Japan’s leading brand of organic miso, Hikari Miso Co., Ltd., is pleased to announce that they recently launched the first-ever original flavor wheel in the miso industry that defines the characteristics of miso. The company genuinely believes that any consumers, chefs, and trading partners across the globe can use the Hikari Miso Flavor Wheel to support them pick the miso that best fits their individual needs.
Eating is certainly a multi-sensory experience. As such, it can be challenging to process smell and taste at the same time to properly describe the flavors of dishes. A flavor wheel is one of the tools that help people express the characteristics of foods from their color, texture, aroma, and taste.
It’s also used to assess the taste of beverages such as coffee and alcoholic beverages like wine and to recommend consumers for a good match between drink and food. The Flavor Wheel in Japan has been presented for soy sauce and sake, among others, which are unique to the region.
Considered a traditional Japanese food, Miso has a wide array of qualities depending on the manufacturers and its regions. Hikari Miso Co., Ltd. decided to invent the Hikari Miso Flavor Wheel in the belief that it makes the entire sensory expression of miso a common language, allowing everybody to easily understand the difference among different types of miso.
Sensory assessments were performed using seven unique miso products, and discussions were also held with references to 165 different sensory expressions. The taste and aroma of miso change once it’s cooked to make miso soup.
This is the reason behind the wheel’s creation—to distinguish miso soup as “soup” and miso paste as “paste.” The company created ways to communicate every characteristic. Incorporating the evaluation of color that is a vital quality of miso, Hikari Miso Co. determined 40 different features to install into their original Hikari Miso Flavor Wheel.
As the leader in the global miso manufacturing industry, the company also finished an English version of the Flavor Wheel so it can be used by their global customers. Hikari Miso is also enthusiastic about making the best use of the Hikari Miso Flavor Wheel to help improve the trading partners and to support any miso consumers, and users enjoy a wide array of miso.
For four generations, the craftsmen at Hikari Miso Co., Ltd. have been mindful stewards of the planet, passionately working with nature and the spirit of itadakimasu (a Japanese word meaning I humbly receive) to the benefit of all—their customers, their employees, and the planet.
The company creates its unique, tasty foods in Nagano, Japan, where the forces of air, water, and cool climate come together in a singular fashion to offer the perfect environment for making miso. It’s only the place where the unique taste of Hikari Miso can be produced.
For nearly a century, Hikari Miso artisans have affectionately cultivated a 1,300-year-old Japanese culinary tradition to create remarkable foods for families across the globe.
