How do you choose among sakes? “Price point is an easy start,” says sake sommelier Chizuko Niikawa, founder of the spirits consultancy Sake Discoveries. “In general, expensive sake is made with rice that’s been polished down 50 percent or more.” With the bran, proteins, and fat removed, the sake comes out “lighter-bodied and fragrant.” But if you’re looking for a bolder, earthier flavor, you might try a sake made from rice that’s been more gently milled. Whatever your preference, we recommend Hakkaisan Tokubetsu Junmai for a classic and versatile choice. You can learn more about how to store sake and chill sake properly with the Tippsy Sake Guide. 4 Types of nigori sake and food pairing tips After it's steamed, some of the rice is brought into the brewery's koji-muro. The koji-muro is a room strictly designed with the perfect conditions for producing koji. Now that we're a little more familiar with the sake-brewing process, let's take a look at the different types of sake. Adding distilled alcohol gives honjozo sake, in general, a smoother and lighter body. In general, honjozo is more complex, earthier, drier, and less acidic. It also tends to be more fragrant than pure rice sake.

Polishing is perhaps the key step in defining what kind of sake gets made. It involves stripping away each rice grain's outer husk to reduce down the amount of protein and fat available for fermentation and thus shorten the brewing process.I find this sake very easy to enjoy with summer BBQ such as burgers and hotdogs. It pairs well with young cheeses and bittersweet chocolate desserts. If you’re a fan of foods from the grill, this is a great starter nigori for you. Dassai “45” Nigori Eats, Serious. "Sake School: All About Nigori, the Cloudy Sake". drinks.seriouseats.com . Retrieved 2019-02-08. Modifies the perception of the drink, as sake has very little or no bitterness, works much better that wine. Pairs well with umami laden and spicy foods. Will seem dryer with sweet foods and sweeter with salty or spicy foods. Hakutsuru “Sayuri”

Helpful as these categories are, they offer only a vague sense of the breadth and variety available, even within each category. The only way to really find out what you like is to taste broadly and see what lights up your palette.

This traditional Japanese brew has become as synonymous with Japan as beer is to Germany. In Japan, it's not just a drink; it's a source of national pride. Sake is deeply entrenched within both ancient and modern Japanese culture & tradition. The main difference is the inclusion of lees to give a cloudy liquid. The lees can contribute sweetness and umami to the palate of the sake. They can add rice and koji notes to the aroma of the sake. Sometimes nigori sake has lower alcohol than sake. As a rule, the more polished the rice, the more delicate the sake, with floral and fruit notes dominating. This tends to be the more refined, high-end stuff, whereas less polishing results in a deeper – some say rougher – style of sake, with bold umami flavours and a certain oiliness on the palette. What is “Zake?” In Japanese when two words come together like “nama” and “sake” or “nigori” and “sake,” the second word gets a hard sound. So “sake” becomes “zake.” Dewasakura? Yep, it becomes “Dewazakura.”