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Japanese Sake

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Japanese Sake Education

• How to Speak Sake
• Premium Sake Facts & Tips
• Sake Grade Levels
• Sake Production 101
• Sake & Food Pairings
• The Sake Crossword Puzzle

Japanese Sake Education 

How to Speak Sake (sah-kay)

Jump to letter: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

A

Acidity: Makes its presence felt most noticeably at the beginning and end of each sip, and in between it helps spread across the palate. Sake with higher acidity often stands up better to oilier foods like tempura or fish (raw or cooked). Rich-flavored or rather salty dishes may not need all that acidity, and in fact will work better with a lower-acidity Sake. The measure of acidity is usually a number between 0.8 to 1.7.

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D

Hear Daiginjo (die-Geen-joe): Even a more painstaking brewing process than Ginjo, which results in Sake that is even lighter and more fragrant and fruity than a typical Ginjo. Must have a seimaibuai of at least 50%. Often, Daiginjo goes as far as a 35% seimaibuai (65% of the kernel polished away!).

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F

Hear Fune (foo-nay): A large box (usually wooden), used for pressing moromi and separating lees from the fresh sake.

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G

Hear Genshu (G’en-shoe): Sake that is undiluted.

Hear Ginjo (Geen-joe): Indicates a special and painstaking brewing process wherein fermentation proceeds at lower temperatures and for longer periods, and pressing is often done by hand. This extra effort produces a Sake that is layered and complex, light and fragrant. Must have a seimaibuai of at least 60%.

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H

Hear Honjozo (hohn-joe-zoh): Sake to which a small and limited amount of distilled alcohol is added at the end of fermentation, which has the effect of lightening the flavor and bringing out the aroma. Must have a seimaibuai of at least 70%.

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I

Hear Ichigo (ee-chee-go): A measure usually considered to be one serving of sake, equal to approximately 180 milliliters, roughly one masu’s worth of sake.

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J

Hear Jijo-shu (jee-joe-shoe): A type of sake brewed suitable for longer bottle ageing.

Hear Jizaké (jee-zah-kay): "Local" Sake made by smaller brewers from a particular region. Similar to the true sense of the beer term "micro-brew".

Hear Junmai (juhn-my): Junmai is pure rice Sake. Nothing is used in its production except rice, water, yeast, and koji (that magical mold that converts the starch in the rice into fermentable sugars). Junmai is brewed WITHOUT any addition of distilled alcohol. Generally a bit heavier and fuller in flavor than other types of Sake, with slightly higher acidity. Goes well with a wide range of food. Must have seimaibuai of at least 70%, meaning the outer 30% of each rice grain has been polished away.

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K

Hear Kakemai (ka-kay-my): Steamed rice which is added to the fermenting moromi.

Hear Kanpai (kahn-pie): Cheers!

Hear Kanzake (kahn-zah-keh): Heated sake. Boiling or overheating is done to dull the aromas and flavors. Unfortunately, heating sake is most often a way to mask the flavors of a poorly made, low-grade product. Super and Ultra-Premium Ginjo Sake is always served chilled.

Hear Kasu (ka-sue): The lees that remain after moromi has been pressed to give clear sake; the unfermented remains of the moromi.

Hear Koku (koe-koo): Originally a measure of rice equal to one thousand masu, or about 380 kilograms, for sake, a measure equal to one hundred isshobin, or about 180 liters.

Hear Kura (koo-rah): A sake brewery.

Hear Kurabito (koo-rah-bee-toe): Sake brewery worker(s).

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M

Hear Masu (ma-sue): A small wooden box traditionally used for measuring rice and drinking sake.

Hear Moromi (mo-ro-me): The fermenting mixture of rice, koji, yeast, and water.

Hear Moto (mo-toh): Also known as shubo, the yeast starter. A mixture of rice, koji, yeast, and water in which an extremely high concentration of yeast cells is cultivated.

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N

Hear Namazake (na-ma-zah-keh): Unpasteurized Sake. It must be kept refrigerated to prevent bacterial spoilage, thus it also tends to be a bit more expensive, and one rarely sees these in the U.S. The flavors tend to be fresher yet more aggressive than its pasteurized counterpart.

Hear Nigori (knee-goh-ree): Sake which is either partially unfiltered, or clear sake that has had some of the lees of the fermented rice added back. It ranges from slightly murky to chunky. While it lacks the refined character of clear sake, it does have its own unique charm, and it tends to give a slightly off-dry to very sweet impression on the palate.

Hear Nihonshu-do (knee-hohn-shoo-doe): The specific gravity of a Sake relative to water. A very general scale of reference to the sweetness or dryness of the Sake. The scale generally runs from –6 to +10 with lower numbers indicating sweetness, and higher numbers dryness. A value of +2 could be considered neutral, although this is very subjective.

Hear Nuka (new-kah): The talc-like powder that is the outer portion of polished rice kernels.

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S

Hear Seimaibuai (say-my-boo-eye): The degree to which rice has been polished (milled) before brewing. A value of 60%, for instance, means that the rice has been milled so only 60% of the rice kernel remains (40% of the kernel has been ground away). Each sake grade has a specific seimaibuai value. For example, Junmai Sake must be made with a seimaibuai of at least 70% (no more than 70% of the original size of the rice kernel remains). In general, the higher the rate of milling, the cleaner, more refined and more fragrant the flavor of the sake.

Hear Shinpaku (sheen-pah-koo): The hard, white center comprised of starch found in good sake-brewing rice.

Hear -Shu (shoo): Simply another reading of the Japanese character meaning sake (which, in Japan, can refer to any alcoholic beverage). While this suffix is officially a part of all terms defining types of sake (e.g. junmai-shu, ginjo-shu), it is often dropped in abbreviation. Nihonshu refers to Japanese sake rather than sake made abroad.

Hear Shubo (shoo-bow): Yeast starter, also known as moto. This is a mixture of rice, koji, and water with an extremely high concentration of yeast cells.

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T

Hear Toji (toe-gee): The head brewer of a brewery.

Hear Tokubetsu Junmai (toe-koo-bet-sue juhn-my): Tokubetsu means "special". Any Sake labeled Tokubetsu has been brewed in some special way. In some cases, this may mean a 60% or 50% seimaibuai, or it may mean the Sake was fermented at lower temperatures or made with very special Sake rice. Tokubetsu Junmai is generally a bit more fragrant and refined than regular Junmai.

Hear Tozai (toe-zeye): “East meets West” representing the origins of this sake brand.

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