Okinawan Crushed Black Sugar

Robust Okinawan Black Sugar by Murakami Shoten

Okinawan Black Sugar, or Kokuto, has an incredible depth of flavors and nuances compared to conventional brown sugar. It has a unique robust and savory quality, with an almost smoky, malt-like flavor. Enjoy experimenting with black sugar in your favorite desserts, beverages, or even savory dishes or sauces by substituting regular brown sugar with our black sugar.

Murakami Shoten, a 3rd generation and over 64-year old company, creates one of the best black sugars around the area. It is made in Hateruma Island, Japan's southernmost inhabited island and a region famous for its sugarcane production. The flavor of the sugar is determined by the species of sugarcane and the region it is grown in; Hateruma Island is considered to have the best black sugar and sugarcanes since Hateruma is a coral island, and produces a distinctive and richer sugarcane and thus, the ultimate black sugar. 

They start with boiling sugarcane juice for hours until it becomes a black syrup. Next, they allow the syrup to cool and harden into dry sugar blocks they eventually crush into sugar. 

Health Benefits of Kokuto Black Sugar

Made in the 17th Century in Okinawa, Japan, black sugar has been prized for its signature complex taste and many health benefits.

Unlike refined white cane sugars, Okinawan Black Sugar contains many minerals, such as potassium, calcium, and iron, and has traditionally been used for many home remedies. For instance, many folks will add black sugar to ginger tea to relieve nausea, fatigue, or colds, or simply suck on the sugar to relieve painful menstrual cramps.

*While Kokuto literally means "black sugar" and it's known as a special type of sugar in Japan, because its color is very dark brown, Kokuto is sometimes labeled as "dark brown sugar" or just "brown sugar" in English. So, Kokuto can be "black sugar" or "brown sugar" when translated in English. It's just the matter of translation. We go by "black sugar" as it's true to Japanese description.

Mrs. Donabe's Recipe Suggestions

*For any recipes calling for raw brown sugar, you can simply substitute with black sugar

• Net weight: 1.1 lb | 500 g
• Ingredients: Cane Sugar
• Producer: Murakami Shoten
• Origin: Hateruma Island, Okinawa, Japan

Usage & Care

• Store in a cool, dark place

Domestic Orders

• Usually ships out in-stock items within 3 business days of order.
• We use FedEx, USPS Priority Mail, or USPS First Class Mail to ship our products, depending on the size and weight of the package.
• Read about the shipping information and terms in our Customer Service Page.
• Free shipping with purchase of $375 or more! (Within Continental US only. Total purchase amount to qualify excludes free shipping offer items.)
• This item is not available to ship outside of Continental US.
• Please note if this item is included in your order for the shipment outside of Continental US, shipping method or price won't show in the check out page, and you won't be able to proceed to check out.

International Orders

• This item is not available to ship outside of the US.
• Please note if this item is included in your order, shipping method or price won't show in the check out page, and you won't be able to proceed to check out.