"Different Strokes for Different Folks", "Variety Is The Spice Of Life" and "Sometimes Less is More"

     Lastly, before we finally get to the point which is delving into North Carolina's Sake hideouts, let's take a minute to talk about the danger of getting caught up or confused in the number and class system that comes with our sought after beverage.  

Sake, as we've mentioned comes in many varieties, classifications, etc...  Mainly it is broken into categories of "Quality", "Acidity", and by "SMV" (Sake Meter Value).

Let's just briefly go over these, appreciate them, and then dismiss them.

     It's very handy that a lot of Japanese Sake breweries (and American ones; American Sake is by the way mainly produced in Portland and San Francisco) print on their labels the "SMV" and "Acidity level" of the Sake to hopefully identify a flavor profile.

(For example, Dassai 50 from the Dassai Brewery in Yamaguchi)

      It's meant to be helpful but it is by no means gospel or a perfect science.  Here are the basics-


SMV:    (how much sugar remains)  It generally ranges at it's most extremes from say anywhere between a value of -30 all the way up to 10.  Simply put, the "the Higher the Drier" and thus the lower the sweeter.  Anything below zero is sweet, anything further below that is very sweet and vice versa for "dry".  Most Sake lives somewhere in the middle (and again it's not like if you find a Sake that has a SMV of 4 you're going to like every other 4 or even find them drier or less dry than a 3 or a 5) but it's there to help because most importantly there is a lot of Sake out there for us to try.  Once more, obviously a -27 is going to be pretty goddamned sweet!   Icishima's Coy (for a fantastic example, by the way buy this if you see it)



ACIDITY:   (how much organic acid remains)  again, the higher the lesser the chance of a sweeter tasting Sake.



CLASSES OF QUALITY:  "Seimaibuai"

     "Sake" (table sake, "hot" Sake at the mall, Hibachi Steak House Ceramic Jug Sake), Junmai, Junmai Daiginjo, Honjozo etc...

     There are quite a few distinctions.   

(and tons of other varieties outside of this like Nigori, Sparkling Sakes, Namas, aged Sakes but for now here's the basic class structure)

     Here's a chart, it's all about the level of "milling" or polishing the rice grain has under gone- milling takes away the fat, the excesses of the grain, in an effort to get down to heart of the grain; the good stuff, the pure starch-  (chart courtesy of  http://www.sakayanyc.com/  NYC's only "Sake Only" store)

(small anecdote Daiginjo starts at this extremely high level of hand crafted milled rice, reducing the size of the original grain in half; however some very, very extremely high-quality handcrafted and intensely laboriously made Sakes have been fermented from rice polished down to below 20%, basically a grain reduced to the size of the head of a needle, much like this FONT) 

 Here's another chart as well, the internet's full of them but just to give you another perspective-

Ok.

  
      Lesson over.  Important info; the basics are laid out.  Now that you know it, forget it.  There are no pure truths, taste as much as you can.  Don't prejudge by price (Sake is expensive, but good, really good Sake doesn't have to be), milling rate, all these things are there but don't allow them to get in your way.  However the ceramic or plastic, white, volcanically hot jug of "Sake" from the hibachi restaurant, that stuff is awful...

Don't drink that stuff.  

Bad Sake

Want to know more details go to this link below -  From www.TrueSake.com
Author, Beau Timken 

http://www.truesake.com/learnSake101.php

-Brad Russell