A connoisseur's guide to identifying sake

In recent years, sake has become more internationalized and has gained the attention of more people, which is why it has been called "an incredible liquid made from rice". Before you are invited to drink sake by a close friend, learn how to taste it.

Find a sake glass that is suitable for sake before you begin a tasting event. They usually come in two types:

Cup of Inokuchi (Choko)

This is a plain, small white porcelain cup and is usually seen in Japanese stores and is the most common type of sake cup. Jukou has nothing to do with its shape, but is a phonetic translation from Korean that refers to the bottom of the cup. Some will have a colorful pattern painted on the bottom, which can be used to check the clarity of the sake.

Cup for wine

The narrow opening of this wine glass makes it easier to smell the sake's aroma. It's suitable for most tasting steps, including checking viscosity, color, and smell.

Five steps are usually involved in a sake tasting.

Examining the appearance

Cloudiness usually indicates a defective wine. Check the clarity of the wine.

It has a pale yellow color initially, but it is mostly filtered for clarity. Because of different aging, exposure to sunlight, high temperatures, barrel aging, etc., some Japanese sake has a light greenish yellow or brown color.

Wine's viscosity is determined by its alcohol and sugar content, making it thick like syrup.sake tasting hong kongis very good.

Take a whiff of the aroma

Check the intensity and richness of the aroma.

Check the level of complexity.

When enjoying sake, the scent can be categorized into three layers. The first is known as the "initial aroma", which greets your senses upon opening the bottle. For example, silver bars may exude a fruity aroma. Next is simply referred to as the "aroma", and can be experienced when taking a sniff while sipping the sake. This layer represents the balance of various elements, with a hint of bitterness and astringency that isn't overpowering. Lastly, we have the "hui hui" layer, which is the scent that lingers on your palate after sipping. This often includes anise, fennel, and white pepper notes.

There are sakes with aromas of melon, banana, almond, oak, soy, and rice depending on your ability to discriminate.

A high-quality wine usually has floral, tropical and earthy notes, while a poor wine often has burnt and moldy notes. Rustic sake is characterized by earthy, smoky, and rice notes, while Silver Globe/Big Woody Globe and unpasteurized sake have fruity and floral notes. The best place for beginners is to drink wine and find fresh aromas of peaches, pineapples, strawberries and apples, then try richer wines with complex aromas.

You should be able to identify the dominant aromas from a wide range of aromas, such as fruity, floral, and nutty.

The tasting process

Pay attention to the power of your mouth.

The flavor is complex and diverse.

Feel the wine's texture.

Sake is usually classified as dry or sweet, but the impression of dryness or sweetness can vary.

Sake is usually labeled with SMV (Sake Meter Value), which measures the density of the sake in relation to the density of water. SMV can also measure sweetness, as sakes with more residual sugar tend to be heavier.

Describe in your own words the taste, flavor, aroma, and body characteristics of a wine.

Enjoy the aftertaste and impression that sake does not leave in the mouth after China swallows it.

Characteristics of the organization

In order to categorize sake, select the most important characteristics of its appearance, aroma, and flavor.

The classification system

Based on its aroma and flavor, sake can be divided into four categories.

Sake with an aromatic flavor (Kun-shu)

Daiginjo and Ginjo are examples

Fruity and light; sweet or dry.

Sake Soshu (Refreshing Sake)

Futsu, Honjozo, and Nama are examples.

Mildness, fresh aroma, lightest and simplest of the four types.

Jun-shu is a strong and mellow sake

Junmai (Junmai) and Kimoto (Kimoto) are examples.

It has a strong, steamed rice aroma

Sake (Sake) that has aged

Sake that is aged is an example.

Rich and robust with strong aromas of dried fruits and spices, and a sweet and buttery taste.

When you use the above tasting methods and savor the flavor, you will be able to taste the differences and similarities between the two types of sake.

Taking a sip of sake every five minutes and noting how the flavor changes over time is another interesting experience with sake. After pouring your own sake, chill it in the refrigerator before drinking it. You'll find that the sake is sweeter at room temperature and more fruity when it's fresh chilled, so try it out when it's chilled and cool.

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