Shiso (perilla) is thought to originate from the Himalayas through southern China and to have reached Japan via China. Seeds appear in Jomon-period sites; from the Heian period onward it shows up in medicinal and pickling records — colouring umeboshi, making shibazuke, and settling deep into Japanese food culture. Red-leaf plants are called aka-shiso (red shiso); demand peaks in a short early-summer window.

Overseas buyers often cannot picture the taste from the name alone. So we bottle the aroma, colour, and sweet-tart balance in a form bars can explain. After a Singapore steakhouse made it a house cocktail, the flavour travelled across Asia and into Europe and the US as a botanical guests had never seen before.