Sakaya NYC Blog

With the official first day of Spring on the horizon, get a jump on the season with a visit to SAKAYA for one or all of our tastings this month.

Saturday, March 7, 2009, 3~6PM

Tomita Sake Tasting by Ms. Midori Nakazawa from Joto Sake Import

Shicihon Yari Shizuku Junmai Daiginjo

 Shichihon Yari Junmai

 

Saturday, March 14, 2009, 3~6PM

Spring Namazake Tasting by Mr. Kazu Yamazaki from Japan Prestige Sake Association

Kamikokoro Toukagen Nama (Okayama)

Harushika Shiboribana Nama (Nara)

Ichinokura Nigori Nama Genshu (Miyagi)

 

Saturday, March 21, 2009,  3~6PM

Nanbu Bijin Nama/non-Nama Tasting

We look forward to seeing you at SAKAYA!

Kanpai!
Rick & Hiroko

From late January to early February, we offer the Hatsushibori or early spring namazake at SAKAYA.  What exactly is namazake?  Namazake is unpasteurized sake, which means that the sake has been bottled without receiving the heat treatment of pasteurization.  Most sake is pasteurized twice during its production process; first after pressing the fermented mash to extract the liquid sake, and then again after a period of maturation before bottling.  Why is it pasteurized?  For a couple of reasons.  Pasteurization deactivates the enzymes still left frolicking about in the sake after fermentation and also kills off “riff raff” bacteria, thus stabilizing the brew for longer shelf life.  Unpasteurized sake therefore must be kept refrigerated or it will become cloudy, yeasty, and cloying.

Kept under the proper conditions and consumed within a brief time after opening,  namazake’s characteristically bold, fresh, and lively flavors are quite enjoyable.  Think of it as freshly squeezed grapefruit juice instead of the made-from-concentrate version or draft versus bottled beer.

At SAKAYA we have several styles for you to try and compare (including one made with peach yeast) so please visit us  by and give them a try to find your own favorite(s)!

Kanpai!

Thanks to Daimon Shuzo sake brewery President and Master Brewer Yasutaka Daimon and a handful of sake souls including True Sake’s Beau Timken and Sake Handbook author John Gauntner, the Mukune International Sake Brewing Program, a revolutionary new sake education program, was born this February 9.  Yours truly will be among the fortunate fifteen this first year to actively participate as a kurobito (sake brewery worker) for a week in early March.

Each of the four week-long sessions will allow six interns the opportunity to live and work in the Mukune Brewery in a small village outside of Osaka making sake.

You can check in on the real time blog of these first interns as they learn firsthand about the craft that creates the beverage that we all enjoy so much.  The first session is now in progress and I’ll be blogging in this space when our session (#2) begins on March 9.

If you’re a sake enthusiast, you won’t want to miss this unprecedented insight into the cloistered world of sake brewing.

Kanpai!

Rick

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, for many the search for amorous expression intensifies.  For those who are seeking to go beyond cards,  candy, and flowers,  might we suggest something sake as a means to express your love?

Our picks (shown above from left to right) to make this a Valentine’s Day to remember are:

Tedorigawa Ikina Onna "Lucky Lady" Junmai Daiginjo (Ishikawa) –  When told that it reminded you of her, what fortunate woman wouldn’t be flattered to be presented with this beautifully elegant, silky brew!

Kamikokoro "Tokagen" Tokubetsu Junmai Nama Genshu (Okayama) – Uniquely brewed with white peach yeast, this early spring release namazake is delicately sweet like your first love.

Denshin "Yuki" Junmai Ginjo (Fukui) – Pure and clean with a gentle fragrance, the bottle design characters translate to "express what is in your heart."  Need we say more?

Juyon Dai Junmai Ginjo (Yamagata) –  Very difficult to find, this sake has achieved cult status for its delicately aromatic, smooth elegance with nuanced layers of apricot and melon flavors.  Its Valentine’s connection?  Ju yon is Japanese for the number 14.

Tsukasabotan "Fu-in (Seal) " Junmai Ginjo (Kochi) –  Seal your Valentine’s affection with the kiss of this clean, grapefruit and banana-scented brew.

Ban Ryu "Thousand Ways" Honjozo (Yamagata) – Give this cherry and berry noted sake and you won’t have to come up with the other 999 ways to say "I love you."

Finding a unique gift or preparing a special Valentine’s dinner is always a challenge.  Try introducing sake as the twist for this year.  You never know, it might become a tradition.

Kanpai!

Rick & Hiroko

If you haven’t had the opportunity to visit SAKAYA to add your name to our Tasting Reminder Email List, here’s the upcoming schedule of our in-store tastings for the coming month. 

You can also find the updated schedule on our website via the "Events" button.

Thursday, February 5, 6 to 8PM

Tasting of newly released Early Spring Season Namazake from importer JotoSake

Thursday, February 12, 6 to 8PM

SAKAYA’s Valentine’s Day Selections

Saturday, February 21, 3 to 6PM

Vine Connection Imports Sake Tasting

Saturday, February 28, 3 to 6PM

Hakkaisan Brewer Sake Tasting

Please join us to enjoy this month’s series of great sake selections. 

We look forward to welcoming you at SAKAYA!

Kanpai!

Rick & Hiroko

In anticipation of American sports’ most heavily watched event coming up this Sunday, we all know that there are some who are preoccupied with the game itself, others with the betting line, still others with menu planning, but all have one larger question looming in their minds… WHAT TO DRINK!

Yes, the easy answer would be “beer.”  Answer number two might be “wine.” Well, at least the easy answer is on the right track because a brew is what we had in mind too.  But this brew drinks like answer number two!  What is the mystery beverage that we’re suggesting?  You knew what it was when you saw who sent you this message…

So without further adieu, here are our sake recommendations to make Super Bowl XLIII a little more (or less, depending upon how much you consume) memorable…

 Tama no Hikari Junmai Daiginjo (Kyoto) and Umenishiki Sake Hitosuji Junmai Ginjo (Ehime) - Show your support for the Steelers by drinking sake whose label brandishes the team’s black and gold colors

Jokigen Junmai Ginjo (Yamagata) – Cardinals fans can have their own red and white label to answer with.

Kamoizumi “Shusen” Tokubetsu Junmai (Hiroshima) - A “big-boned” sake in the image of Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Rothlisberger

Ken Daiginjo (Fukushima) – As in the first name of Arizona’s coach Whisenhunt

Narutotai Ginjo Nama Genshu (Tokushima) – Because it is without a doubt, THE best sake to have with chili and/or nachos!

Of course you don’t need a direct connection to choose the brew that suits you. So please stop by and visit us at SAKAYA. We’ll be happy to offer some more sake suggestions if you’re not a partisan of either team or aren’t having chili.

Kanpai!

Sake can be enjoyed at a number of different temperatures depending upon the characteristics of the particular sake, weather, food accompanying it, the occasion, the mood, and/or your personal preference.  The Japanese believe that there is a specific temperature for maximum enjoyment of each sake for each person and have definitive terms for each.

We’ve heard of izakaya in Japan where there is a person who actually prepares the sake at the desired temperature for each customer based on his knowledge of their preference for each sake.  Although such precision of service is remarkable and unlikely to be available to many of us in the U.S.,  but for off-premise consumption, many bottles’ back labels offer suggested drinking temperatures.

What we suggest at SAKAYA is that you experiment on your own, using the guidelines offered on the bottle but also trying sake at a variety of temperatures.  You might start by chilling your bottle to hana-hie but leave the bottle out of the refrigerator as you continue to drink it to experience the change in flavor as the sake warms to suzu-hie.  If you’re drinking a particularly bold, earthy, or robust brew, you might then try warming it (see our previous post) to hitohada-kan or nuru-kan.   Take notice of the changes and at which point you most enjoyed the aromas and flavors.  You may want to go further and sample it with some appetizer-sized foods as examples of salty, creamy, sweet, sour, spicy foods to see which pair best with your sake.  Ah, but that’s a different post…..

Kanpai!

With the arrival of cold weather, kanzake (warmed sake) becomes a more top-of-mind drinking option. For our friends  who enjoy their brew temped, we sought an easy-to-use, inexpensive sake warmer {“sake tanpo (酒タンポ)” }from Japan. This one  is made from aluminum.  To warm sake, pour it into the tanpo and place it into a bath of hot water. It’s a brilliantly simple gadget.  When the sake reaches body temperature (use a meat thermometer), it’s time to remove it from the bath and imbibe.  More on this in an upcoming post about warming sake.

The question lingers though, what does “tanpo” mean? It doesn’t sound Japanese,  but it doesn’t sound English or Portuguese (from which some Japanese words originate), either. After a bit of research, Hiroko discovered the intriguing answer…

Tanpo from comes from yu tanpo　(湯たんぽ), a bed warmer, “yu” (湯) means hot water, but “tanpo” is the mysterious word.  It turns out the word “tanpo” originally comes from the Chinese word 湯婆 (tangpo), the character 婆 means “wife.” The idea is that you hold onto your wife to keep you warm in bed. When the term “tanpo” came to Japan in 14th century, Japanese people added the modifier “yu” 湯 to identify the bed warmer.

Therefore, sake tanpo is the warmer of sake.   Pick one up or improvise your own to experiment with the pleasures of atsukan this winter!  We’re happy to recommend a few for you to try…..

Kamoizumi Shusen “Three Dots” Tokubetsu Junmai (Hiroshima)

Daishichi Kimoto “Classic” Junmai (Fukushima)

Naraman Muroka Junmai (Fukushima)

Chiyomusubi Tokubetsu Junmai (Tottori)

Sawanoi Kiokejikomi Iroha Junmai (Tokyo)

Kanpai!

“What is your best selling sake?” we’re often asked.   Now that we’ve completed our first full year, we thought it was a good time to answer the question for all with that particular curiosity.  And so, presented in Letterman fashion, the most popular sake among SAKAYA customers in 2008 are…

10.  Kagatobi Junmai Ginjo (Ishikawa)

Slightly rich fragrance with aroma of steamed rice and flavor, it is one of sake which goes well with a variety of foods.

9.  Denemon Junmai Ginjo (Niigata)

Delicate and clean sake with hint of honeydew and apricot, it goes well with sushi and sashimi as well as turkey or chicken breast.

8.  Dassai Nigori (Yamaguchi)

This nigori is slightly sweet with clean finish, it goes well with spicy food and will stand up to Indian and Thai food.

7.  Kikusui Junmai Ginjo (Niigata)

This sake in the beautiful bottle is popular for gifts as well for people who enjoy its clean, delicate flavor profile.

6.  Miyasaka Yawaraka Junmai (Nagano)

A sake that is slightly on the sweet side,  it has a hint of coconut flavor with a clean finish.  It can be sipped as an aperitif or drunk with soy sauce flavored dishes.

5.  Hana Hou Hou Shu Sparkling Sake (Okayama)

This festive sparkling sake is infused with rosehip and hibiscus, and has a light pink color with slightly drier finish.

4.  Yuki no Bosha Nigori (Akita)

A delicate nigori with hint of strawberry and peaches, this sake is pleasantly fruity yet delivers a clean, dry finish.

3.  Kokuryu Gohyaku Mangoku Junmai Ginjo (Fukui)

With the sleek, elegant look of  its recently redesigned bottle, this delicious sake became  even more popular as a gift item.  It is deep and full flavored with a slightly creamy texture and pairs easily with cheese as well as grilled, roasted, and broiled foods.

2.  Dassai 50 Junmai Ginjo (Yamaguchi)

Altogether pleasing and easy to joy, Dassai 50 is delicate,  slightly sweet,  and elegant.

And, the #1 sake sold at SAKAYA in 2008 is…….

1.  Kikusui Funaguchi Honjozo Nama Genshu

Unpasteurized and undiluted, this tasty sake in the novel package flies off the shelf quickly.  Rich and bold with hint of coco and chocolate, its convenient size and bold flavors (and low price) made it SAKAYA ‘s crowd-pleaser of the year!

Hard as it may be to believe, a year has passed and SAKAYA has become a destination for an ever-expanding community of folks like you who have come to enjoy the pleasures of drinking sake.  To thank you for your support and to celebrate our first anniversary, we invite you join us for the festivities!

Friday, December 5, 6-8PM, World Sake Imports:

Masumi Yumedono Daiginjo (Nagano), Akitabare Suiratkuten “Heaven of Tipsy Delight” Daiginjo (Akita), Tedorigawa Ikina Onna Junmai Daiginjo (Ishikawa)

Saturday, December 6, 3-6PM, Chizuko Niikawa, Sake Sommelier:

Daishichi Minawamon Kimoto Junmai Daiginjo (Fukushima), Dassai 23 Junmai Daiginjo (Yamaguchi), Wataribune Junmai Daiginjo (Ibaraki)

Thursday, December 11, 6-8PM, Kagatobi Selections:

Kagatobi Cho Karakuchi Junmai, Kagatobi Junmai Ginjo, Kagatobi Junmai Daiginjo

Friday, December 12, 6-8PM. SAKAYA Selections:

Kubota Manju Junmai Ginjo (Niigata), Masuizumi Junmai Daiginjo (Toyama), Tama no Hikari “Brilliant Jade” Junmai Daiginjo (Kyoto)

Saturday, December 13, 3-6PM, ASPEC Selections:

Manabito Junmai Daiginjo, Chokaisan Junmai Daiginjo, Dewatsuru “Habataki” Junmai Ginjo

Friday, December 19, 6-8PM, Niigata Sake Selections:

Kirinzan Junmai Daiginjo, Minogawa Koshi no Omachi Daiginjo, Kakurei Plum

Saturday, December 20, 3-6PM, Japan Prestige Sake Selections:

Tsukino Katsura “Heiankyo” Junmai Daiginjo (Kyoto)

Saturday, December 27,  3-6PM, Sparkling Sake Tastings:

Chikurin Hou Hou Shu & Chikurin Hana Hou Hou Shu (Okayama)