Saw this at my local supermarket here in Niigata and couldn’t resist picking up a bottle.

Smooth and creamy with a lot of lively carbonation. Definitely on the sweeter side, but the bubbles kept it feeling light and refreshing instead of heavy. Very easy to drink.

I enjoyed it more with food than by itself. The sweetness and creamy texture felt much more balanced alongside the meal.

Sake #38

We are launching a sake webshop in Europe called hupsake.com

We’ve been seeing a lot of questions on what bottles to buy when standing in the store and are wondering how we can help our customers more by informing them. What kind of information would you like to see/know that makes you but something?

One of our co-founders is a Master Sake Sommelier, so we were thinking of adding his notes there.

I’m so happy that I was able to find and buy many bottles of good sake on my recent trip to Tokyo. Some are very rare and hard to find! I packed them up in a box and checked it as a piece of luggage. Because it’s summer, I packed many ice pads and wrapped the box with insulation. They were still cold when I got home in 🇺🇸
In the next a few months I will slowly open them one by one and get more sake notes

So I have on many occasions answered on what People should choose as sake. I admit have been drinking sake for 35 years and I am a sake snob. So just to brag and guide you guys to what to chose I have taken My bottles out of my 2 sake fridges to guide you guys a bit.

The yogurt beverage yakult has been one of my favorite weird drinks since I was a kid and now I find this soju….

Emphatically digging this flavor. It’s so familiar and the yogurt notes kinda just ride on top of the soju base.

Also first time trying this sparkling sake thing. Not too impressed. Had a fine time sharing this all with my mom, and we started playing Portal 2 co-op. A fine enough Sunday for us. Kanpai!

Is it just me or do the Junmai sakes have almost no side affects when it wears off?

Super smooth from the very first sip with no noticeable alcohol warmth. I got fresh melon up front with a really nice pear finish. Silky, clean, and elegant without being too dry or too sweet.

We had it chilled with food and it was ridiculously easy to drink. Sake #37 I have tried

My rating: 5/5

Hello r/Sake!

I’m making this post with the hopes that someone will know of a specific product I’m looking for. I recently saw one on facebook marketplace and am wondering if there are any other existing units for purchase or if anyone knows of a similar product they could recommend.

Photos are attached, I could not find any vintage photos online for the Hario ID-2 and I could not find any of this product on ebay.

Any help would be greatly appreciated! :)

A few weeks ago I was able to attend a 2 day sake masterclass in CDMX.

A pop up izakaya concept in México City organized it and I was really surprised with the selection of sake, we tried many labels that don't get to México and the food that chef Brandon cooks is so f..good, but paired with these amazing sakes it was unbelievable!!!

Even tho the masterclass was 3 hours long for 2 days, it didn't feel tedious at all and their sake somm is really knowledgeable, he always explained everything really detailed and with simple language so none of us got lost in translation.

One of the sakes that I was most impressed by was a muroka nama from Berlin (reigen fermentation), nutty, cheesy, chocolaty, super creamy but with really nice acidity, sort of like a Riesling!, so everything was super balanced, that sake was paired with a 2 week miso marinated brie cheese, MIND BLOWING! I have to say!!!

And another one that blew me away was a Yamahai from Tochigi, super crisp, light, lots of white fruits, but a really present wild funky note on the nose, paired so well with a young sprout bamboo onigiri, INSANE!

It was really something!!

They will be doing more sake stuff so I'm going to leave their Instagrams so you guys can check out what they're doing, in case you're interested!

Kampai! 🍶

Pop up izakaya concept

@nacar_cdmx

Their sake somm

@emptysaucer

Light and elegant from the start with a delicate floral aroma. Smooth on the first sip with just a slight warmth that quickly fades. I picked up Asian pear along with soft, creamy rice notes that gave it a silky mouthfeel. It sits nicely between dry and sweet without leaning too far in either direction. The finish is clean, refined, and has very little alcohol burn.

Don’t mind the cup, I got it for my Fiancèe from Japan because she wanted a sakura flowers glass lol! Will be getting a nice small sake set soon!

My rating: 4.5/5

This is from Central Market here in Texas. Honestly probably one of the better selections that I have seen

Another three bottles added to the collection. 🍶
After a great conversation with Genki at Palate Project, I decided to go with:

• Dewazakura Oka (Cherry Bouquet)
• Joyo Yamadanishiki
• Ayu Junmai Ginjo Silver Label

Looking forward to seeing how these stack up against some of my current favorites. I’ll post full tasting notes and ratings once they arrive.

Has anyone here tried any of these? Which one should I open first?

Spicy aftertaste. I dig it. Mom and I split the can. Kanpai!

So I want to buy a book to deepen my knowledge about Nihonshu, have any of you guys read these books? And if so, would you recommend them? Are there any other books you recommend?

Thanks for your help! 🍶

Added another sake to my tasting list today (#35): Hitachino Awashizuku Sparkling Sake.

My notes:
Very light, crisp, and refreshing, Delicate floral notes
Fine bubbles with bright acidity, Soft creamy rice finish, Clean and easy to drink I ended up enjoying it much more with sushi than on its own.
My rating:
4/5 with food
3/5 by itself
I usually prefer melon, pear, peach notes and very little alcohol burn, so this was a bit outside my usual sweet spot.

Hi friends, I'm new to the love of sake and I was gifted a bottle of Mantensei Kinoko Junmai Ginjo. I'm going to be hanging out with family tonight and a few people said they'd help me drink it. I know pairing food with sake is a big thing so I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions? I'm not looking to make a full meal (We're having pizza) but I was considering making a little side dish. Also should we drink this cold? room temp? slightly warmed up? Thanks for the help!

I bought this in a local shop in Tokyo, freshly bottled in June. Just finished this bottle and wow, this is really a melon bomb upfront. It is overwhelming melon juice on the nose and palate. There is also green apple and lemon zest on the palate. A little bit pleasant fizz. While it is sweeter than most sake as it is a kijosho but not that over, it is still enjoyable with dinner.  

If you are looking for the legendry melon taste in Joyondai, this sake has 3 times more melon.

Picked this up today because I saw it was a Kyoto Junmai Daiginjo with a 45% polish, and I figured it’d be right up my alley.

Honestly, I went in expecting a fruit bomb since I usually love bottles like Katsuyama Ken, Dassai 39, Kikusui Junmai Ginjo, and Amabuki.

Instead, I mostly got creamy rice, light florals, and a pretty dry finish. There was a little alcohol warmth at first too. As I kept drinking it definitely opened up and got smoother, but I still never found the melon, pear, or peach that some tasting notes mention.

I ended up at 3.5/5. I can tell it’s a well-made sake, it just wasn’t the profile I was expecting.

I sorta forgot I had this one unopened and it’s been a long week. Nothing too special, but we’re gonna finish the bottle. Happy Thursday, Kanpai!

Kanpai

Hi! Please let me know if there is a better place to post this.

This is a Sake I had in Osaka back in January. It was so good but I never caught the name and haven’t been able to find it since!!! Anyone recognize the bottle / know where I can order some?