‘Like a jewel’: Japan’s luxury ice revered by bars worldwide
KANAZAWA, Sept 6 — In the historic Japanese city of Kanazawa, craftsmen painstakingly shape and slice blocks of ic...
In the historic city of Kanazawa, Japan, a century-old company named Kuramoto Ice has been producing premium, ultra-clear ice for decades. This luxury ice is highly regarded by bars around the world, with a single cube costing as much as 200 yen (US$1.25). The 41-year-old fifth-generation head of Kuramoto Ice, Kazuhiko Kuramoto, explained to AFP that the production process involves freezing water slowly over 48 to 72 hours, longer than typical methods.
This slow freezing technique pushes impurities towards the center of the ice, which is then removed and replaced with fresh water, resulting in completely transparent ice known as "junpyo" in Japanese. The technique also helps remove air bubbles, creating a colder and denser ice product that cools cocktails without diluting their flavor.
Despite the environmental concerns of transporting ice worldwide, Kuramoto Ice remains popular among bars, including a trend-setting bar in Singapore that imports around 900 kilograms of ice annually. The ice's clarity and slow melting process are highly valued by bartenders, who believe it significantly impacts the taste and aftertaste of cocktails.
Written by urgent.news from Malay Mail's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
