Hot saké vs Cold saké: The Truth Revealed!

The moment you all have been waiting for, hot saké vs cold saké, what is the deal? Am I doing it wrong?

Here are a few common misconceptions about Japanese saké- “hot saké generally is bad quality” and “All saké has to be consumed hot”

The truth? You can consume saké in all three forms: room temp, cold and hot.  The general rule of thumb is that big robust flavors are better enjoyed hot, and delicate flavors tend to be better cold. 

Junmai tends to have more robust bold flavors (remember from last week?)  Gingo tends to be more delicate with added alcohol. The best way to determine how to consume a particular kind?  Ask your server, they should have an opinion on the best direction for a particular kind of saké. Also most restaurants will indicate their preferred method for a particular bottle. Or if you are feeling adventurous, try it multiple ways and determine for yourself what you prefer. You may find that different notes and flavors come out at different temperatures. Isn’t that cool? 

My favorite example when it comes to beverage temperature, is to picture yourself drinking an ice cold glass of coca cola, on a hot summer day.  Think about how refreshing and thirst quenching that can be. Now picture that same hot day, with a room temperature coke. Different experience, to say the least. This example shows that there are optimal temperatures for certain beverages. When hot coffee turns cold = sad face, when craft cocktails turn warm or “die” = saddest face. Part of what we are experiencing is that the flavor notes that are optimal at the correct temperatures go away and new ones get highlighted (e.g. bitterness comes out, or flavors get diluted). I could really go down the rabbit hole on this, but Nana says it’s time to stop. 

The point? saké as an expression of rice, water, koji and yeast is a flexible palette that can be enjoyed at a variety of temperatures. That’s pretty amazing since there aren’t many beverages that you can say the same for. There’s no right or wrong way to drink saké, but maybe the right way is accompanied with some sushi from Tampopo Kitchen (haha, I had to get the plug in somehow!)

Josh