$6.57
Japanese | 大徳醤油 丸大豆醤油 |
---|---|
Type | Dark |
Brewing method | Honjozo |
Main ingredient | Whole soybeans |
Savoriness | 4.0 |
Sweetness | 2.0 |
Fragrance | 5.0 |
Umami | 5.0 |
Food compatibility | 5.0 |
Overall score | 4.2 |
$11.31
Japanese | 井上醤油店 井上 古式じょうゆ |
---|---|
Type | Dark |
Brewing method | Honjozo |
Main ingredient | Whole soybeans |
Savoriness | 4.0 |
Sweetness | 2.0 |
Fragrance | 4.0 |
Umami | 4.0 |
Food compatibility | 4.0 |
Overall score | 3.6 |
$15.02
Japanese | 丸中醤油 |
---|---|
Type | Dark |
Brewing method | Honjozo |
Main ingredient | Whole soybeans |
Savoriness | 3.0 |
Sweetness | 3.0 |
Fragrance | 3.0 |
Umami | 3.0 |
Food compatibility | 3.0 |
Overall score | 3.0 |
$7.92
Japanese | 丸島醤油 純正醤油 濃口 |
---|---|
Type | Dark |
Brewing method | Honjozo |
Main ingredient | Whole soybeans |
Savoriness | 3.0 |
Sweetness | 2.0 |
Fragrance | 3.0 |
Umami | 3.0 |
Food compatibility | 4.0 |
Overall score | 3.0 |
$3.59
Japanese | フジキン醤油 うすくち醤油 |
---|---|
Type | Light |
Brewing method | Kongo |
Main ingredient | Defatted soybeans |
Savoriness | 3.0 |
Sweetness | 3.0 |
Fragrance | 3.0 |
Umami | 3.0 |
Food compatibility | 3.0 |
Overall score | 3.0 |
$3.35
Japanese | キッコーマン食品 いつでも新鮮 しぼりたて生しょうゆ |
---|---|
Type | Dark |
Brewing method | Honjozo |
Main ingredient | Whole soybeans |
Savoriness | 3.0 |
Sweetness | 2.0 |
Fragrance | 4.0 |
Umami | 3.0 |
Food compatibility | 2.0 |
Overall score | 2.8 |
$6.95
Japanese | チョーコー 超特選むらさき |
---|---|
Type | Dark |
Brewing method | Honjozo |
Main ingredient | Whole soybeans |
Savoriness | 3.0 |
Sweetness | 3.0 |
Fragrance | 2.0 |
Umami | 3.0 |
Food compatibility | 3.0 |
Overall score | 2.8 |
$2.42
Japanese | キッコーマン食品 いつでも新鮮 味わいリッチ減塩しょうゆ |
---|---|
Type | Low sodium |
Brewing method | Honjozo |
Main ingredient | Defatted soybeans |
Savoriness | 3.0 |
Sweetness | 3.0 |
Fragrance | 2.0 |
Umami | 2.0 |
Food compatibility | 2.0 |
Overall score | 2.4 |
$3.59
Japanese | フジキン醤油 大野うまくち醤油 |
---|---|
Type | Dark |
Brewing method | Kongo |
Main ingredient | Defatted soybeans |
Savoriness | 3.0 |
Sweetness | 4.0 |
Fragrance | 3.0 |
Umami | 3.0 |
Food compatibility | 3.0 |
Overall score | 2.4 |
Image | 1 ![]() Daitoku Shoyu | 2 ![]() Inoue Shoyu | 3 ![]() Marunaka Shoyu | 4 ![]() Marushima Soy Sauce | 5 ![]() Fujikin Shoyu | 6 ![]() Kikkoman | 7 ![]() Choko | 8 ![]() Kikkoman | 9 ![]() Fujikin Shoyu |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Name | Whole Soybean Soy Sauce | Inoue Ancient Soy Sauce | Marunaka Soy Sauce | Junsei Soy Sauce Koikuchi | Light Soy Sauce (Usukuchi) | Shiboritate Nama Soy Sauce | Chotokusen Murasaki | Rich Tasting Low Sodium Soy Sauce | Umakuchi Soy Sauce |
Features | Refined Flavor with a Crisp Saltiness That Enhances the Umami of Other Foods | Replete With a Strong Savoriness, a Mellow Fragrance, and Umami | Exquisite Balance Between Umami and Salty and Sweet Elements | Flavorful and Easy to Use but Lacks That Extra Oomph | Has a Depth of Flavor Similar to Stock and a Lingering Sweetness | Gentle Umami and Mild Flavor Means it Can be Used Anywhere | Strong Salty, Sweet, and Umami Profiles. A Peculiar Soy Sauce that Has a Kick to It | A Bit Too Lacking for Most Dinner Tables | A Dark Where Sweetness Pushes Its Way to the Forefront |
Price | $6.57 | $11.31 | $15.02 | $7.92 | $3.59 | $3.35 | $6.95 | $2.42 | $3.59 |
Japanese | 大徳醤油 丸大豆醤油 | 井上醤油店 井上 古式じょうゆ | 丸中醤油 | 丸島醤油 純正醤油 濃口 | フジキン醤油 うすくち醤油 | キッコーマン食品 いつでも新鮮 しぼりたて生しょうゆ | チョーコー 超特選むらさき | キッコーマン食品 いつでも新鮮 味わいリッチ減塩しょうゆ | フジキン醤油 大野うまくち醤油 |
Type | Dark | Dark | Dark | Dark | Light | Dark | Dark | Low sodium | Dark |
Brewing method | Honjozo | Honjozo | Honjozo | Honjozo | Kongo | Honjozo | Honjozo | Honjozo | Kongo |
Main ingredient | Whole soybeans | Whole soybeans | Whole soybeans | Whole soybeans | Defatted soybeans | Whole soybeans | Whole soybeans | Defatted soybeans | Defatted soybeans |
Savoriness | 4.0 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
Sweetness | 2.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 |
Fragrance | 5.0 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 |
Umami | 5.0 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 |
Food compatibility | 5.0 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 |
Overall score | 4.2 | 3.6 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 2.8 | 2.8 | 2.4 | 2.4 |
Link |
After gathering all 9 soy sauces, we then tested each for the following things:
If you’re worried about health, then you might want to browse low-sodium options. We, on the other hand, completely ignored our limits on daily sodium intake and tried all the soy sauces to see which best balanced salt with other flavor profiles. We then graded each product on a five-step scale from D to A+.
When we drank the soy sauce as is, it was pretty darn salty. However, when mixed it with other ingredients, it struck a wonderful balance; the clean savoriness of the soy sauce was always apparent, but never overpowering. (And you shouldn’t be drinking soy sauce on its own anyway.)
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration if we called soy sauce the base of all Japanese dishes. Soy sauce has the important role of enhancing the flavor of all your other ingredients, so we mixed our soy sauces with soup made from dashi and tested for umami. We then graded each product on a five-step scale from D to A+.
You can taste the soybeans and there’s still a bit of sweetness within the spice and salt, but because the flavor profile is comparatively simple, it won’t overpower or clash with other ingredients in your dish.
There are two main ways soy sauce is brewed here; one is the traditional “honjozo” method and the other is the “kongo” or mixed method.
Don't stop at soy sauce; there are so many delicious condiments and seasonings out there! Use our other articles as guidance to find ones that will work with your cooking.
You mustn’t dismiss soy sauce as something plain and common that you can get for two bucks at the supermarket. Not only in Japanese cuisine, but in other Asian and even international cuisine, soy sauce forms the base of all flavor.
Author: Yoshiko Ito/Translation: Jasmine Li/Photos: Eisuke Kurajima
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