http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/897657--japan-turns-to-mozart-to-improve-sake-taste
For 20 years Ohara Shuzo, a sake brewery in Fukushima Prefecture, has been serenading their fermenting rice during the third stage of the brewing process.
For an hour in the morning and one in the afternoon, maturing sake designated for the company’s “classical series” enjoys the vibrations of Mozart’s “Symphony 41” and “Piano Concerto 20” from their stainless-steal tanks.
“We found Mozart works best for sake,” Senior Managing Director Fumiko Ohara told The Japan Times, “and that's why we use only his music.”
It wasn’t always this way. Experiments with jazz, Bach and Beethoven were initially conducted by the company, but they did not produce the “richer fragrance and a milder taste” that Mozart does, Ohara told the paper.
While skeptics may balk at the thought of paying $60 for a bottle of harmony-infused booze, the company has steadily sold their “classical series” since 1989.
Amateur scientist Dorothy Retallack kicked off the debate surrounding plants and music in 1970s when she found her plants leaned towards radios playing classical and jazz music while her marigolds wilted after two weeks of listening to hard rock.
Since then, numerous studies have proven and debunked the theory that sound waves benefit vegetation. While claims that music can benefit plants are nothing new, insisting the classical greats can improve the taste of everything from bananas to soy sauce certainly is.
For 20 years Ohara Shuzo, a sake brewery in Fukushima Prefecture, has been serenading their fermenting rice during the third stage of the brewing process.
For an hour in the morning and one in the afternoon, maturing sake designated for the company’s “classical series” enjoys the vibrations of Mozart’s “Symphony 41” and “Piano Concerto 20” from their stainless-steal tanks.
“We found Mozart works best for sake,” Senior Managing Director Fumiko Ohara told The Japan Times, “and that's why we use only his music.”
It wasn’t always this way. Experiments with jazz, Bach and Beethoven were initially conducted by the company, but they did not produce the “richer fragrance and a milder taste” that Mozart does, Ohara told the paper.
While skeptics may balk at the thought of paying $60 for a bottle of harmony-infused booze, the company has steadily sold their “classical series” since 1989.
Amateur scientist Dorothy Retallack kicked off the debate surrounding plants and music in 1970s when she found her plants leaned towards radios playing classical and jazz music while her marigolds wilted after two weeks of listening to hard rock.
Since then, numerous studies have proven and debunked the theory that sound waves benefit vegetation. While claims that music can benefit plants are nothing new, insisting the classical greats can improve the taste of everything from bananas to soy sauce certainly is.
