Jul 15, 2025 22:00:00

We compared the taste of Nippon Ham's 'Shauwessen Hokkaido Premium,' which uses ingredients from Hokkaido, with the regular Shauwessen.

Nippon Ham's wiener sausage ' Shauwessen Hokkaido Premium ', which was

released in March 2023, is made with ingredients from Hokkaido and is thicker than regular Shauwessen . I happened to find this 'Shauwessen Hokkaido Premium' at a supermarket, so I bought it and tried it to see what was different from regular Shauwessen.

Shauwessen® Hokkaido Premium® - Sausage | Nippon Ham
https://www.nipponham.co.jp/products/ham_sausages/sausages/win/23358/

The packaging for Schauessen Hokkaido Premium looks like this, with the silhouette of Hokkaido in the center.

The label reads '

Registered food made with ingredients from Hokkaido ' along with the registration number.

Comparing the package of Shauessen Hokkaido Premium (left) and the package of the regular Shauessen 6-pack (right), the package size of Shauessen Hokkaido Premium was clearly larger.

The ingredients of the Hokkaido Premium Shauwessen (left) and the regular Shauwessen (right) are almost the same: pork, pork fat, sugar, salt, and spices. However, the pork and pork fat of the Hokkaido Premium Shauwessen are written as (Hokkaido). The content of the Hokkaido Premium Shauwessen is 175g, which is more than the regular Shauwessen (117g).

The calories of Shau Essen Hokkaido Premium are 335 kcal per 100g. When converted to one bag, it is about 586 kcal.

I lined up one wiener sausage from the Hokkaido Premium Shauwessen (left) and the regular Shauwessen (right). The Hokkaido Premium Shauwessen is about 1.5 to 2 times the size of the regular Shauwessen. Also, the ground meat wrapped in the skin is coarser, so the Hokkaido Premium Shauwessen has a slightly bumpier surface.

First, I decided to compare the taste by boiling. I boiled the Hokkaido Premium Schauessen in boiling water for 5 minutes, and the regular Schauessen for 3 minutes.

After removing it from the hot water, the heat has penetrated and it has become glossy.

First, I tried the regular Shau Essen. When I bit into it, the skin had a crisp texture, and the meat was chewy and juicy. I've had Shau Essen many times before, and it tasted just as good as always.

This time I tried the Hokkaido Premium Schauessen. I didn't notice a big difference in taste, but the size was larger and more satisfying to eat, especially when I bit into it, and it felt more chewy and chewy. Also, perhaps because the amount of meat has increased, the Hokkaido Premium Schauessen seemed slightly juicier.

Comparing the cross sections after cutting with a knife. There doesn't seem to be any difference in the density of the meat. However, the diameter of the Schauessen Hokkaido Premium is slightly larger, so the volume when you take a bite is also larger.

I was curious to see if there would be any difference in taste when eaten without preconceptions, so I cut up the Hokkaido Premium and regular Shau Essen and had the editorial staff try them without revealing their names. Although several people ate them, everyone agreed that there wasn't much difference in taste. Even after revealing the identities of the two, the comments were that the difference was small, with comments like 'If I had to say, the Hokkaido Premium Shau Essen had the sensation that the meat crumbled,' and 'You could taste the fat more in the Hokkaido Premium Shau Essen, but it was a very subtle difference.'

This time I cooked it slowly over medium heat until it was browned.

It looks like this when baked.

First, I tried the regular Shauwessen. The crisp texture of the skin was stronger than when it was boiled, and the aroma was also improved. Perhaps because the heat was more thorough than when it was boiled, there was more meat juice and it was more juicy.

Next, when you try the Hokkaido Premium Shau Essen, you can see that the fat taste is clearly stronger, the punch is stronger, and the texture is more satisfying to eat. The size is larger than the regular Shau Essen, so it is meatier, and the texture of the skin is slightly crisper than the regular Shau Essen. The editorial staff who tried it said, 'When grilled, the meat taste is clearly stronger, and you can tell that the texture is greater,' and 'I don't feel a big difference in taste, but the Shau Essen Hokkaido Premium has more fat and is slightly juicier.'

Whether you boil or grill it, each piece of Schau Essen Hokkaido Premium is larger, so you will feel more satisfied eating the whole piece rather than cutting it into small pieces.

The suggested retail price of Shau Essen Hokkaido Premium is 591 yen (tax included) for a 175g bag and 1,164 yen for a 350g bag, and it can be purchased at supermarkets nationwide. At the time of writing, it was out of stock on Amazon.co.jp.

Amazon.co.jp: [Refrigerated] Nippon Ham Shau Essen Hokkaido Premium 175g: Food, Beverages & Alcohol