Products to Feature

Now all the new products are in distribution. With the weather still often damp and cold, the focus of this newsletter will be on nutritious, warming & comforting misos and the start of the annual cycle of Japanese tea production.

How is Clearspring Miso different from other Miso?

Clearspring miso is still made as slowly and authentically as possible, a rare practice in today's fast moving world, creating rich and complex flavours and the best possible health benefits. Do go to our website for a comprehensive explanation of the miso production process.

Sadly, very little miso in Japan is still made in this traditional way. Some may be naturally aged, but contain koji prepared using an automated process which excludes the wild organisms that give personality to the miso. Moreover, they will be fermented in stainless steel or plastic tanks that fail to impart the subtle nuances of flavour that cedarwood provides. Such standardised miso has a uniform taste and unvarying texture.

Furthermore, the majority of miso today is produced in just a few weeks/months using a rapid, high temperature automated process with no real ageing. Whilst it is cheap to produce, it has a dull, flat and lifeless quality when compared with our traditionally made miso.

Clearspring sells 14 different miso products from barley to brown rice, Hatcho to sweet, from unpasteurised pastes to freeze dried and from miso rice cakes to miso ramen soups. Whatever your tastes or preferences we have your needs met as far as miso is concerned!! In fact there is a well known saying in Japan; one serving of miso a day keeps the doctor away!

Producer Profile: The Sendai Miso Shoyu Company

The Sendai region has been associated with miso since the 17th Century. At this time it was already well known that Miso and rice improved stamina on the battleground and as Sendai miso did not deteriorate over time its reputation spread quickly to other regions. During this time, Masamune Date was not only a well respected samurai but also a food critic and under his influence Sendai Miso production was nurtured to become one of the best in Japan.

The 100 year old Sendai Miso Shoyu Company, through combining innovation with traditional time honoured methods, has grown to become the best known miso maker in northern Japan. They were first to produce rice miso using whole grain brown rice and were also the first to develop freeze dried miso while still preserving its beneficial bacteria.

Our supplier still uses large cedarwood kegs to slowly ferment the koji, salt and whole soya beans at the ambient temperature for up to 18 months. Each seasoned cedarwood keg is typically several decades old and will contain a history of use and an abundance of micro-organisms that add flavour to the miso and impart their unique character. Read more on the website.

Seasonal Feature: The Start of the Japanese Tea cycle

March is the time of year when Clearspring’s tea producer Nagata Tea Garden’s annual tea cycle begins. The tea fields, which are left to hibernate through the winter, are clipped back in preparation for the first leaf flush. The trimmings produced are not discarded and are usually roasted in heated revolving ovens to make Hojicha, roasted green tea. This type of tea has a unique flavour. Much of the leaves’ sharpness disappears in the roasting process and produces a fine, warming, smokey-flavoured brew that can be most satisfying. By the time it has been roasted, Hojicha has a barely noticeable caffeine content so is suitable for drinking at any time of day.

The first pick commences in May and carries on throughout June. These fine, small and lush leaves are used to produce high quality Sencha, green tea. By July the bushes are less prolific and sprouting leaves which are too large and coarse to qualify for Sencha tea. In the autumn it is time to clip them back once more in preparation for the hibernation period over the winter months.

The rhythm of the annual tea cycle is in the Nagata family’s blood. For generations they have tended the seedlings, harvested young leaf buds, and carefully dried and graded tea leaves for sale. Their knowledge seems genetic and inherited. Where they differ from their neighbours is that they have returned to the traditional agricultural methods of their ancestors and have rejected the modern farming practices of using artificial fertilizers and pesticides. Read more on the website.

Meet & Greet

Maria Furugori, Clearspring’s Product Quality & Development Manager.

My job is to keep all matters relating to quality assurance and product development ticking along. That covers everything from handling customer complaints to maintaining our various third party quality assurance licenses. On the product development front it’s all about new ideas, samples and recipes and making changes to existing products to optimise their quality and sales potential.

How long have you been with Clearspring?: 11 years

Favourite Clearspring product: Ume Plum Seasoning. It’s my ‘secret’ ingredient in a lot of my cooking. Very convenient and I believe a healthier alternative to salt. The beautiful pink colour is an added bonus too. It works especially well with sea vegetables, combined with Toasted Sesame Oil. One of my favourite meals is stir-fried celery, sweetcorn and wakame seasoned with the ume plum seasoning and toasted sesame oil and thickened with kuzu. It’s delicious with millet or rice.

Best bit about working for Clearspring: the products, the people and the travelling

Spot the Tofu Winners

Thank you very much for participating in the ‘Spot the Tofu’ competition. Here are the winners who will each be receiving a goodie bag of our recently launched products,

Belinda So, Michelle Dobson, Erica Sugarman, Dawn Powell, Fumi Tan, Jenny Bridger, Jo Austen, Felicity Boughton, Camilla Bishop, and Kenji Tamura from the UK. Edit Keszthelyi from Hungary, Feidhlim Farrelly from Ireland, Katerina Vangelidi from Greece and Maremi Watanabe from Denmark.

Warehouse Sale Update

Thank you to all of you who came shopping to our Warehouse Sale in January. Thank you also for your patience when having to queue in the cold weather. This was only our second warehouse sale and there is clearly still room for improvement! Many items sold out very quickly and we will use this data to make sure we have more of the popular lines next time.

It was great to see some new and familiar faces from the last Warehouse Sale. We all enjoyed having an opportunity to chat with you, and hear your requests, opinions and feedback about our products. We look forward to seeing you at our next Warehouse Sale on 28th May 2011. Please let your friends know and bring them along too!

Popularity Contest!

Since launching our 4 new ranges in November and January, Brown Rice Ramen Noodles have proved to be the most popular in term of sales closely followed by Tofu (we just knew that this would be the one to watch!!). The Fruit Spreads and Flavoured Wholegrain Rice Cakes have been slower in their uptake so if you have not tried them yet then please give them a go.

Clearspring Facebook Page

We are still in the process of building the site but please have a look at our Facebook page. It will be great to be able to communicate and exchange ideas more directly through Facebook.

Recipes of the Month

Spring Tonic Soup with Maitake	Ochazuke	Green Tea & Cashew Nut Dressing
Give your immune system a boost with this delicious, healthy miso soup.	A tasty, warming dish, easy to digest and ideal for when you are feeling a bit under the weather.	This green tea dressing is ideal for over salads, steamed vegetables and pasta. Elegant flavours with natural sweetness.

• British Red Cross Japan Tsunami Appeal
• Tea ceremony
• NHS vegetarian meal guide introducing miso and tofu

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