February 27, 2021 Carol Dines

Traditionally Made Soy Sauces Are Fermented in Wooden Barrels - NOT Metal Vats.

Traditional Craft-Made Soya Sauce

All of our Clearspring soya sauces are naturally brewed, regardless of whether they are labelled simply as soya sauce or they use the traditional Japanese names of shoyu (with wheat) or tamari (wheat-free) soya sauce. They are made to traditional craft-made standards, and as such are some of the very best soya sauces available anywhere in the world.

Craft-made soya sauce is still produced using centuries-old Japanese techniques and recipes, in which whole cooked soya beans and roasted cracked wheat are used. The koji inoculation (with cultured mould spores) is carried out over the traditional three days, followed by lengthy maturing/fermenting in very special cedarwood kegs over 15 months at the ambient seasonal temperature. Pressing sacks are wrapped by hand, and the entire process is carried out without the use of chemicals.

Clearspring is committed to using non GM soya beans and where possible organically grown ingredients. We only supply the organic version in our shop.

Sadly, now less than 1% of soya sauce in Japan is still made to these exacting, traditional standards.

The long, slow ageing occurs in decades-old wooden kegs, some may be over 100 years old. This is key to enhancing the fermentation process and draws out natural glutamic acid to ensure a rich savoury aroma and a complex sweet/savoury taste that is highly prized amongst connoisseurs.

The end result is pristine seasoning sauces in which the soya bean's basic elements have been transformed into more digestible, flavoursome nutrients.

Available here.

Clearspring miso is made by a similar traditional method and also supplied in both our retail and online shops

Thanks to these exacting standards, Clearspring soya sauces regularly win awards for their exceptional taste.