Wagyu Grades Explained

Zen-noh Japanese wagyu has arrived at Sushisushi! We now have A5 wagyu in stock! A5 wagyu is the highest Japanese grade there is. But how is wagyu judged? In today's blog we will explore this strict grading system.

The grade of wagyu is dictated by a letter and a number. The letter can be from A to C (A being the best), and the number from 1 to 5 (5 being the best).

The A to C scale represents the amount of wagyu that can be harvested from the cattle. Before slaughter, a calculation is used to work out the percentage of meat, fat and bone that the cattle is comprised of. The more meat, the better the ranking. It is usually the case that larger cattle have better quality meat.

B is treated as the standard, so A is better than standard, C is less than standard.

So before the slaughter, only the letter is designated to the cattle. At this stage, the farmers are still unsure of the quality of the beef.

Now, let's have a look at how the number section of the grade is judged:

1. Ratio of Fat to Lean Meat

The first criteria that is judged is probably the most obvious, as it is why wagyu is special - the marbling. The beef is judge by the ratio of fat to lean meat. The more fat, the better.

In this picture, No.8 to No.12 is rated 5 ★★★★★ (A5 quality)

2. Colour of the meat

Up next is the colour of the lean meat. This is judged by how dark or light it is. Mid-tones are graded as better quality with lighter and darker meats are given lower grades.

In this picture, colour no.3 to 5 are rated as 5 ★★★★★

3. Colour and glossiness of the fat

The colour of the fat is also an important factor when deciding the grade. The glossiness of the fat also plays a part as this hints towards the quality of the fat and how tender it will be. The fat in higher quality wagyu has to melt-in-the-mouth.

In this case, the lighter and shinier the fat, the better.

In this picture, No.1 would be the better quality & No.7 being the worst.

4. Firmness of the meat

Finally, the beef is judged by it's firmness. This one is more open into interpretation as it is difficult to give a visual representation.

The beef should be firm but tender. This is so it does not fall apart while cooking but at the same time, is not too chewy.

The grades are strictly organised. As you can see, the interesting thing about this grade is not about the taste. As all of us have flavour preferences and it can't be judged, so these grades are all about the quality of the meat.

A5 Japanese wagyu is now available in our store.

Try our A5 wagyu today!

Why wagyu tastes different

Well-marbled Japanese wagyu is known as shimo-furi, or "frosted" beef. Its rich aroma, called wagyu-kou, comes from the white fat marbling that melts through the meat as it cooks. Wagyu has a higher ratio of mono-unsaturated to saturated fat than other beef, and it is this fat breaking down during cooking that gives wagyu its distinctive richness.

Farmers raise wagyu cattle individually and slowly, and they are typically slaughtered at around three years old, later than more conventional cattle, which adds to the cost of production.

Why Wagyu Quality Varies Outside Japan

Wagyu cattle were once a closely guarded Japanese breed. In the 1990s, a Japanese wagyu farmer sold some of his cattle to an Australian farmer for breeding, and the Japanese wagyu organisation responded by revoking his membership. Since then attitudes have relaxed, and many wagyu farms outside Japan now use cattle crossbred with Japanese wagyu. The resulting beef is still called wagyu, but the difference in quality compared with Japanese wagyu is visible, and it carries through to taste, aroma and price. It is not only the amount of marbling that sets true Japanese wagyu apart, but also the quality of the fat itself, which gives it its melt-in-the-mouth texture.

What "wagyu" actually means

Wagyu literally translates as "Japanese beef" and refers to four specific cattle breeds: Japanese Black (Kuroge), Japanese Brown (Akage), Japanese Shorthorn (Tankaku) and Japanese Polled (Mukaku), plus crossbreeds between them. Japanese Black accounts for around 90% of wagyu cattle.

Wagyu's tenderness comes from its high proportion of unsaturated fat, which has a lower melting point than the fat in most other beef. This is why the fat seems to melt in the mouth almost as soon as it is eaten.