Koji Rice Series 2

Introducing: Koji Rice Series 2

We’re thrilled to share that the second blend in our Koji Rice Series is finally bottled and ready to pour here at the blendery.

It was a long time in the making and we went back to the drawing board many times trialling numerous botanicals: from oolong, turmeric and ginger, to foraged cherry blossom.

This was also an exciting first release for our new head of R&D Alejandro, who took the blend in a profoundly tropical direction. There are intense notes of banana and pineapple in this batch. The starch from the rice and light carbonation also give this an addictively smooth and fulsome texture.

INTRODUCING PART 2

AMAZAKE

 

Taking our inspiration from one of our favorite drinks - sake - we innoculate steamed jasmine rice with aspergillus oryzae or koji spores, leaving the rice to ferment for three days in our koji nursery. The rice has an enzymatic transformation and the starches convert into sugars, releasing delicious umami compounds. We mix the koji rice with water and fermenting the liquid with a cultivated yeast. The result is an earthy yet floral liquid with a luxurious mouthfeel. 

SHISO

The blend also uses shiso, which is difficult to extract flavor from so we spent ages trying to find a fermentation that would bring out its best qualities. We do a separate fermentation of the green leaves with pichia yeast that, when coupled with a final maceration of the fresh plant, brings a lot of complexity. We've used so much shiso in this that it would be impossible to scale, so we only have 500 bottles available for this limited edition launch.

Close-up of shiso leaves with detailed veins on a dark background

CHAMOMILE FLOWER

We use chamomile flower which gives a little funk to the blend. 

Floral arrangement with white flowers and a yellow center on a dark background

TASTING NOTES

A luxurious sparkling blend with prominent pineapple and green apple flavors to the fore. The blend is medium-dry, with complex herbaceous notes of shiso and background funk from the chamomile flower.

See how we make it here:


 

 

I WANT TO TRY IT

Here are the ways you can get your hands on Koji Rice Series 2:

You can try it in our Experimental Set - a one-off, three-bottle bundle of our most curious, small-batch blends, including:

  • Koji Rice Series 1 – our unique first foray into the world of koji fermentation, inspired by the Danish classic dessert risalamande. Creamy, smooth, and with comforting notes of cinnamon and almond.
  • Koji Rice Series 2 – Our new release and second koji expression, this time a sparkling blend made from the same koji amazake, fermented shiso and chamomile ‘wines.’ Funky, bold and tropical.
  • Uzumé – Our collaboration with the world's most Michelin starred woman, Anne-Sophie Pic. A creamy blend of strawberries fermented three ways - using carbonic maceration, wine yeast and lacto-fermentation, ice-clarified tomato, smoked vanilla and yoghurt whey. I was visiting Cheffe at her restaurant in Valence last month and she paired it with a simple tomato/mozzarella salad and it was truly a perfect pairing - please give it a try!

Or if you want to stock up on the new bottles, you can order Koji Rice Series 2 on its own as a 3 pack or 6 pack to enjoy.