Sake-Can anyone give me a few tips?
Mar 3rd, 2007, 01:51 PM
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Sake-Can anyone give me a few tips?
I would like to try sake while in Tokyo and Kyoto next week, but I do not know anything about it! Any tips on types to try and which ones are mild in taste? Should it be warm or cold? Thanks!
Mar 4th, 2007, 08:33 AM
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Most types of sake are quite mild--I believe alcoholic content is about 15%, only marginally stronger than wine.
The best way to taste would be to go to Japanese restaurants (the fancier the better) and ask for their suggestions. Sushi restaurants or Izakaya are rarely known for sake repertoire.
Different kind of sake depends on how much of the rice is polished off beforehand. Allegedly, the more outside layer is polished off, the clear the taste becomes. Ginjo refers to these types of sake. Jun-mai means pure rice.
Usually better quality sake is taken cold (but never with ice). Less dry types can be served warm, especially during the winter. (Just be careful, the warm sake goes rather quickly to your system!)
Another type is unfiltered sake, nigari sake, which is milky white but taste quite mellow/medium sweet.
BTW, shochu is not sake. It's a distilled drinks just like vodka or tequila. I learned it the hard way myself ;-)
The best way to taste would be to go to Japanese restaurants (the fancier the better) and ask for their suggestions. Sushi restaurants or Izakaya are rarely known for sake repertoire.
Different kind of sake depends on how much of the rice is polished off beforehand. Allegedly, the more outside layer is polished off, the clear the taste becomes. Ginjo refers to these types of sake. Jun-mai means pure rice.
Usually better quality sake is taken cold (but never with ice). Less dry types can be served warm, especially during the winter. (Just be careful, the warm sake goes rather quickly to your system!)
Another type is unfiltered sake, nigari sake, which is milky white but taste quite mellow/medium sweet.
BTW, shochu is not sake. It's a distilled drinks just like vodka or tequila. I learned it the hard way myself ;-)
Mar 5th, 2007, 08:21 AM
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JennaJ,
I know nothing about sake but have tasted quite a few
W9 is right, the warm sake sneaks up on you.
Here is a sake list that emd posted a while ago
http://digbig.com/4rsfa
If you enjoy wine or vodka....you'll like sake. Hard to explain but some sakes ,to me,taste like wine in your mouth but feel like vodka going down to your tummy.
Aloha!
I know nothing about sake but have tasted quite a few
W9 is right, the warm sake sneaks up on you.
Here is a sake list that emd posted a while ago
http://digbig.com/4rsfa
If you enjoy wine or vodka....you'll like sake. Hard to explain but some sakes ,to me,taste like wine in your mouth but feel like vodka going down to your tummy.
Aloha!
Mar 5th, 2007, 01:39 PM
#5
I also know just about nothing about sake but I love the stuff. I always drink it warm (it's actually hot) and it does go to your head rather fast. I've tried it cold a few times and didn't care for it. Odd that it should taste so different to me. From what I understand, in the cold months, it's supposed to be drunk warm and in the warm months, you drink it cold. I'm going to Japan at the end of March and plan on drinking it warm no matter what the temperature outside
Mar 5th, 2007, 08:04 PM
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laurieco,
I've tasted sake that has tasted like fine wine and sake that has tasted like sour rotten rice.
Some are really smooth others taste like gasoline.
Sake has many flavors but the more recent cold ginjo and junmais are pretty mellow imho.
Some are fruit flavored(plum and berries come to mind)others dry like a white chardonnay but all of them warm or cold have that warm feeling going down the throat.
Aloha!
I've tasted sake that has tasted like fine wine and sake that has tasted like sour rotten rice.
Some are really smooth others taste like gasoline.
Sake has many flavors but the more recent cold ginjo and junmais are pretty mellow imho.
Some are fruit flavored(plum and berries come to mind)others dry like a white chardonnay but all of them warm or cold have that warm feeling going down the throat.
Aloha!
Mar 5th, 2007, 10:30 PM
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A little about Sake you'll want to know before enjoying it.
Sake (sah-keh) is a fermented alcoholic beverage with a long history in Japanese culture. While often called 'rice wine' sake is actually more like beer than wine as it is made from a grain, rice, not a fruit as wine is. Sake is a fermented, but not distilled beverage, and should not be confused with shochu, another Japanese alcoholic beverage that is distilled. The alcoholic content of sake is higher than beer, generally between 12% and 18% alcohol by volume, and has a complex, even fruity flavor when made by a high quality manufacturer. Sake characteristics run the gamut from sweet to dry, fruity to earthy, with acidity and fragrance complexities that rival western wines. Sake is far from a simple drink.
Hot Sake vs. Cold Sake
Historically, sake was served warm. The reasons were twofold. Firstly, this ancient drink was created before refrigeration and was therefore habitually served that way after methods to chill food and drink were developed. Secondly, sake was also historically a much more coarse beverage, and often took up flavors from the wooden casks in which it was stored. Many off flavors were also a side effect of the fermentation process, which were masked by serving the sake at a higher temperature. More recently, better brewing techniques, more refined strains of yeast and koji, and modern storage practices have created a very different product than in the past. A more refined product does not mean that all sake is the same, however. Just as western wines have subtle differences, so do sakes from different regions and different manufacturers. In general, high quality sake is meant to be consumed cold, while lower quality sake is drunk warm, which can hide off flavors that are created during the fermentation process of the cheaper brands. That said, the peak flavor higher quality sakes can be achieved at subtly different temperatures, different for each brand. To most people, this difference will not be noticeable (similar to the many different kinds of tea, each of which has an 'optimal' brewing temperature). But a general rule is that good sake should be served slightly chilled, but never too cold as many of the subtleties of the beverage may be muted when the drink is too cold. There are a few decent sakes, however, that are meant to be served slightly warmed, and will be labeled as such, and can make a nice treat on a cold winter day, but as a general rule, higher quality sake should be served slightly chilled.
Milling The Rice - Making The Sake
Sake takes approximately one month to make and is consumed rather quickly after being aged about six months to smooth out its flavor. It will not improve with longer aging as will some traditional western wines. Rice used in sake production is polished, or 'milled,' removing much of the outer coating. In fact, in some premium sakes, as much as 65% of the grain is milled away, leaving only a small amount of the grain to be used in production. The degree of milling will greatly influence the quality of the final product, and there are five designations for sake, depending on the degree of milling and additives in the final product.
Junmai-shu: This is a 'pure' sake with no distilled alcohol added as a finishing ingredient. Traditionally, 30% of the grain had to be milled away for this designation, however recently the laws have changed and there are no longer any milling requirements, only that no alcohol may be added to the product.
Honjozo-shu: This style has had at least 30% of the grain milled away and a modicum of alcohol has been added during finishing.
Ginjo-shu: This style has had 40% of the grain milled away and may or may not have alcohol added during the finishing. If bottle is labeled Ginjo, it indicates that distilled alcohol was added and if it is labeled Junmai Ginjo, it means there was no alcohol added.
Daiginjo-shu: This sake style has had 50% of the grain milled away and also may or may not have had alcohol added during finishing. If bottle is labeled Daiginjo, it indicates that distilled alcohol was added and if it is labeled Junmai Daiginjo, it means there was no alcohol added.
Namazake: This is actually a special designation that means that the sake was not pasteurized before bottling. Sake is generally pasteurized to kill any bacteria or mold that may contaminate or ruin the final product in some way. It also serves to deactivate certain enzymes that may change the characteristics of the sake (for better or worse) before it reaches the consumer.
How Sake is Made
Sake production is a complex undertaking. First the rice is milled, as mentioned above. It is then washed, soaked, and rinsed to remove any particulate matter (called nuka) that may be clinging to the grains. The rice is then steamed to the proper consistency for the fermentation, as the rice will be fully cooked yet still slightly firm. Half of the rice is placed into a large vat and the other half is reserved to create the starter, with a special mold called koji sprinkled into it when it has cooled. This will be used to convert the starches in the rice to sugar for fermentation. Over the course of three to four days, the koji starter is mixed and carefully watched. When ready, a portion of the the koji starter is mixed with a portion of the remaining cooked rice, and water and yeast is added. Fermentation takes place over the next few weeks as more rice, water and koji starter are mixed in over three successive stages. When the mash (as the fermenting mix is called) has reached the point of perfection (a judgment that is more art than science and generally done by very experienced individuals) the resulting product is pressed to separate the liquid from the solids. Traditionally, this was done by hand using large canvass bags, however now is mostly done by machines. The resulting liquid is then filtered and pasteurized. The sake is generally aged six months, after which it is blended and often water is added to achieve the proper level of alcohol by volume. It is then bottled. Some sake is actually not filtered and contains some of the lees (sediment) and is called nigori-zake (cloudy sake) usually labeled as pearl in western countries.
Sake may sound like a simple product, rice, water and yeast, however the slightest change to the process can make a world of difference. The source of the rice is crucial to the consistency of the product. And variation in the koji production, or the temperature of the fermentation can also result in a drastically different profile. Sake making is truly an art that has evolved over the centuries, and continues to progress even today. Just as varietal wines from different regions and grape types can display vastly different characteristics, so can sake from different regions and manufacturers. It is well worth the effort of anyone who likes sake to explore the many different sakes available.
Sake (sah-keh) is a fermented alcoholic beverage with a long history in Japanese culture. While often called 'rice wine' sake is actually more like beer than wine as it is made from a grain, rice, not a fruit as wine is. Sake is a fermented, but not distilled beverage, and should not be confused with shochu, another Japanese alcoholic beverage that is distilled. The alcoholic content of sake is higher than beer, generally between 12% and 18% alcohol by volume, and has a complex, even fruity flavor when made by a high quality manufacturer. Sake characteristics run the gamut from sweet to dry, fruity to earthy, with acidity and fragrance complexities that rival western wines. Sake is far from a simple drink.
Hot Sake vs. Cold Sake
Historically, sake was served warm. The reasons were twofold. Firstly, this ancient drink was created before refrigeration and was therefore habitually served that way after methods to chill food and drink were developed. Secondly, sake was also historically a much more coarse beverage, and often took up flavors from the wooden casks in which it was stored. Many off flavors were also a side effect of the fermentation process, which were masked by serving the sake at a higher temperature. More recently, better brewing techniques, more refined strains of yeast and koji, and modern storage practices have created a very different product than in the past. A more refined product does not mean that all sake is the same, however. Just as western wines have subtle differences, so do sakes from different regions and different manufacturers. In general, high quality sake is meant to be consumed cold, while lower quality sake is drunk warm, which can hide off flavors that are created during the fermentation process of the cheaper brands. That said, the peak flavor higher quality sakes can be achieved at subtly different temperatures, different for each brand. To most people, this difference will not be noticeable (similar to the many different kinds of tea, each of which has an 'optimal' brewing temperature). But a general rule is that good sake should be served slightly chilled, but never too cold as many of the subtleties of the beverage may be muted when the drink is too cold. There are a few decent sakes, however, that are meant to be served slightly warmed, and will be labeled as such, and can make a nice treat on a cold winter day, but as a general rule, higher quality sake should be served slightly chilled.
Milling The Rice - Making The Sake
Sake takes approximately one month to make and is consumed rather quickly after being aged about six months to smooth out its flavor. It will not improve with longer aging as will some traditional western wines. Rice used in sake production is polished, or 'milled,' removing much of the outer coating. In fact, in some premium sakes, as much as 65% of the grain is milled away, leaving only a small amount of the grain to be used in production. The degree of milling will greatly influence the quality of the final product, and there are five designations for sake, depending on the degree of milling and additives in the final product.
Junmai-shu: This is a 'pure' sake with no distilled alcohol added as a finishing ingredient. Traditionally, 30% of the grain had to be milled away for this designation, however recently the laws have changed and there are no longer any milling requirements, only that no alcohol may be added to the product.
Honjozo-shu: This style has had at least 30% of the grain milled away and a modicum of alcohol has been added during finishing.
Ginjo-shu: This style has had 40% of the grain milled away and may or may not have alcohol added during the finishing. If bottle is labeled Ginjo, it indicates that distilled alcohol was added and if it is labeled Junmai Ginjo, it means there was no alcohol added.
Daiginjo-shu: This sake style has had 50% of the grain milled away and also may or may not have had alcohol added during finishing. If bottle is labeled Daiginjo, it indicates that distilled alcohol was added and if it is labeled Junmai Daiginjo, it means there was no alcohol added.
Namazake: This is actually a special designation that means that the sake was not pasteurized before bottling. Sake is generally pasteurized to kill any bacteria or mold that may contaminate or ruin the final product in some way. It also serves to deactivate certain enzymes that may change the characteristics of the sake (for better or worse) before it reaches the consumer.
How Sake is Made
Sake production is a complex undertaking. First the rice is milled, as mentioned above. It is then washed, soaked, and rinsed to remove any particulate matter (called nuka) that may be clinging to the grains. The rice is then steamed to the proper consistency for the fermentation, as the rice will be fully cooked yet still slightly firm. Half of the rice is placed into a large vat and the other half is reserved to create the starter, with a special mold called koji sprinkled into it when it has cooled. This will be used to convert the starches in the rice to sugar for fermentation. Over the course of three to four days, the koji starter is mixed and carefully watched. When ready, a portion of the the koji starter is mixed with a portion of the remaining cooked rice, and water and yeast is added. Fermentation takes place over the next few weeks as more rice, water and koji starter are mixed in over three successive stages. When the mash (as the fermenting mix is called) has reached the point of perfection (a judgment that is more art than science and generally done by very experienced individuals) the resulting product is pressed to separate the liquid from the solids. Traditionally, this was done by hand using large canvass bags, however now is mostly done by machines. The resulting liquid is then filtered and pasteurized. The sake is generally aged six months, after which it is blended and often water is added to achieve the proper level of alcohol by volume. It is then bottled. Some sake is actually not filtered and contains some of the lees (sediment) and is called nigori-zake (cloudy sake) usually labeled as pearl in western countries.
Sake may sound like a simple product, rice, water and yeast, however the slightest change to the process can make a world of difference. The source of the rice is crucial to the consistency of the product. And variation in the koji production, or the temperature of the fermentation can also result in a drastically different profile. Sake making is truly an art that has evolved over the centuries, and continues to progress even today. Just as varietal wines from different regions and grape types can display vastly different characteristics, so can sake from different regions and manufacturers. It is well worth the effort of anyone who likes sake to explore the many different sakes available.
Mar 6th, 2007, 04:45 AM
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The distinction in taste goes from dry to sweet. So most sake tastings can be classified as very dry, dry, medium (balanced between sweet & dry) & sweet. You can try a few different ones that go from sweet to very dry & you'll be able to discern the differences. It's very subtle & for a beginner, unless you have 2-3 different ones in one sitting, you may find it hard to distinguih between the different types.
The smoothness/harshness of the sake has more to do with whether it is a Junmai or a Dai Ginjo etc., at least that's what I've concluded.
Finally, the nigori is a different animal... milky & taste is very different from the traditional sakes. Not for everyone. Also, I'm usually at a loss when it comes to very expensive sake... to me it does not taste very different from the cheaper ones. The expensive ones tend to come from some small & therefore rare sake house or have some kind of hitory that usually involves the royal family etc. After having tasted a few such high priced sakes, I decided to stick to the regular varieties as I couldn't tell much of a difference & to me it seemed to be more of marketing than anything else.
The smoothness/harshness of the sake has more to do with whether it is a Junmai or a Dai Ginjo etc., at least that's what I've concluded.
Finally, the nigori is a different animal... milky & taste is very different from the traditional sakes. Not for everyone. Also, I'm usually at a loss when it comes to very expensive sake... to me it does not taste very different from the cheaper ones. The expensive ones tend to come from some small & therefore rare sake house or have some kind of hitory that usually involves the royal family etc. After having tasted a few such high priced sakes, I decided to stick to the regular varieties as I couldn't tell much of a difference & to me it seemed to be more of marketing than anything else.
Mar 6th, 2007, 01:52 PM
#13
harsha and mdn, thanks for the lesson. I guess I've been drinking the cheap stuff. I mostly drink it in Japanese restaurants here in NY and just ask for a "large hot sake" and drink whatever it is they bring out. I'm sure it's not the best stuff but I'm always happy with it. Maybe I'll try some of the good stuff cold when in Japan in a few weeks. However, if the yen keeps making a comeback against the dollar like it has this past week, I think I'll stick to the cheap warm stuff! :'(
