Overall Flavor: What does the soy sauce taste like? Is it one-note or complex? Which tasting notes stand out (saltiness, sweetness, umami, acidity)?
Saltiness: How salty is the soy sauce? Is it sharp or subtle? Too strong, just right, or lacking?
Dippability: How does the soy sauce perform as a dip? Does it complement, enhance, or overpower the food? (If it’s too intense for dipping, it’s likely better for cooking.)
Fine Print
The Lineup: We tested 14 soy sauce brands from the supermarket, focusing on standard all-purpose soy sauces—the kind you’d reach for to cook everyday dishes. We included Filipino, Chinese-style, and Japanese-style soy sauces. We did not include light soy sauces (more specialized and less common in local groceries) or soy sauces formulated specifically for dipping (ex. LKK Seasoned Soy Sauce for Seafood / for Dumpling).
Why We’re Doing This: Soy sauce is a pantry staple we hold strong loyalties to. Home cooks tend to stick with the brand they know best, then rarely explore the others. We wanted to test that: to find the differences between brands, identify their tasting notes, and figure out which ones are worth trying (or switching to completely!).
How We Tasted: Each brand was sampled as is, straight out of the bottle, then as a dip for steamed siomai.
Blind Taste Test: All products were poured into unlabeled dishes and tasted blind to prevent brand bias.
How We Scored: Each product was evaluated across 3 criteria. Final placements reflect the Pepper team’s averaged impressions.
Transparency: No brand paid for inclusion in this taste test. However, Fly Ace (Carp) and NutriAsia (Silver Swan, Datu Puti) have been past advertising partners of Pepper.
