Rib eye Wagyu Japanese Kagoshima BMS 9 A4

One of the most important and sought-after specialty cuts of beef, it is the tender “heart” of the ribeye. This premium cut is located between the 6th and 12th thoracic vertebrae.
When the ribeye is separated from the bone, it yields a clean, oval cut of meat, the finest quality steak, made up of two distinct muscles. It is round like an eye, hence its name, the “eye of the steak.” Its excellent fat distribution gives it outstanding flavor and tenderness.

The history of Wagyu begins sometime in the late 19th century, when Emperor Meiji the Great regained power. Japan then began to evolve, transforming from an insular, feudal state into an industrializing superpower. With the restoration of imperial rule came a period of reform (Westernization) in the country; Japanese customs and dietary habits began to change. The ban on eating meat was lifted, and beef gained a place in Japanese cuisine. After 1868, as many Japanese embraced European and North American customs and everyday practices, eating beef became fashionable in the major cities. Encouraging beef consumption can be seen as part of the new regime’s efforts to reshape the Japanese physique in a way that would make it more appealing to Westerners, thereby facilitating Japan’s entry into the ranks of countries with a higher average height than Japan. To advance this goal, the government supported beef production and consumption. In 1871, it abolished the hereditary monopoly on meat production held by certain groups, and in 1872 it publicized both the emperor’s position and the essay “On Eating Meat” by the thinker Fukuzawa Yukichi, as well as related discussions among intellectuals, promoting literary portrayals of the new ways of life. Thus, although Wagyu beef was developed and is raised in Japan, its adoption into Japanese cuisine is, in fact, striking proof of Western influence on Japanese customs, and marks a significant turning point in Japanese history. 

In the 1880s, the Japanese decided to import European cattle breeds and crossbreed them with Japanese cattle. This transformed the old working breeds into beef breeds. Several cattle breeds emerged, and they still dominate Japan’s beef trade today. Of these, however, only four breeds are truly Wagyu:

Japanese Black | The Japanese Black breed, prized for its meat’s intense marbling. Since 90% of Wagyu come from the Japanese Black breed, when people say “Wagyu,” they usually mean Japanese Black cattle. 
Japanese Brown | The Japanese Brown breed, a leaner, healthier cattle breed known for the mild flavor of its meat. 
Japanese Shorthorn | Japanese Shorthorn. Although it is also lean, Japanese Shorthorn beef is rich in inosinic acid and glutamic acid, two valuable acids that give it a more savory flavor. 
Japanese Polled | Japanese Polled: Like Brown and Shorthorn, Japanese Polled beef is lean and is renowned for its pleasant texture and rich, meaty flavor.

In the beginning, there was a black cow
Everything you need to know about Wagyu beef, and especially Kobe beef  
“Wagyu” refers to any cattle raised in Japan or … in the Japanese way. Wagyu, freely translated, means “Japanese cattle” (“Wa” means Japanese or Japanese-style, and “gyu” means cow or cattle in general). Simply put, “Wagyu” means “Japanese cow.” To be classified as Kobe beef, Wagyu beef must come from a very special member of the Wagyu breed called Tajima-Gyu, raised under strict protocols in Hyogo Prefecture.  Since Wagyu beef was often transported from Kobe to Yokohama - the commercial port in the Tokyo metropolitan area - it began to be highly prized by the foreigners who lived there. Its admirers are also responsible for the slogan: “What other, Kobe beef!” 

What, then, makes Wagyu stand out from other breeds of cattle? And what makes Kobe beef so special that it often commands some of the highest prices per kilogram on the market? 
Farmers who raise Wagyu cattle take exceptional care of them. They feed them milk until they are 3 months old. After three months, the calves are fed a mixture of grass, rice straw and grains (corn, soybeans and wheat). Kobe cattle have the same diet as all other Wagyu, but each farm varies the feed it gives its cattle slightly. In addition to corn or cornmeal, which is essential, farmers add oats, wheat, barley, soybeans, as well as sugarcane silage or cocoa nibs (fragments of the seeds inside the cacao fruit). Most animals also eat straw and hay, as they would in their natural habitats. It is worth noting that in recent years two farmers, one in Japan and one in the Netherlands, have adopted a different diet enriched with a tasty, digestible and safe paste made from pure olive pulp, derived from roasted olive mill “waste.” 

It is sometimes said that farmers massage their cattle to reduce muscle tension caused by cramped spaces.  
There are many myths surrounding Wagyu farming. It is said that they live in spa-like conditions, are given “gourmet” food, are massaged with beer and made to listen to classical music to help them relax. Although none of these myths has been debunked, that doesn’t mean they are the norm. Producers follow very strict farming guidelines, and some have indeed devised special methods that allow Wagyu to live leisurely and peacefully. They may listen to music, but it isn’t necessary. What is certain is that these cattle’s peaceful, laid-back lifestyle helps increase their intramuscular fat (marbling) and contributes to its unique distribution, which makes Wagyu beef so delicious and highly prized. Its “marbling,” the fine white streaks of fat that melt as the meat cooks, allow it to remain tender, juicy and therefore flavorful. And because its fat’s melting point is lower than the average temperature of the human body, it melts pleasantly in the mouth. 

Part of its appeal is its aroma, a unique, sweet coconut scent. A relatively recent study in the Journal of Agricultural & Food Chemistry identified sixteen compounds that give it this distinctive smell, ten of which are directly associated with the meat. The strongest evidence, however, comes from compounds derived from fatty acids.  The excess fat, its distribution and the different fatty acid composition are due, on the one hand, to a genetic characteristic of this particular cattle breed - and to their diet, which is designed to bring their intramuscular fat to 30 - 40 % of the muscle’s volume - and, on the other hand, to the fact that the calves continue to be raised until they are 30 months old.  

Marbling: The distinctive feature of Wagyu  
The result of these breeding methods, combined with longer fattening periods, are the key factors behind the superior taste of Wagyu meat. Marbling gives Wagyu its better flavor. Its fat melts at a lower temperature than that of any other cattle breed, resulting in a rich, buttery flavor not found in meat from other breeds. This fat is unsaturated and rich in omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, which means that marbling not only makes it tastier, but healthier, too. Despite the breed’s genetically increased predisposition to developing intramuscular fat, Wagyu also has a high proportion of unsaturated fats, such as omega-3 fatty acids, which balance out the corresponding proportion of omega-6 fatty acids and therefore help reduce bad cholesterol and fight heart disease. 

Quality grading of Wagyu beef 
Another very important factor that determines the quality of Wagyu is its grade. In some specialist butcher shops or on the menus of high-end steakhouses, you’ll usually see an A5 rating. This is the grade assigned by members of the Japan Meat Grading Association. Grades marked with letters from A to C refer to the yield of quality meat from each cow. A is the highest yield grade and C the lowest. Each letter is followed by a number (from 1 to 5) indicating the quality grade: 5 is excellent, 4 good, 3 average, 2 below average, and 1 poor.  
The assessment is based on four criteria:  
1. Marbling (the distribution of intramuscular fat in the meat) 
2. The meat’s color in relation to its brightness 
3. The firmness and texture of the meat  
4. The color in relation to the fat’s sheen and quality  

As for the «Sashi» grades (i.e., marbling, in Japanese), there is also a further assessment, the Beef Marble Score (BMS), with a scale from 1 to 12. 
According to the BMS, exceptional intramuscular fat is rated between 8 and 12, good from 5 to 7, medium from 3 to 4, the next lower grade is 2, and the lowest is 1. So A5 is the highest-quality Japanese Wagyu, and therefore the most expensive. The best score an A5 can receive is A5-12, though this is extremely rare. Understanding the logic of this grading system helps you buy or order at a restaurant the meat you’re willing to pay for. 
All these facts help explain, to some extent, why in countries such as the United States, the cost of the best Wagyu steaks easily exceeds $300.  
Besides, a (live) Wagyu cow can cost as much as $30,000. In 2002, a Wagyu cow sold in Japan for about $400,000. It was a record and is the highest price ever paid for such a cow. 

And Wagyu burgers?
Is it really worth ordering a Wagyu burger? I’d say probably not. All the appeal of Wagyu beef lies in its distinctive texture, excellent marbling, and tenderness. So, if the meat is ground and made into patties or burgers, it will certainly be tender, but the difference in flavor compared with any other (regular) burger will be slight to imperceptible.