As we mentioned previously, Sake has a couple of functions that provide a very pleasant experience while eating: It refreshes you, it cleans the palate, and it brings out the flavours of food. Sake is usually filtered to remove grain solids left behind after the fermentation process. Nigori sake is filtered using a broader mesh, resulting in the permeating of fine rice particles and a far cloudier drink. [2] [3] Unfiltered sake is known as doburoku (どぶろく, but also 濁酒) [2] [3] and was originally brewed across Japan by farming families. However, it was banned in the Meiji period, though it has since been revived as a local brewing tradition. The area around Mihara village in southern Shikoku is especially well known for its doburoku breweries.

PREMIUM sakes (TOKUTEI MEISHO SHU) are the sakes that can only be made with the ingredients that we have mentioned earlier (with the possibility of only adding alcohol and lactic acid to help a healthy fermentation). Those sakes that do not comply with these norms are considered ordinary sakes and may contain sugars, preservatives, colorings, acidulants etc. These are called FUTSUSHU. Really, it's the wrong name: the Japanese character for 'sake' just means 'alcohol', "but at some point it got bastardised," says Cheong-Tong. "It should really be called 'nihonshu': 'nihon' meaning Japan, 'shu' is the alcohol of Japan." Make sure to avoid a place with strong smells. Smells can transfer to sake or bottles. Experiment: What is the best environment for storing sake? On the nose look for notes of guava, cooked strawberry and ripe strawberry. The palate has an almost dried fruit like sweetness: think dried strawberry or raisin. Obviously, there is a beautiful natural strawberry flavor with a rich texture. Betsy Andrews is a freelance journalist specializing in food and drink, travel, and the environment and has been writing about wine and spirits for two decades. Her work has appeared in Food & Wine, Eating Well, The Wall Street Journal, SevenFifty Daily, VinePair, Wine Enthusiast, Travel & Leisure, and more.Ginjo-shu also tends to be more fragrant, sweeter, and fruitier than other varieties of sake. Ginjo sake is often best enjoyed chilled.

When you compare them side-by-side, you can get a great sense for how the addition of sake kasu enhances and changes the sake. To compare the two, find two similar white wine glasses (tulip shaped with a nice sized bowl that narrows at the opening to help direct the aromas to your nose.) Pour about 1.5 to 2 ounces of Momokawa “Organic” Junmai Ginjo in one and the same amount of Momokawa “Organic” Ginjo Nigori (tilt the bottle a couple of times to mix the lees with the sake) into the other glass. Also, grab a tall glass of water and something to “spit” into (or not).Ready to learn everything you ever needed to know about sake? Let this complete introduction to sake for beginners light the way! What is sake? Honjozo” can often deemphasize the rice contributions in the final sake. Taiheizan “Nigori” is a beautiful combination of two styles: a crisp honjozo and a more traditional doburoku. The result is texturally light and crisp with a subtle creaminess. For me, this is a savory nigori and unusual in that regard. Junmai (without Ginjo or Dai Ginjo) tend to be much richer than ginjo-ka, less floral but more umami driven flavours, with pronounced acidity. While a degree of snobbery endures, there's logic behind the idea that you heat cheap sake and chill the expensive stuff. "If you heat fruity, light, floral sake, all you're going to get is alcohol fumes," says Cheong-Thong. Sakes with more body, or bottles which have been open a while, work well warmed to around 50 degrees, as the heat smooths out some of the rougher notes. "The flavours will still be in the sake, although the alcohol hits you first. Also, it's a very good way to liven up slightly stale sake." How we test sake