth upon first tasting. What twice-brewed soy sauce teaches is a simple truth: time and effort directly translate to flavor.