Hot or cold ? |
Technology Improvement |
Sake was traditionally served warmed. This was related to the shortage of the rice even for eating let alone sake rice after the second world war. To bulk it up, a lot of other ingredient, such as water , amino acid, glucose, etc were added. As a result sake was much, much rougher, fuller, and sweeter than it is now. Warming suited it much better back then. However, about 30 to 40 years ago, things began to change in the sake-brewing world. Brewing technology and the availability of new strains of sake rice (and the equipment to properly handle it) and new pure yeast strains due to the Japan's phenomenal economical growth led to sake with bold and lively taste and fragrance profiles. Much more delicate and fragile sake also came about, with fruit and flowery essences. Rice milling technology is immeasurably better than it was even just 30 or 40 years ago. Most premium sake today is delicate, fragrant, and elegant. To heat such sake could destroy the flavors and fragrances. So the finer the sake, the more sensitive it is to temperature.
|
Different style , different temperature
|
When Sake is warmed or made hot, the taste becomes deeper and somewhat dry by the effect of alcohol. In addition, sake contains some components that improve at a higher temperature. Red wine, *Kimoto style Sake, and Junmai Sake, in general, all contain large amount of lactic acid (乳酸 : Nyu-san), which is delicious at higher temperatures, as opposed to white wine, Ginjo style Sake, and unpasteurized Sake contain large amount of malic acid(リンゴ酸 : Ringo-san) which tastes best at lower temperatures. It is said that lactic acid can taste bitter at low temperatures but at higher temperatures this is transformed into Umami (deliciousness). Malic acid is zesty at low temperatures but when heated, the flavor blurs. In general, much sake peaks in flavor just below room temperature.
|
There are varieties of poetic names of sake temperature in Japanese.
|
Nomenclature of sake temperature |