• All Kobe beef is Wagyu, but not all Wagyu beef is Kobe beef.
  
  
• All Wagyu beef is not created equal … if you’re looking for is best-quality Wagyu, you should expect to pay $100 or more per pound. Wagyu for $30.00 per pound? It’s just not the same.

You may already be familiar with the famed Japanese Kobe beef — the most expensive beef in the world. Wagyu is the same breed stock that yields Kobe beef. However, to earn the appellation of Kobe beef, the cattle must be raised in Japan’s Hyogo Prefecture and its production must conform to standards imposed within that region.

Because of the scarcity and expense of open land and the high price of grain in Japan, Wagyu cattle have been raised successfully in Australia and the U.S. to meet the growing demand for this pricey delicacy.

In Japan, Kobe beef sells at more than $300 per pound. Lobel's American Wagyu, while still more expensive than USDA prime, costs a bit more than $100 per pound. In terms of quality, taste and texture, Wagyu and Kobe beef are indistinguishable.

Is Wagyu beef the same as Kobe beef?

Yes and no. All Kobe beef is Wagyu, but not all Wagyu is Kobe.

Wagyu is the same breed stock that yields the famed Kobe beef of Japan.

Beef production in Japan is, in some ways, similar to wine production in France. Just as the regions Paulliac, Medoc and others produce different wines under specific appellations, the Japanese have several regions, or prefectures, where beef is produced. For example, Kobe beef is produced in Hyogo Prefecture, while the beef from Mie Prefecture is called Matsuzaka and beef from Shiga Prefecture is Omi. Each of these areas uses the legendary beer-massage practices associated with Kobe, but style and specifics vary from prefecture to prefecture.

Regardless of where in Japan the cattle are raised, the common element in all of these types of Japanese beef is the Wagyu breed of cattle.