Sake Terminology, Classification & Levels
To get you all ready for our special Sake Pairing Event at our Beverly Hills location, we have a little info for you about terminology, classification, and levels brought to you by sake master Kerry Tamura.
TERMINOLOGY, CLASSIFICATIONS and LEVELS 1 & 2
We'll start by looking at the first two levels of the sake world, but before we dive into the classifications, a brief Japanese language lesson is in order. HAJIMEMASHOU! Let's begin!
"Sake" is an umbrella term encompassing all things alcohol for human consumption. Hence, sake can mean beer, wine and spirits as well, but for ease of our reference, sake will be the drink made from rice. Technically, sake is termed "Nihon-shu" or "Sei-shu." The suffix "Shu" is the Chinese character for "sake" (酒). This character can be read "sake," "zake," or "shu." "Nihon" means Japan, so "Nihon-shu" refers to the traditional alcoholic beverage of Japan. "Sei" in "Sei shu" means clear.
From what started as milky and very sweet, through evolution, an increase in rice varietals and trial and error over the course of nearly 1,000 years, sake has become incredibly complex and diverse. With the advancement of sake production science and technology, offering more refined products, the market eventually demanded a system to organize an ever changing beverage. Addressing sake consumers' growing confusion, the government established the polishing of sake rice as the most recognizable and quantifiable criteria to determine classification. Unlike popular European standards where certain words identify wines made within a designated region or aged for a certain time, sake is solely differentiated by how much the rice has been polished.
Recalling from the first newsletter, sake rice, unlike table rice, has fats and proteins surrounding it's center which is the starch, containing the true flavor of that particular rice varietal. Since these fats and proteins are generally considered undesirable to the palate, they are polished off with the use of massive milling machines.
To delve deeper into the classifications, we first start with...
"Fustu" means normal. "Normal Sake" or what would be better known as Table Sake consists of three quarters of the sake market, and it is considered non-premium sake. Even though there is no minimum milling requirement, 20% is an industry-wide ratio average for polishing the rice. Futsu is not common in restaurants or on store shelves overseas because it is generally thought of as a product to avoid going through the hassle of exporting when there are far more enhanced options at pretty competitive prices. Futsu is simply enjoyed by the masses in the motherland where there is more variety, just as the French clink their glasses of Vin de Table.
"Junmai" translates to "Pure Rice." Junmai sake is polished to 30%, meaning, one third of the rice grain has been polished off. It is made with only four ingredients: Water, Rice, Yeast and Koji. Water, ok. Rice, check. Yeast, got it. Koji... (crickets chirping).
Koji is a natural fungus, also known as Aspergillus Oryzae. It is an essential ingredient that helps dissolve steamed rice to assist the yeast in breaking down the rice and start fermentation. These four essential ingredients are the building blocks of all things sake. In any sake classification, if the word "Junmai" exists, it signifies that the sake has been made with no more than those four superstar ingredients.
Futsu is a form of Junmai. There are two main components separating the two. The first is the seimaibuai, or rice polishing ratio. Seimaibuai is the percentage representing the amount of the original rice grain that remains after polishing. The second component is Futsu has a small amount of pure distilled alcohol added to expand volume. The distillate is made from rice.
The big misconception, I believe, with such classifications is the notion that, "quality" is determined by the polishing ratio. This may be a quick guide for the public, but it certainly is not to be used as a litmus test for what to buy and avoid. The reason is due to taste preference.
The science behind the milling is the more the rice is polished, the more starch is used for sake brewing. Recalling the chemical reaction that takes place in alcohol where the starch in rice converts to sugar and sugar into alcohol, if there is more starch to be used, the result will be a sweeter brew. Certainly the alcohol level can continue to rise beyond the average 15-17%, making the sake less sweet, but the sugar is preserved with temperature control and the addition of more ingredients to dilute the fermenting mash.
The drinking experience with superior polishing sake is generally cleaner, lighter and more delicate in flavor. There may be those who enjoy this particular flavor, but others may not. The preferred drink may be fuller in body, dry and earthy. These traits are more common in sake with a lower polishing ratio. The notion of Junmai sake tasting more "rice-y" is due to there being more fats and proteins from the rice grains included in the brewing of... SAKE!
Next, we'll look at what I like to call... Bourgeois Sake.
Kerry Tamura is a Chicago native, now LA resident, who so dearly misses 4am liquor licensed bars. 5am on Saturday's. Reflecting and questioning his direction in life, which would quickly be distracted the moment alcohol was placed in his hands, destiny would have it where he was summoned by his mother to dig the family business out from the verge of bankruptcy as a result of the Great Recession, ... and being the only bar in Chicago with no ESPN. From a "home away from home” karaoke bar catering to Japanese expatriates and business travelers, came the emergence of Murasaki, the city's only Japanese Sake Lounge. Thus started Kerry's travels with sake. A ring a ding ding.