Instructions: Whether or not individual Asian cultures celebrate the Lunar New Year, each embraces its own versions of soy sauce, one of the worlds culinary wonders.

Soy sauce is a complex elixir drawn from a fermented mash of simple ingredients: soybeans, wheat and brine. Since its beginnings about 2,500 years ago, soy sauce has evolved and adapted to the tastes of many peoples. Today, soy sauces are light and dark, thick and thin, branching from a base of Chinese- and Japanese-style sauces that, roughly speaking, differ because of the proportion of ingredients used to brew them.

As a flavor harmonizer and enzyme-rich natural meat tenderizer, soy sauce has gone global, becoming integral to the preparation of Mexican fajitas and Jamaican jerk sauces. University studies have shown that soy sauce has some 300 flavor components. Among them: amino acids similar to monosodium glutamate that trigger the mysterious new taste called umami, a subtle but distinct flavor different from the established salty, sweet, sour and bitter. Parmesan cheese has a pronounced umami taste, while mushrooms, beef steak and tomato juice have it to a lesser degree. Umami awareness is changing how people cook and evaluate the taste of things.

Our tasters went looking for new flavors when sampling four brands of soy sauce from the shelves of a popular Asian market. Although the market had dozens of varieties of soy sauce, we chose just four brands that were dark and contained no added flavorings such as garlic. The idea was to focus the tasters tastebuds on a narrow range of options and see what impressed them beyond the characteristic saltiness.

The tasters scored the brands - Amoy, Kikkoman, Kimlan and Wei-chuan - on flavor, aroma and appearance on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being best. They didnt see labels before tasting. We averaged their scores and ranked them as follows:

1) Wei-chuan China Soy Sauce (Score: 6. Cost: $2.09 for 33 ounces. Calories per tablespoon: 12.)

Tasters liked its rich consistency, deep chocolatey color and complex nutty flavor. They especially liked its subtle sweetness. A Taiwanese import, it contains no added sweeteners.

2. Kimlan Authentic Chinese Soy Sauce (Score: 5.3. Cost: 69 cents for 5 ounces. Calories per tablespoon: 16.)

Tasters rated this one almost as highly as the Wei-chuan, judging it close in taste, thickness and smoothness. One taster said it seemed less sweet to her and more like a good classic example of soy sauce. Another Taiwanese import.

3. Amoy Gold Label Dark Soy Sauce (Score: 3.2. Cost: $1.99 for 16.9 ounces. Calories per tablespoon: 10.)

Tasters found this entry markedly saltier than the others. It also seemed to them syrupy and slightly fishy smelling. While one taster called it potent and robust, another said it just didnt have enough zing. A Hong Kong import.

The Kikkoman sauce scored only slightly lower than the Amoy. Tasters characterized its flavor as sharp and tangy.

Our tasters: W. Haze Dennis, Hospitality Management Department chairman, Mission College, Santa Clara; Shana Feiner, home cook, Palo Alto; Lou Pappas, Bay Area cookbook author.

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