Last week’s video was a 2-for-1; a short about Japanese Wagyu vs American Wagyu, followed by a more in-depth explainer about the world of wagyu in general (yes, wagyu is not just a Japanese thing anymore).

But there’s one topic I wanted to revisit: A5 Wagyu.

A5 has become the wagyu industry’s favorite buzzword. It’s technically the highest grade of Japanese beef, but due to social media, it’s become the symbol for ultra-rich, intensely marbled, and very expensive wagyu beef.

But what if I told you that you might not even like A5 Wagyu? Here’s why.

Take a look at Exhibit A below. I picked up this beautifully marbled cut of A5 wagyu beef for $61.87 (on sale). It weighed 0.825 pounds so it cost $74.99 per pound. Pretty steep if you ask me.

When dinner time rolled around I quickly seared this beauty on a ripping hot pan. It was cooked perfectly; a caramelized brown crust on the outside and still pink on the inside. However, it was not love at first bite.

Yes, it was tender, rich, and juicy, but it just felt like I was eating butter, not beef. There was just too much fat and the texture was too soft, as I preferred something with a bit more “chew”.

Because of its marbling, Japanese wagyu is best eaten in small portions and pieces (which I did), but even this was too much for me- sure, it tasted delicious, but the extra soft/fatty texture just wasn’t what I was looking for that day.

If you do prefer something fattier, you’re going to love A5. But if you want something a bit beefier or more like a traditional steak, just know that A5 isn’t going to scratch that itch. This is why, despite all the buzz, A5 may not always be worth its extra high price. Instead, try American wagyu or Japanese wagyu with less marbling. Check out the YouTube video to learn more.

Fun Fact

A5 is not the best way to determine the marbling of Japanese wagyu. For a more accurate representation of marbling, look at it’s B.M.S (Beef Marbling Score), with 12 being the highest and 1 being the lowest. Beef with BMS 8 through 12 all qualify as A5 wagyu. This means wagyu with up to 1/4 less marbling is still considered A5. Personally, I’d prefer BMS 8 over BMS 12.

Thanks for reading!

Last week’s lesson explained the difference between Green Tea and Matcha (click to watch). But here’s the real tea.

All tea comes from the same plant.

Yup! Green tea, matcha, black tea, oolong, jasmine, Darjeeling, English breakfast and almost every other tea you’ve heard of comes from Camellia sinensis; an evergreen shrub species from the Theaceae family (the tea family).

So what about teas from other plants like chamomile, peppermint, and hibiscus? Since none of these are Camellia sinensis, these “teas” are actually herbal infusions.

But if all teas come from the same plant, why do they taste and look so different?

Well, it really comes down to oxidation. Oxidation is a natural chemical reaction where crushed or bruised leaves meet oxygen, turning the leaves darker. Of course there are other factors (where the leaves are grown, how it’s processed, etc.) but generally teas are categorized by their oxidization level.*

So if you love tea, here’s the tea. A quick guide on some of the most well known teas and what makes them so unique.

*Fun fact- oxidation level also affects caffeine level.

Green Tea

The umbrella term for any unoxidized tea. Low caffeine.

Sencha: Japanese style green tea (steamed to stop oxidation).

Longjing: Chinese style green tea (pan-fired to stop oxidation).

Matcha: Powdered green tea. You consume the entire leaf, instead of steeping it.

Hojicha: Roasted green tea. Very nutty.

Jasmine: Green tea scented with jasmine flowers. Very floral.

Black Tea

The umbrella term for any fully oxidized tea. Can be both single-origin or a blend. Higher caffeine, also more tannins making it more bitter.

English Breakfast: A blend of different black tea varieties. Usually Assam from India and Ceylon from Sri Lanka. Can also include Kenyan or Chinese varieties. Blend varies by producer but is always designed to be full-bodied and robust.

Earl Grey: Black tea blend with the essence of bergamot, the oils from the rind of a bergamot orange. Floral and citrusy.

Chai: Indian black tea with spices like ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, cloves, black pepper, and more. Spices vary by region.

Assam: Black tea from Assam, India. It’s known for being bold and flavorful. Main variety of black tea in the English Breakfast blend.

Semi-oxidized

Partially oxidized tea. Middle ground between green tea and black tea. Moderate caffeine.

Oolong Tea: Umbrella term for any partially-oxidized tea from China. Traditionally it’s grouped into four regional styles: Northern Wuyi Rock Teas, Southern Fujian Oolongs (also semi-fermented), Guangdong Dan Cong, and Taiwanese Oolongs.

Darjeeling: A highly prized and rare tea grown and processed in the Darjeeling district or Kalimpong district in West Bengal, India. It’s technically a black tea, but it’s common for producers to partially oxidize it, especially for the first flush (spring harvest).

White Tea

Tea made from young buds and unfurled leaves. Instead of being oxidized, it’s just withered and dried. Similar caffeine content to green tea, maybe slightly lower.

Silver Needle (Baihao Yinzhen): Made from unopened leaf buds. Probably the most famous white tea.

White Peony (Bai Mu Dan): Made from unopened leaf buds and the first and/or second adjacent leaves.

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Last week’s lesson was about burger blends (watch recap). Chuck is the foundation, brisket helps add flavor, and short-rib adds richness and juiciness.

Every burger joint has its own custom blend, so the ratio of what cuts you decide to add (or not add) will affect a patties taste and texture. Seasoning also affects taste, but that’s a topic for another time.

The best way to understand these blends is to taste them yourself. So to save you some time and calories, here are the custom blends of burgers you’ve probably already had. This way, when you’re buying pre-made patties at the grocery store, you’ll have a good comparison on what certain blends will taste like.

Burger Chain Blends

(Blend ratios and seasonings are not listed publicly)

McDonald’s: Trimmings of chuck, round, and sirloin.

Round and sirloin are very lean, which will make the patty dry. Luckily there is some chuck included to help mitigate this.

In-N-Out: 100% chuck.

The classic burger blend. Not too rich, not too dry. It’s a classic for a reason.

Culver’s: Sirloin, chuck, and plate.

If you’ve never had Culver's, it’s great. They’re a midwest staple and are known for their Butterburgers and custard. Sirloin is lean, chuck is in the middle ground, and plate can be very fatty. A solid gourmet blend.

Five Guys: 100% lean ground chuck.

Another classic. I don’t eat too much Five Guys, but based on the blend, it’ll be pretty similar to In-N-Out. However, I do remember the patty being a bit bigger in size.

Shake Shack: A secret and custom blend of 100% Angus beef from premium whole muscle cuts supplied by the famed Pat LaFreida.

Everyone knows Pat LaFreida supplies Shake Shack with their patties (it’s what made them famous). Pat and his company also supplies patties for Minetta Tavern’s Black Label Burger, Spotted Pig, and other New York institutions. So even though we don’t know the blend, you can definitely buy something similar.

Pat LaFrieda sells their own burger blend available to the public: chuck, brisket, and short-rib from American Black Angus Beef. I’d wager this is pretty much the Shake Shack blend. Chuck for the foundation, brisket for flavor, and short-rib for richness. The quintessential gourmet blend.

Sources: This information was pulled directly from each restaurant’s website.

Hoisin vs Oyster sauce was a hit. With over 1M views and counting, this topic really hit home. The most popular comment? “Please don’t do this ” - a reference to squirting hoisin sauce directly into pho broth.

So to explore this topic a bit further I took a survey and here are the results:

• 60% (149 votes) felt that adding hoisin to pho broth was perfectly acceptable.

• 40% (93 votes) felt like it was unacceptable. It’s like telling a New Yorker they should toast their bagels.

• Overall the poll got 3,306 views, which means 3,059 people didn’t have a strong enough opinion to vote. But here’s why it matters…

Why is this a hot take?

Purists believe that adding hoisin sauce to pho ruins the flavor of the broth. Chefs spend days slow-simmering this broth, and each restaurant is going to have it’s own special flavor.

But if chefs don’t want you to add hoisin sauce to their broth, why are bottles of hoisin and sriracha served table side at these establishments?

Turns out it’s highly regional.

Pho originated in north Vietnam, where the culture of adding hoisin sauce did not exist. However, when pho made it’s way to the south (Saigon), that all changed.

Most of the pho we eat in America, served with fresh herbs, bean sprouts, hoisin and sriracha, is mostly southern style. Some say that hoisin sauce was originally intended to be a dipping sauce for the meats, but the ability to customize the sweetness and spiciness of your broth proved too hard to resist.

My Take?

I’m a purist at heart. I like the taste of a clean broth, but my recommendation is to use hoisin as a dipping sauce for the meats. This way you still get the sweet and umami taste of hoisin, without compromising the flavor of the broth.

What are your thoughts? Let me know in the comments below.

As I stated in the

video, the differences between these two dishes is mostly found in the sauce. But what I didn’t go over is how regional Orange Chicken and General Tso’s can be. As audacious as it sounds, not everyone has heard of General Tso’s Chicken. For dramatic comparison, it’s equivalent to not knowing what Chicken Alfredo is…

Here’s why.

In my experience, Orange Chicken seems to be more popular on the West Coast, while General Tso’s is more of an East Coast thing. I have no real data to prove this, but I can tell you that having grown up in a predominately Asian community in California, I had never heard of General Tso’s until the documentary The Search for General Tso came out in 2014.

Coincidentally, that’s the same time I set off to college on the East Coast, and somehow found myself living in Boston’s historic Chinatown. To make matters worst (or better) I was also living upstairs of a Chinese restaurant…which I’m also convinced was a front for the Chinese Mafia.

To my surprise, this restaurant, and many others around it, mostly served General Tso’s, not Orange Chicken. Which led me to ask, why is General Tso’s more popular on the East Coast?

My theory of “why” is because General Tso’s was “supposedly” invented in New York, while Orange Chicken was “supposedly” invented by Panda Express - which started and grew extensively on the West Coast before expanding nationally. And since Panda Express is perceived as a chain, it might be less “authentic” when compared to the Mom and Pop shops serving good ole fashioned General Tso’s. Plus, General Tso’s still holds a strong historical and cultural presence in East Coast Chinese restaurants. Something that Panda Express will probably never compete with.

Still, there’s no denying both are equally delicious and iconic. Perhaps, this is the real East Coast/West Coast beef? Is their real difference more in their history, and not so much the ingredients?

That being said, let me end with the question you’ve all been waiting for…

Which one is better?

Well…I’m going to have to give it to General Tso this round. I enjoy how savory and garlicky General Tso’s was compared to the fruitier Orange Chicken. But who knows, maybe I’ll change my mind in the future.

Now you know, and thanks for reading.

Shaunson Explains

P.S. I will probably make a more in-depth long form video about this in the future, because it is really interesting. So stay tuned for that.

Most of you know me from my food explainer videos. However, there is a lot of information that doesn’t make it into these videos…for the sake of keeping them short (blame the algorithm).

This substack will be a continuation of my food education videos, a place where I can share all the information I leave out. Think of it as a more detailed explanation of the lessons I already put out.

I’ll also post some fun behind-the-scenes, lessons that didn’t make the cut, and any other food related topics I can think off. Hope you enjoy and thanks for subscribing!

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