Koji - Whatta Fungi

Show Notes In the latest Sake Deep Dive, Andy and Jim take on Japan’s national mold, Aspergillus oryzae–the lowly koji-kin. This is less a historical exploration and more a real look at the nitty gritty on this itty bitty ruler of the sake world. CORRECTION: During the episode, Jim mistakenly called Shirokoji Aspergillus luchuensis. That is incorrect. It is Aspergillis kawachii. Aspergillus luchuensis is another name for Aspergillus awamori. Vocabulary from this episode Kikoji - Yellow koji, Aspergillus oryzae. The standard sake strain of koji kin. Koji kin - the actual way to refer to the mold spores that are added to rice to make rice koji. Kurokoji - Black koji, Aspergillus awamori/Aspergillus luchuensis. The standard strain of koji kin for making the Okinawan rice spirit of awamori. Shirokoji - White koji. Aspergillus kawachii. The standard strain of koji kin for making Japan’s spirit of shochu. Oddly, a mutated form of Aspergillus awamori. Toko - Literally “floor/bed.” The table where major hand-made koji production happens. Hako - Literally “box.” A box where moderately sized batches of hand-made koji are propagated for temperature control. Futa - Literally “lid.” Smaller boxes for precise, granular temperature control in hand-made koji production. Recommended Sake Andy - 無窮天穏 Mukkyu Tenon Jim - Gokyo Five Yellow Our theme music is from Lotus Lane by The Loyalist - Preconceived Notions Available at https://soundcloud.com/preconceived-notions Under a  Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/lotus-lane Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/1YVHRMVwwHg