Wild, hand-harvested, sun-dried, and carefully aged.

Rausu Konbu comes from the Rausu peninsula in northeast of Hokkaido. It is hand-harvested and sun-dried, and then carefully aged. 

This konbu is stronger and more powerful, and wonderfully versatile. It is a workhorse of kombu, and can bring depth and flavor to ramen stocks, tonjiru, pickles, and marinades. 

After opening, please store the konbu in a dry environment. In a ziplock bag or Tupperware is fine. If white powder appears on it, don't worry, that's just umami crystals! 

This is without a doubt, in the class of "really really good" konbu. Like, some of the best konbu.

What makes konbu "really really good"?

The best konbu is wild harvested. Some mass-produced konbu comes from aquaculture farms in Japan and China. Japan's finest konbu is always hand-harvested. Part of this hand-harvesting involves the konbu producers choosing the finest leaves. 

The konbu is then cut into smaller pieces and laid out to dry in the sun, the same day it is harvested. Once it dries in the sun, it gets wrapped in cloth and is moved to special warehouses to be aged for at least a year. This aging is a careful and delicate process, much like aging wine. Environmental care in humidity and temperature needs to be taken. During this process, natural fermentation takes place within the konbu, curing and preserving it. 

The best konbu is considered to come from northern Japan, and more particularly from all around the northern island of Hokkaido. Hokkaido's seas are considered to be Japan's konbu "garden". And around Hokkaido, there are even specific climatic pockets that are known for having the best-of-the-best seaweed. (Rausu peninsula is one of those areas.) Kinda like the special zones in wine grape growing. If Hokkaido is like Loire Valley, then Rausu Penensula is maybe like the special terroir of Pouilly Fume. 

50g pouch.