Caviar Classic Products

Caviar Classic is always in Pursuit of the Freshest Highest Quality Caviars from all over the world. Because for Caviar, good is just not good enough. You have to aim for better…, for the very best!

Caviar Classic is the fruit of 4 decades of experience and relationships built on the pursuit of the passion for the roe. Even though tens of Sturgeon species and crossbreeds are extant today, and a number of them are bred in great numbers in dozens of countries in order to satisfy the growing appetite for Caviar around the world, nevertheless, Caviar aficionados would agree that a few types stand above the rest. Of course, the original-3, the Beluga, Oscietra and Sevruga, and their crossbreds, are on top of that list. However, there are a handful of other species of Sturgeon out there that can be called the producers of the next contenders.

Two of those Sturgeon species are from Siberia. The first is the Kaluga of the Amur River: cousin of the most famous H. Huso (mother of variant Caspian Beluga Caviars and the Sturgeon with the topmost varieties of Caviar in the world). The other is the Siberian Sturgeon, which produces Imperial Caviar. These are two of the most popular non-Caspian Sturgeons and top favorites for crossbreeding with other species, specially the Caspian-3. North America’s Caspian contender is White Sturgeon’s Caviar, which is marketed aggressively as California’s answer to the Caspian-3. Europe’s answer to the Caviar challenge, the Adriatic Sturgeon, is the other top crossbreed, occupying a good percentage of the new Caviar market, and the old ones too in ancient Greece.

Although Caviar Classic has relationships all over the world with aquafarmers and producers and can source practically any type of Caviar from variant Sturgeon species, the company concentrates on 4 of the most popular, 3 being historical favorites of the Caspian. As the best Caviar has most to do with species, the right food, nature-mimicking techniques and constant circulating (fresh) clean water, it really comes down to choosing your favorite species or their crossbreeds and raising them under these proper conditions, with all health and safety protocols adhered to. This means no overcrowding or drug dosing, regularly health checking the fish, and separating and treating the unhealthy. Finally, keeping water temperatures as close to each specie’s habitat, and all peripheral settings as close to its natural conditions, would further aid in keeping your fish stress-free and its development on a trajectory best for your Caviar’s quality.

Searching the world-over, we believe that a number of countries produce fine Caviars while utilizing nature emulating Sturgeon production methods. In Europe, Italy is one of those countries, Belgium and Russia are two of the others. In the MENA region, Iran stands head and shoulder above the rest. North America has California to boast and South America has Uruguay going in the right direction. Yet on a global scale, we find that China, as the largest and most modern producer, provides the greatest variety and some of the highest quality eggs being farmed on a scale large enough to satisfy growing markets. We at Caviar Classic source some of the finest Caviars from China’s aquafarms, all of which we ensure are bred under semi-wild farming conditions with strict water and food quality control through the latest and most modern means. This means no crowding, making sure of flowing cold and warm water, and minimalizing stress on the fish. We doubt that the fish realize what their outside environment looks like, but we definitely enjoy their habitat of lakes spread all over forested mountains, whenever we visit those regions. We further source some of our stock from Italy and the Caspian farms of Iran, rounding off a geographically diverse store of Caviar for our clientele to choose.

Here at Caviar Classic, in order to know our product credo, you do not have to go past our name as it tells everything about us. Our name simply betrays our outlook on Caviar as we insist on tradition even in this century of new paradigms. Our name, Caviar Classic, leaves us bare before the discerning eyes of our selective clients and potential clientele whose choosy palates choose only premium high quality fresh Caviar with the classic tastes that the Shahs and the Tsars reserved for themselves. Our simple yet elegant selections are cured with the Malossol process, the highest quality method for preserving Caviar. In this process, the Caviar is lightly salted to keep it as close to natural as possible, but also more perishable vis-à-vis the elements and time than if it was salted more. Yet, our clients have no concern as spoilage is concerned because the whole process from farm to your table takes no more than 10 days, ensuring that when your product arrives it is as fresh and flavorful as farm to consumer can be, and all the nutrients so preserved.

Royal Beluga Caviar (H. Huso Sturgeon) The King of Kings of Caviar is the first in Caviar Classic line of products.

Beluga Caviar (H. Huso Sturgeon), the King of Caviars, is our next selection, the most prized of all roes (in reality the second most, but the first is an anomaly) is also the largest (3-5 mm) and lightest egg and runs in color from stainless silver to metallic black. H. Huso Sturgeon can live up to 120 years (average: 50-60 years today), average a weight of 50-500kg (rarely up to a ton), and measure up to five meters in length. Beluga was once the choice reserve of emperors in Persia and Russia and any anglers who could get away with hunting its Sturgeon must have done so in great fear for their lives. Beluga is best enjoyed with the most minimum condiments, such as toast points or Russian blinis, with a dab of crème fraiche or sour cream, in order not to distract from its own softly smooth rich buttery taste.

Osietra Caviar (Acipenser gueldenstaedtii), the Queen of Caviars, is next in our line. Though smaller as a Sturgeon with a roe medium in size (2-3 mm), it’s eggs are most akin to colorful jewels, running the breathe and range of gold, brown and greens, the ones with a darker hue being from younger females. The lighter eggs do have a richer flavor, coming from older Sturgeon, and would cost you a few bucks more. Royal Oscietra Caviar are rare, one in a thousand, golden eggs of a type of A. gueldenstaedtii Sturgeon, with slightly larger eggs, a mild nutty flavor, with a soft length that remains on the palate.

Historically, this Sturgeon is referred to as Russian Sturgeon and the word Oscietra itself simply means “Sturgeon” in Russian (осётр). Russian Sturgeon can live 40-50 years, weigh 25-125 kilograms and measure up to 2.5 meters (average: 1.5 meter). The female reach reproductive maturity at the age of 10-16 in the wild and reproduce every 4 to 6 years. Incidentally, there are a good following of Caviar aficionados who want to overthrow the pervading order and claim that Oscietra should be the king of Caviars despite its smaller jewels, mainly due to its more intricate richness and subtleness of fishy taste, which is considered the best quality for the price in all Caviars. The range of its colors only adds to that argument, with those rare golden eggs and that rich creamy flavor. However, Beluga, due to its size, delicate taste, history and rare breeds keeps Oscietra lovers at bay and their coup d’état against the King neutralized. At least so far. We will keep you posted if things change.

Imperial Caviar (Acipenser baerii), is native to Siberia’s Lake Baikal, the oldest, largest and one of the (so far) cleanest freshwater lakes in the world, dating its genesis back 25 million years. This specie can grow to a maximum length of 2 meters and weight of 200kg, but averages 20-65kg. Its fish are semi-anadromous, meaning they spend most of their lives in freshwater areas such as Lake Baikal and at middle and downstream sections of rivers and brackish bays of the Arctic Ocean. Females reach full reproductive maturity at 18-20 years of age, but at 12 in some river basins. Its Caviar is similar to Oscietra in size, texture and flavor, but analogous in color to Sevruga Caviar. It has an earthy hazelnut flavor with hints of sweetness and a buttery texture. Caviar Classic’s Imperial Caviar is sourced from Italy’s Lombardy region.