September Sake Night-09/29/'09

We held our monthly 'Sake Night' last night at Noboru Restaurant.

Introducing 3 of Junmai Daiginjo; Dassai 50, Dassai 39 and Hakurosuishu.

Dassai 50 and Dassai 39 have been produced by Dassai shuzo in Yamaguchi prefecture in Japan.

Both uses #1 Sakamai- Yamadanishiki 100 %, Dassai 50 as its name indicates the polish ratio is 50% milled down and Dassai 39 is 39%.

Dassai sake has been the most popular sake in Yahoo website thanks to their beautiful fragrance and ultimate smooth, yet well-balanced taste.

As I personally had a Kura experience in Dassai brewery for 3 days last April, Making Sake needs a full commitment and extra labor.

Needless to say, 'You got to love sake!'

It was a very wonderful sake night with some members of our *Sake Class and many regulars.

Even new customers learned how to appreciate sake and enjoyed the fun moment with sake.

* info.- Noboru Sake Class will be open on Thursday, October 22. at 6:30-8:00 p.m.

Call for more in detail. T- 261-3033

My first experience with sake

Everybody has the first experience for anything, i'd like to talk about that with Japanese Sake.
It was back in 1991, flying to see my boyfriend-my hubby, now- in Tokyo from Korea.
Very dark Izakaya -Japnase sake bar/restaurant in the center of Shinjuku,
it was very crowded at that time, since it was spring time there were many groups who were celebrating their new enployees at their companies.

It is one of social tradition in Japan to have a drinking party for the newcomers
during the spring time, even to the universities.Usually it goes like this, people sit around a large table where lots of Japanese pupus and herecomes the sake!

You got to drink up whatever sake masu-wooden square sake cup-comes to you.
If you are the new comer, you can't say, " no." to any of those sake masu rushing towards you.
The place was very packed and very loud, everyone was singing loudly,- oh, Yes!, they got to sing, too. We sat a corner table-my husband and his friends and he asked me if i like to try some sake, let me tell you, my stomach was literally empty at that moment; i didn't eat anything for the whole day, but only some liquid in the airplane. I had to get up early in the morning and didn't have time to eat until i see my husband in the late evening.

I still remember the name of sake, my first sake-Bishonen (Handsome man),
drank it without any food. I was tired and hungry, kept drinking.

All of sudden, i felt 'Ouch!' on my forehead.
When i woke up? i was surrounded by lots of faces, looking very worried about me,
"Julie, are you OK?" adds my husband's face there, too.
My poor forhead still bears the scar of the evening.

What happened? I just passed out.
I never tried Bishonen ever since, but got to love Japanese Sake so much.

'Masu' story

Masu that is a square shaped wooden cup which has been used for measuring
quantity of crops such as grains, rice , beans and etc. for a long time in Asia.
In Japan, however, people use it for drinking sake.
When i serve sake at our restaurant, first pour it in the glass which is in the middle of masu and let it overflow a bit into the masu. Most customers ask me, "why do you do that?"
I ask them back with my gentle smile, " Wouldn't you like extra?".
It is a courtsy that showing our generosity to the guest who is visiting our place.
None wouldn't welcome a little bonus and it would be such a pleasant moment to share sake with your loved ones.

" How can i drink this?" most customers ask me.
There's no exact answer, use your imagination!

Sake Rice-酒米づくり

Sake is made from rice. What type of rice, then?

There are 100 different types of sake rice in Japan. -we call, "Sakamai".

'Wait it a minute, they use the different kind of rice to make sake?'

Oh, yes! One of top 10 sakamai, Miyamanishiki which grows widly in Nagano prefecture in Japan, as the example, farmers raise it in the organic rice fields which took for 3 years- rest.

Since they don't use any pesticides either artificial fertilizers for the soil,

picking the weeds out everyday is one of their backbreaking chores until the rice become fully grown.