Tag

caviar sources

Caviar Samples: Quality is Key!

It sounds perfectly obvious, doesnt it? However, it is strange how many people think that they can provide a poor quality caviar sample, then persuade us to buy their rubbish product. This is a skill that is often demonstrated by those strange “Agents” trying to peddle “best quality Iranian caviar” who normally pretend that they have their own farm , always on the Caspian Sea, when it is obvious that they do not. The other day, one such individual turned up unannounced and delivered a sample of the aforementioned “best... Read More

Another October Caviar Tasting

Another week, another caviar tasting – woe is me! This time we started with a French Baerii, moving on to a couple of Belugas, before checking our Royal Oscietra to make sure it was still up to the mark. The Baerii caviar looked OK and tasted good, although some tasters found it a little soft. The general consensus was that it was good, but not as good as our current stock of Baerii. Then it was the turn of the Beluga caviar (Huso Huso), which was interesting as both samples... Read More

JUNE CAVIAR TASTING

It is always nice to begin the month with a tasting session. We had two samples to have a go at, and I also fancied putting in some of our Royal Oscietra just to gain people’s reaction. I do like to continually test our range to make sure it is as good as it can be. First up, was some Bester Caviar. “Bester?” I hear you say, “What on earth is that?”. It is, in fact, a fairly common hybrid of Huso Huso x Ruthenus (Sterlet). I say fairly common... Read More

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Brexit Caviar Crisis?

Despite all the Brexit talk, no one in the press seems to have covered the important issue of what will happen to caviar supplies come April 2019. At present, importing caviar from within the EU could not be easier. We place an order with the producer and they send it to us – no problem at all. Importing caviar from outside the EU is not so easy. We need to obtain a CITES import licence which costs £70 and can take up to 6 weeks. The supplier needs to supply... Read More

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July Caviar Tasting No3

Last, but not least, this month on the tasting front was a Beluga caviar from Bulgaria. It was a pure Beluga caviar – from a Huso Huso sturgeon. I have written before about the difficulty of getting a good enough Beluga (Huso Huso) caviar at a sensible price. It is not commonly farmed as it takes about 18 years to mature. Even then, great caviar is not guaranteed. Much of what we see is of poor quality and/or offered at a silly price. So was this another such example? First... Read More

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Trumped: Iranian caviar

We are sometimes asked why we dont stock any caviar from Iran. It is a fair question as Iran does have a certain reputation in the world of caviar and we are called Caspian Caviar! The reason is two fold. Firstly is the concern over the quality of the farmed caviar from Iran. It is normally Beluga and its vendors always describe it as “the very best”, “best quality”, “best in the world” etc etc and charge accordingly. Sadly, the reality is normally rather different and the caviar is not... Read More

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5 more Caviar Questions & Answers from Caspian Caviar

My last blog with 5 Questions & Answers all about caviar went down rather well, so here are another 5 Questions and Answers covering other aspects of caviar. Are there any traditions to eating caviar? (such as tableware, etc) Yes. Caviar is traditionally served on ice. This leads some people to believe that if it is not ice cold at all times, it will immediately go off. This is not the case. It is served on ice as it tastes best that way. Try it at room temperature and you... Read More

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5 Caviar Questions and Answers from Caspian Caviar

What does caviar taste like? On the face of it, this seems such a simple question, but it is really rather a tricky one to answer. The simple, if rather facetious, answer is “Like caviar”. The problem is that it really tastes like nothing else so it is very hard to describe. In our efforts to convey the taste, we in the trade often resort to using descriptions such as “buttery”, “creamy”, “with hints of the sea”, “whiffs of walnuts” etc etc. All may well be true to varying degrees,... Read More

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Is all caviar farmed?

We still do get asked this question by customers, and the simple answer is “Yes”. Although many people still firmly associate caviar with Russia, Iran and the Caspian Sea, the reality today is very different. Some twenty years ago, the restrictions on fishing for wild sturgeon in the Caspian became looser. At much the same time, many of the countries around the Caspian were becoming more industrialised, particularly with the expansion of the oil and gas industry in the region. The subsequent over fishing, pollution and modification of rivers had... Read More

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Caspian Caviar White

LAUNCH: Caspian Caviar White You may recall that last Christmas, and then again at Easter, we were able to source a small quantity of fantastically priced caviar that we then called “Privilege”. It was from a stock of Transmontanus sturgeon in Italy. We had such good feedback that we have been working with the producers to secure a bigger supply. This we now have, so we have now included it in our range as Caspian Caviar White. The Transmontanus sturgeon is also known as White sturgeon, hence why we named... Read More