What Does Sake Taste Like? A Beginner’s Guide To The Taste Of Sake

Sake is a Japanese drink that is slowly gaining followers in the West and around the world. If you have heard of it and want to decide to try it, this article will help you discover a little more about this original drink. Here is a complete guide to the taste of sake from the best experts.

The Taste of Sake: A beginner’s guide

First of all, if you are a beginner in the world of sake, you should know that it is a traditional Japanese alcoholic drink that is made from fermentation similar to wine. Sake is made with eighty percent water, twenty percent rice, and koji mushroom, a variety widely used in Japanese cuisine.

How sake is made?

To make the sake, a double fermentation is carried out with the koji and with the kobo, which means that its process is different from that of making wine. From here, taking into account the polishing of the rice and the ingredients that are added to the sake, the classification of this drink is established, with the best quality being Premium.

What does sake taste like?

All sakes do not taste the same. Its flavors follow a range from light fragrant to strong and taste from light to strong acidic, similar to the range of wines. This is why we can find old, aromatic, refreshing, or tasty sakes. The polishing of the rice is what marks the intensity in the flavor of the sake.

The more polished it is, the more fruity the sake will be, while the less polished it is, the more powerful its flavor will be. Also, depending on the temperature, the sake changes its flavor and name. It is a drink with a lot of variabilities that can be served from five to fifty-five degrees.

We can find sakes at cold temperature, with five degrees, to very hot sakes, at fifty-five degrees. Cold sakes have less aroma, but their texture is stronger, and their flavor is less sweet. Hot sakes have more aroma, a softer body, and a much sweeter or umami flavor, as they say in Japanese.

In the same way, it is important to keep in mind that sake pairs with all kinds of foods. If you have doubts because you have never tasted sake, you can assess whether you like dry white wine or fruity wine more, and from here you can start tasting the sakes that you think you will like the most.

If you want to find a sake specially adapted to your tastes, there are a wide variety of different sakes exported directly from Japan, to around the world, all of them of the best quality and with different flavors and nuances. For example, you can find from the original Aiyama sake, aimed at a young audience, with aromatic and smooth touches and good acidity, to the Rihaku sake, 45 percent polished and with an opening similar to that of the best white wines. . This sake is fine and silky and also has a warm accent.

Where can I get more information?

The managers who generally sell sake in the store are specialists in the world of sake and in all kinds of Japanese artisan products, with which they can guide you so that you can choose the sake that best suits your palate from among its wide variety of options, being, therefore, the best alternative if you are interested in getting started in the world of sake and you don’t really know what drink to start with.

You can also find sparkling sakes such as Masumi Sparkling, and very pure options such as Enter Sake Black, with a delicious aroma of white mountain flowers and a liberating acid flavor with hints of fruit.

As most sakes are semi-transparent and have a similar appearance, it is essential to take into account their aromas and flavors in order to differentiate them. The keyword that we must pay attention to when identifying the flavor of sake is umami. Sakes can be concentrated, light, intense flavor, complex, or with clean and delicate flavors.

What are the flavours of sake?

As for its aroma, this drink can be very varied and include scents of banana, apple, flowers, lychee, aromatic flowers, vanilla, and even wood. Those that are left to ferment for several years turn an orange hue and usually have a different aroma, of plum or dried fruit.

For beginners, experts recommend learning to taste sake little by little, checking its flavor and aroma first using the nose, then with the mouth, and finally when we have swallowed the drink. In this way, we will be able to notice different touches in the mouth, ranging from smooth sake to soda or sparkling wine.

For all this, it is important to bear in mind when we start in the world of sake that if we choose more polished sakes we will enjoy more elegant and delicate flavors, similar to white wine, by establishing a parallel with a drink that we all know, being the best alternative in most cases to try sake for the first time.

On the other hand, if we prefer strong and flavored wines, we can start with less polished sakes, with more intensity, being the best alternative, according to experts, to pair hot foods such as meat or fried tapas.

In conclusion, there are many varieties of sakes, from the most fruity to the most intense and mineral, through the champagne or the aged, so it will be essential to take into account the level of polishing of rice and our personal tastes to choose the first. sake and delve into this wonderful world of Japanese drinks enjoying the experience.