Tajima Smoked Sweet Vinegar
200 ml bottle - Japan
Even before you pull the tab, you can smell the smokiness of the vinegar!
Pull the tab, and the smokiness dissipates with the sweet smell of vinegar arriving. To the nose, it is vinegar and then finishes with a gentle smokiness. It is pretty rare for a nostril to be filled with two notes at the same time, with one essence first over the other, then the other essence over the first, and then they come together in a sweet and smoky marriage!
It is WOW just by the nose alone! I can’t wait to taste it! Pour into a white spoon, and the color is a light, transparent brown and golden, like nice iced tea.
AND WOW! Just a little upper lip dip in, and then a taste with lips and tongue, you get a myriad of deliciousness! The flavors arrive together, with each element being distinct for a nanosecond and then blending while still being separate.
It is wild! It is exciting!
It is like the sweet lingers on the lips, the cavity of your mouth gets the smokiness, and the tongue blends it all back together. In small tastes, you get the vinegar; in larger bits, you get the acid of the vinegar in the back of your throat. And when it all seems to be done, you get this feeling of vinegar joy!
This is crazy good!
Use it? First, dipping the rice in Sushi is like, well, perfect! As a topping on rice works. Add it to miso soup. To get a smoky sweet twist, add this vinegar to a 4th of July salad dressing. Add it to a marinade or a sauce. And baked beans!
Did I mention, WOW!
The sweet vinegar is smoked wth cherry wood chips.
Ingredients: Sugar (sugar, isomalt oligosaccharide syrup) (made in Japan), rice vinegar, salt, kelp extract