Hanaga Wagyu

About the Wagyu

Our May limited edition was built around one of the rarest beef in Japan: Hanaga Akaushi, raised by Okazaki-san at Yuboku in Ehime.

Akaushi — Japanese Brown — is one of only four recognized Wagyu breeds, and it’s the one most people never get to try. While there are around 1.6 million Kuroge (Black) Wagyu in Japan, the Kōchi-line Akaushi that Yuboku works with numbers only about 2,500 head. That’s roughly 0.1% of all Wagyu, which is why it’s often called the “phantom” Wagyu.

Yuboku has spent more than 30 years focused on red meat, and they handle everything from raising the cattle to selling it directly — a fully traceable line from pasture to plate. The cattle are fed a self-blended, domestic feed that’s more than 20% local feed-rice, along with local rice straw. The rice matters: it softens the meat and raises oleic acid, the unsaturated fat behind Wagyu’s signature aroma and that smooth, melting finish. No growth promoters or antibiotics are used during fattening.

Leaner than Black Wagyu, so it finishes clean and light — but it carries deep umami.

What sets Akaushi apart on the plate is balance. The amino acids that drive that savory flavor can reach several times those of Kuroge once the beef is aged, which Yuboku does using techniques they’ve refined since 1990.

The Burger

A leaner, savory beef like this can stand up to bold company without being buried, so we kept the build simple and let the Akaushi lead.

The blue cheese brings a sharp, rich edge and the pineapple adds brightness and acidity that cuts through it. Both frame the beef rather than mask it — you still taste the Akaushi first.