Sakaya NYC Blog

Spring is here, and we’re waiting for the sakura (cherry blossoms) to bloom.  Ohanami is the Japanese tradition of viewing and cherishing the sakura with friends and families, but without sake, an integral part of the tradition,  ohanami wouldn’t be as enjoyable.

At SAKAYA, we have the perfect sake for all occasions.  Pick up some nihonshu for your ohanami or for whatever your Spring celebration.

To introduce you to some options to choose from, herewith is our April in-store tastings schedule….

Friday, April 3, 2009, from 6 to 8PM

Takasago Shuzo Sake Tasting

Taisetsu Junmai Ginjo & Ginga Shizuku “Divine Droplets” Junmai Daiginjo

Saturday, April 11, 2009, from 3 to 6PM

Masumi Arabashiri Junmai Ginjo Spring Namazake Tasting

Saturday, April 18, 2009, from 3 to 6PM

Azumaichi Junmai & Junmai Ginjo Tasting

Saturday, April 25, 2009 from 3 to 6PM

Amanoto Tokubetsu Junmai Nama/non-Nama Tasting

 

The popular culinary manga series, Oishinbo has finally been translated into English.  The Oishinbo series began in 1983 during the gourmet boom in Japan’s Bubble Era and continues to this day.   Oishinbo #102 was published in June, 2008.  It’s popularity has been so widespread that it became an animated television show from 1988 to 1992, a TV drama from 1994 to 1999, and a movie in 1996.

The story  takes place at the fictional Tozai Newspaper company in Tokyo. To commemorate its 100-year anniversary, the newspaper assigns two young reporters, Shiro Yamaoka and Yuko Kurita, the project of  creating the “Ultimate Menu.”  The competing newspaper establishes a collaboration with renowned ceramic artist and Gourmet Club President Yuzan Kaibara, to produce a “Supreme Menu.”   Adding an element of complexity is the fact that Kaibara is the estranged father of Yamaoka.  Their strained relationship further heightens the tension of the competition.

Each episode focuses on how Yamaoka and Kurita tackle the problems facing them as they search for the best ingredients, cuisine, or drinks to create the Ultimate Menu.

This first English translation distills the 102 volumes down to thematic “a la carte” episodes focused on specific alcoholic beverages (sake) i.e. champagne, wine, aged awamori, and nihonshu.  This Oishinbo: Sake is the second installment of the Oishinbo series published in the U.S. The first focused on Japanese cuisine.  A third offering on  Ramen and Gyoza will be available in May.

We highly recommend reading all of them but for sake enthusiasts, Oishinbo: Sake is particularly interesting and thought-provoking.   And, by the way,  several of the sake featured can be found at SAKAYA!  Hint:  see the “Featured Sake” on our website.

Imagine if you will,  a journey through time and space that begins with an intensive abrasion of your skin.  While  still smarting, you’re jet-sprayed, dunked, and held under water until you’ve shed whatever residue  remained from the abrasion.  “Whew! Glad th  at’s over with,” you think as you lie down and rest for the night.

But early the following morning before you know what’s happening,  you’re in the hottest Turkish bath you’ve never dreamed of.  Ouch!  With great relief you’re allowed to cool off while b  eing transported somewhere by conveyor belt.  Suddenly,  without warning,  you’re sucked into a hose and flying at warp speed  until…splash!  You’ve been shot into  a tank of yeasty smelling liquid.

Such is the sakamai‘s  tale.

(Posted from Daimon Shuzo sake brewery in Osaka-fu)

How do they do it?  There are so many tasks and so few kurabito.  Our Mukune International Sake Brewing Program intern team of six has doubled the work force at Daimon Shuzo.   The experience of the last day and a half has given me an immense appreciation for the efficiency of the operation of this sakagura.   To say that the craft of sake making is arduous and demanding would be an understatement.  But the real difference maker is the coordination, timing, and teamwork.

We’ve washed, soaked, steamed, and cooled rice for a variety of uses (and we’ll do more).  We’ve made and moved koji.  Made boxes and labeled bottles.   Washed and cleaned our equipment and the materials used in the process.  We’ll do that many times more as well.   Along with the physical, we’ve also be given an inside look at the science and management of the process.  It is astounding what the full time kura team accomplishes in creating and packaging a variety of different sake (each with it’s own unique “recipe” requiring different logistics and timing).  All is seamlessly integrated following  a flow of steps that bends and turns according to time, temperature, and taste.

At the figurative end of the day,  we’ve had a literal taste of the satisfaction that a toji feels as he samples the free run sake that is the first to flow out of the Yabuta (the machine that presses the fermented mash and yields the fresh undiluted, unpasteurized sake).  At the literal end of the day, we’ve also experienced the blissful exhaustion that comes from a labor that produces such an exquisite beverage.   I know that I’ve never slept so well.

 

 

Within 10 minutes of our arrival at the Daimon Shuzo kura, we were immersed in the transfer of koji from wooden box-like trays to a burlap lined,  wire mesh-based variety.   We were smelling, smoothing, and yes, even tasting the almost styrofoam-like grains of rice that were now in a state of saccharine transformation due to the effects of exposure to their koji-kin invaders. With apologies for the lack of specific terminology,  it was the experience of immediate entrance into the world and craft of sake brewing that was singularly exhilarating.

Our welcome from Shacho (President) and Toji (Brewmaster) Yasutaka Daimon was at the same time, warm, gracious, and enthusiastic.   “Fasten your seat belts!” he exclaimed as he  smiled at us from the top of the stairway.  And then, there we were, up to our eyes in koji.

The subsequent exploration of our new home ultimately led to a steep, well-worn wooden stairway which led to our sleeping quarters.  Looking straight up into the eaves of this ancient structure,  I was struck by the feeling (realization?)   that I was exactly where I most wanted to be.  The stairway symbolized that point of entry from one world to the next.

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