Kuromitsu (Black Sugar Syrup)

Kuromitsu (黒蜜 “black honey”), AKA Japanese black honey, is a dark sugar syrup made from unrefined kuro-zato (黒砂糖, black sugar)/kokuto (黒糖). It is similar to molasses but thinner and milder. Like palm sugar, kurozato is unrefined and mineral-rich.

What Is Kuromitsu

Kuromitsu is a sweet dark syrup derived from unrefined Okinawan black sugar (kuro-zato/kokuto), which is available in cubes, powdered, or syrup form. It’s used in traditional Japanese desserts. It contains minerals like calcium, potassium, magnesium, and iron and Bifidobacteria (a group of probiotics), usually filtered out of white sugar. The dark color is due to its production method of caramelizing the sugar and the presence of impurities

As Okinawa produces most of the domestic sugar cane, it’s famous for its kurozato and kuromitsu products.

What Does It Taste Like

It has a deep flavor with a slight bitterness, like molasses, toffee, and caramel, but with more complexity.

How To Use

The Japanese use it in Wagashi, such as Anmitsu, kuzu mochi, dango, and warabi mochi. You could also pour the syrup over shaved ice, ice cream, and pancakes or use it as a sweetener for drinks.

Where To Buy

You can find bottled kuromitsu in Japanese and Asian grocery stores and Amazon. You can also make the syrup at home. If you can’t find kurozato/kokuto, you can substitute it with muscovado sugar or other dark brown sugar, although it won’t have that complex flavor.