Jennifer Weinert

I have checked out Master Cho’s book and he writes of using a sugar cap for FFJ (“put enough sugar on the uppermost surface”) and writes of using a sugar cap for FPJ (“cover the uppermost part with black sugar”). He illustrates the sugar cap for the FFJ,  however, he DOESN’T include a sugar cap in the illustration for the FPJ. There is a discrepancy here.

Making FFJ is done by layering the material and sugar like a sandwich, making FPJ is not. It would make sense to end with sugar as the sweet material needs the sugar for the osmotic pressure to draw the essence out. FPJ doesn’t need the sugar cap and in fact it makes the FPJ unnecessarily sweet, diluting the essence further.

When I have made FPJ, I have at times had some mold but it looks like IMO- it is fermented at that stage. It smelled fine- slightly fermented and sweet. Just as we make IMO and culture what appears to be mold, it doesn’t mean the mold is bad. I have poured the FPJ off, added the stabilizing additional brown sugar and have never had a mold issue or had my FPJ go “bad”.

I vote to keep the essence of the FPJ as concentrated as possible and avoid using the sugar cap, following the illustration in the book. This is also the way Drake has taught me and it works.