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Specimen 001 — Camellia sinensis

The umami of earth and sea, condensed into a black soil.

xerograv.'s survival science finds new umami in an old leaf.

Organic JAS-certified matcha from Uji, ground together with aged shio-kombu and rare cacao nibs into a single dark, umami-rich "soil." Crushed by hand in a ceramic mortar from Japan's suribachi heartland, it becomes a flavor unlike anything in a Western pantry — earthy, bitter, faintly of the sea. Not a ceremony. A spice.

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Specimen 001 — Camellia sinensis

Shaded for the final three weeks before harvest, which raises the leaf's L-theanine and chlorophyll — the compounds behind matcha's umami depth and color. L-theanine is also the amino acid credited with matcha's calm, alert feeling — a steadier kind of focus than coffee's jolt. This is the same chemistry we're grinding into a savory soil, not a drink.

01 The umami of life, felt through every sense — explained by survival science.
02 Respect for nature, tradition, and the people behind every ingredient.
03 A simple recipe, ready in your own kitchen — no special skill required.

Product

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Matcha Umami Soil — Founder's Set

Details: A savory matcha "soil" for finishing roasted vegetables. Organic JAS-certified matcha (Uji) · aged shio-kombu · rare heirloom cacao nibs · a small suribachi mortar and pestle (Iwami-yaki, Shimane) for grinding it fresh at the table · ritual usage card · minimal recyclable box.
Place of origin: Matcha: Uji, Kyoto · Shio-kombu: Osaka · Suribachi: Iwami, Shimane

Recipe / guide

Uses your founder's set

Roasted Vegetable Matcha-Kombu Soil

Toast. Lightly toast the shio-kombu in a dry pan for a few seconds until fragrant and crisp, then let it cool.
Grind. In your suribachi mortar, grind the toasted shio-kombu, matcha, and cacao nibs together into a coarse, dark powder.
Roast. Roast your favorite root vegetables — carrots, turnips, or lotus root — until deeply caramelized.
Finish. Spoon the matcha-kombu soil onto part of the plate to form a bed, rather than scattering it on top.
Serve. Arrange the hot vegetables on and beside the soil, on stoneware or bare wood — let it look like something found, not made.

The grinding itself is part of the dish — the sound and rhythm are as much a part of the ritual as the taste.

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Matcha as Umami, Not Ceremony

For centuries, matcha has been whisked and sipped as ceremony — a ritual of stillness. But the same leaf, ground fine enough, behaves less like tea and more like a spice: concentrated, bitter, deeply savory. A growing number of chefs are folding matcha into sauces, rubs, and finishing dusts, using it the way they'd use smoked paprika or sumac — not for its caffeine, but for what it does to a dish's depth. This kit treats it the same way.

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More Ways to Use Your Soil

A batch of matcha-kombu soil keeps for weeks in a sealed jar, and it's rarely used just once. Dust it over pan-seared fish just before serving. Rim a citrus cocktail glass with it instead of salt. Press it onto mushrooms before they hit a hot pan, so it forms a dark, umami crust as they cook. The soil doesn't ask to be the main event — it just makes whatever's next to it taste more like itself.

Become a founder

A restaurant-worthy dish, from a single spoonful of soil.

$220

Test price, tax included · shipping calculated separately · subject to change before charge.

Status: This is an interest list — no payment, ever.
Window: 7 days (Sep 1 – Sep 7)
If we move forward: Full launch takes about 6 months (sourcing, compliance, production) — with early-access pricing held for you.
We'll follow up: You'll hear from us either way, within 6 months of this window closing.

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Specimen 014 — Marine algae

Minerals the deep ocean spent millions of years perfecting.

From xerograv.'s marine life-science research, vitality drawn from the sea.

Wild-harvested from Japan's coastal waters, rich in fucoidan and trace minerals. The ocean covers seventy percent of this planet and holds most of what we still don't understand about resilience. A smoked-salt broth and a house tare built on fermented aonori bring out what the seaweed alone can't — this is a small, daily way to draw from the sea.

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Specimen 014 — Marine algae

Tosakanori owes its color to phycoerythrin, a pigment that breaks down within seconds of contact with heat. The shift you'll watch happen at the table in five seconds is a real chemical reaction, not just cooking. The same seaweeds are rich in fucoidan, a compound researchers are studying for its effects on gut and immune health — vitality you can actually taste.

01 The umami of life, felt through every sense — explained by survival science.
02 Respect for nature, tradition, and the people behind every ingredient.
03 A simple recipe, ready in your own kitchen — no special skill required.

Product

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Deep Ocean Vitality — Founder's Set

Details: A home seaweed shabu-shabu ritual, inspired by nothing but the ocean itself. Wild-harvested seaweed — tosakanori and mozuku for dipping, suji-aonori for a signature dip and a fragrant finishing sprinkle — plus premium broth kombu, a pinch of smoked salt, and a small bottle of soy sauce · a pair of long lacquered cooking chopsticks, for the dip itself · a small mesh strainer, for gathering mozuku as it scatters in the broth · ritual usage card · minimal recyclable box. Bring your own pot, citrus (yuzu, sudachi, or lemon), and a little oil to complete the dip. The smoked salt gives the broth real depth — each seaweed unfurls and shifts color at its own pace as it hits the heat.
Place of origin: Seaweed: nationwide Japan sourcing · Chopsticks & strainer: Japan

Recipe / guide

Uses your founder's set

How to Make Your Seaweed Shabu-Shabu

Rehydrate. Soak the tosakanori and mozuku separately in clean, cold water. Most varieties expand several times in volume — start with a small handful per variety, per person.
Make the broth. Add water to your pot along with the included premium kombu and a pinch of smoked salt, and bring to a gentle simmer on your stovetop. The smoke does the work of depth here.
Make your dip. In a small bowl, whisk the included soy sauce with a pinch of suji-aonori, a squeeze of your own citrus, and a drizzle of oil until it turns lightly cloudy. This is your house tare.
Bring it to the table. Set your pot on a heatproof trivet so it keeps gently simmering as you eat.
Dip for five seconds. Using the long chopsticks, swirl the tosakanori and mozuku in the hot broth for about five seconds — the length keeps your hand well clear of the steam. Watch the color shift before your eyes. A small mesh strainer makes it easy to gather mozuku, which tends to scatter.
Move to your bowl. Lift each piece into your dip.
Finish with the aroma. Just before eating, sprinkle a final pinch of suji-aonori over your bowl — the rising steam brings out its fragrance.

Exact rehydration amounts per variety will be confirmed once the founder's set arrives and is tested at home.

This is a shared pot, not a fixed recipe — add your own mushrooms, spinach, or thin-sliced vegetables alongside the seaweed. Make it yours.

Own more than one founder's set? A spoonful of shio-koji whisked into your dip (from Ancient Survival Ferment) makes it even rounder.

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Why the Chopsticks Are This Long

Standard chopsticks are built for eating, not cooking — which is why Japanese kitchens keep a separate, longer pair just for the stove. The extra length isn't about elegance: it keeps your hand a safe distance from rising steam and hot broth, letting you swirl, lift, and dip with a control you don't have at arm's length. It's a small tool with one job, done well.

#R002

A Seaweed for Every Mood

Tosakanori looks almost floral before it's cooked — deep red, ruffled like a small piece of coral. Mozuku is the opposite: fine, slick strands that slip through chopsticks if you're not careful, which is where the strainer earns its keep. Suji-aonori, the third variety in this kit, isn't dipped at all — its aroma is too delicate for direct heat, so it's saved for a last-second scatter, where rising steam brings out its brine. Three seaweeds, three completely different relationships with heat.

Become a founder

The whole ocean, in a five-second dip.

$200

Test price, tax included · shipping calculated separately · subject to change before charge.

Status: This is an interest list — no payment, ever.
Window: 7 days (Sep 1 – Sep 7)
If we move forward: Full launch takes about 6 months (sourcing, compliance, production) — with early-access pricing held for you.
We'll follow up: You'll hear from us either way, within 6 months of this window closing.

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Specimen 027 — Koji culture

One ferment, two dishes — light and rich.

xerograv.'s survival science looks again at fermentation.

Shio-koji is deceptively simple — just rice, water, and koji, given time to become more than the sum of its parts. Shaken into a dressing with citrus, it turns ripe fruit savory in a way you don't expect; rubbed onto fish before a hot pan, that same quiet fermentation works on protein instead, rich rather than delicate. The same process at work on your palate is quietly at work on your gut, too — and what begins there often shows up, later, in the skin.

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Specimen 027 — Koji culture

Aspergillus oryzae, the mold at the heart of miso, sake, and soy sauce, breaks rice starches down into glutamic acid — the same amino acid behind the savoriness of aged cheese and ripe tomatoes. It's why finished shio-koji tastes less like salt and more like time. Fermented foods like this are also linked to a healthier gut microbiome — the same quiet process that deepens flavor is one your digestion recognizes, too.

01 The umami of life, felt through every sense — explained by survival science.
02 Respect for nature, tradition, and the people behind every ingredient.
03 A simple recipe, ready in your own kitchen — no special skill required.

Product

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Ancient Survival Ferment — Founder's Set

Details: Real, slow-fermented shio-koji (salted rice koji) — fermentation's finished wisdom, ready to use. A slim glass dressing bottle for shaking and keeping what's left · a stainless steel citrus press · a small portion of shio-kombu · two recipes: Avocado & Green Kiwi Shio-Koji Carpaccio, and Seared Fish with Shio-Kombu Butter. Minimal recyclable box.
Place of origin: Shio-koji: Japan, nationwide sourcing · Dressing bottle: designed in Japan · Citrus press: Japan

Recipe / guide

Recipe one · light · uses your founder's set

Avocado & Green Kiwi Shio-Koji Carpaccio

Squeeze the lemon. Use the citrus press to juice your lemon straight into the dressing bottle — no mess, no seeds.
Make the dressing. Add the shio-koji and olive oil to the bottle. Seal and shake until blended. Shio-koji's saltiness is mild — taste and add a pinch of salt if you'd like it sharper.
Slice thin. Thinly slice the avocado and a firm green kiwi (or a tart, firm strawberry).
Arrange. Layer the avocado and kiwi slices alternately on a plate.
Dress. Drizzle the shio-koji dressing generously over the top.
Finish. Scatter fresh dill, mint, or basil over the dish just before serving.

One jar makes enough dressing for several servings — keep the rest sealed in the jar for your next dish.

Recipe two · hearty · uses your founder's set

Seared Fish with Shio-Kombu Butter

Marinate. Rub a firm, meaty fish steak (swordfish works beautifully) with shio-koji and a little grated garlic. Let it sit for about 20 minutes.
Sear. Wipe off the shio-koji and garlic, then pan-sear in olive oil until the center stays a soft pink.
Finish rich. Top with a spoonful of good butter or olive oil. Fresh local uni, if you can find it, takes this over the top.
Scatter. Crumble a little of the included shio-kombu over everything just before serving.

The shio-koji does the same quiet work here as it does in the dressing — this time on protein instead of fruit.

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What Shio-Koji Actually Is

Shio-koji starts with just three things: rice, koji mold, and salt. Left to ferment for about a week, the koji's enzymes break the rice down into sugars and amino acids, turning a bland paste into something that tastes almost meaty. It's the same fermentation science behind miso, sake, and soy sauce — just stopped earlier, before it becomes any of those. What you're using here is that same process, already finished, ready to season with rather than wait on.

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More Ways to Use It

Beyond the two recipes in this kit, shio-koji works anywhere you'd reach for salt but want something rounder. Toss mushrooms in it before roasting, and they brown deeper, tasting less like water and more like themselves. Whisk a spoonful into a vinaigrette instead of plain salt. Rub it onto vegetables before grilling. It's forgiving — you're unlikely to add too much — and it keeps working quietly in the background of whatever you're cooking.

Become a founder

Two dishes, one jar — a body that thanks you.

$150

Test price, tax included · shipping calculated separately · subject to change before charge.

Status: This is an interest list — no payment, ever.
Window: 7 days (Sep 1 – Sep 7)
If we move forward: Full launch takes about 6 months (sourcing, compliance, production) — with early-access pricing held for you.
We'll follow up: You'll hear from us either way, within 6 months of this window closing.

Join the founder's list

About

Every product here is built on three things.

First, umami — felt through every sense, and explained by survival science: why fermentation, minerals, and ritual affect us the way they do.

Second, respect — for the ingredients Japan's coastlines and mountains grow, for the centuries-old techniques behind every tool, and for the people who make both.

Third, simplicity — every kit works with a recipe you can finish in your own kitchen, no special skill required.

This page shows an early direction built on that same foundation. Nothing here is final.

Company

xerograv. is a Japan-based research group studying survival science for extreme environments — space and ocean life science. This green brand is an early, independently tested offshoot of that research: a small exploration of what "food" means as we prepare for a future beyond Earth.

xerograv.co.jp