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Post by kurokamakiri on Apr 18, 2008 13:05:15 GMT -5
I was lucky enough to find a decent selection (or at least a selection of brands I'd not come across before) while visiting some friends at New Years, finding Mura "River", Kuromatsu, Hakatsuru, and Momokawa "Diamond". The Momokawa "Diamond" was lovely, as expected, but very fruity. The Mura "River" was vaguely disappointing. I have now learned that I really prefer dry sake over fruity. The Kuromatsu was quite pleasant, and I enjoyed the Hakatsuru the most. Recently I bought a bottle of Moonstone "Pearl", which claims to be a pear-infused sake, but I find the flavor to be so delicate as to be quite enjoyable. Some months back, I bought a bottle of Momokawa Pear (which I can't seem to find online any more) which tasted just like Juicyfruit gum I won't make THAT mistake again! And last month, while at a Cherry Blossom Cooking class in DC, I was fortunate enough to try both Yuki No Bosha and Momokawa Raspberry. Swoonworthy, both of them. www.sakeone.com/sakeone/index.jsp has several of the sake mentioned above. Last Pennsic, we sampled Kuromatsu Hakushika Chokara & Kuromatsu Hakushika Nigori "Snow Beauty", as well as a few others, but unfiltered sake are not to my taste Having said all of that, I think that as a preference, I like Hakatsuru the best. In a perfect world, I'd have "Kariho Namahage (Devil Mask)" Junmai every day ;D What sake have YOU tried, and what do you prefer?
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Post by roninpenguin on Apr 18, 2008 17:22:46 GMT -5
Well at Estrella a friend of mine brought a bottle of "Kurosawa" into the encampment. We all thought that it was going to be something wretched that had the name Kurosawa on it just because everyone would recognize it. So we all tasted it to be polite.
And it was wonderful.
Really it was the best of the evening, and what made it better was that we were not expecting it. I don't claim to be a sake expert, but I did like this one!
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bovil
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Post by bovil on Apr 18, 2008 17:25:46 GMT -5
What sake have YOU tried, and what do you prefer? We are spoiled for sake, both inexpensive and premium. It's just a matter of picking the right market to go shopping at; pick the right market and the good will outnumber the mediocre and bad. If I trust the shop, I often will just pick something at random because the name is appropriate to the event or party I'm opening it for. My local Nijiya Markets have never steered me wrong, particularly if I'm selecting from the refrigerator case. My favorite nigori is Shirakawago Sansanigori. Frost blue bottle, white label with blue printing on it. I adore Bishounen and Oni-Karakuchi dry sakes. Toranoko is also very nice.
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bovil
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Post by bovil on Apr 18, 2008 17:29:35 GMT -5
We all thought that it was going to be something wretched that had the name Kurosawa on it just because everyone would recognize it. I've had a number of sakes with "big" names on them; Kurosawa (which is divine), Kubota (ditto)... Many very good premium sakes have names that are, to western standards, odd or even silly.
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Saionji Shonagon
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Post by Saionji Shonagon on Apr 18, 2008 17:43:06 GMT -5
Ever hear a wine-snob connosieur describe something as complex? That was the Kurosawa - because it was throwing a festival on my tongue, complete with taiko, lion dancers, and guys in fundoshi singing and hauling a mikoshi. Probably the most amazing (and pricy) sake it has been my privilege to try. I will second the three mentioned by Bovil-dono, since I got to try all three at Twelfth Night. The Shirakawago nigori is like drinking white velvet. That said, sometimes cheap sake is perfectly OK. Takara of Berkeley's Sho Chiku Bai Nigori sake is quite pleasant if you like something with sweetness. I've had the Momokawa/Moonstone fruit infused sake. The peach is positively girly and cries out to be used with mixers and served with toys sticking out of it. The raspberry is less cloying. I use the Asian Pear as a gateway sake for some of my namban friends. The one time I tried the "Pearl," I was not impressed. Somewhere in the depths of the Cheerful Monkeys party box is the list of what we sampled at Estrella - I went through the bottles and wrote down which were good and which not to buy ever again. Most of what I'd found to sample (in handy 350 ml bottles) was eminently drinkable. If I can find it, I'll post the names. Do not waste your time on Takara Sierra Cold. It's like Coors, or drinking water. That said, Takara produces some perfectly good table sake. I like their Sho Chiku Bai nigori sake, pleasantly sweet, with the typical silky feel of an unfiltered sake. Personal favorite? Rihaku's Wandering Poet - which I have not seen around in the usual places for awhile.
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Saionji Shonagon
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Post by Saionji Shonagon on Apr 18, 2008 17:47:09 GMT -5
I don't claim to be a sake expert, but I did like this one! Expert, shmexpert. Ultimately it comes down to what you like. I'm no expert either.
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Post by Noriko on Apr 18, 2008 18:32:37 GMT -5
I've only tried three types of sake. I like the bubbly 'Zipang' best. The eight dollar Gekkaikan stuff in my fridge isn't bad either since it's pretty mild but it works best as a cooking sake, which is where it shines (you wouldn't want to use the good stuff for cooking anyway).
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Saionji Shonagon
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Post by Saionji Shonagon on Apr 18, 2008 22:35:50 GMT -5
Found the list and these were all written down as worth buying again. Shirakabe. Kamotsuru. Namakakoi Junmai.
And I didn't write down the name of the pink sparkly, girly stuff, but I know I could find it again at 99 Ranch if I look.
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Lash
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Post by Lash on Apr 19, 2008 0:51:58 GMT -5
This is a web site I have been exploring and ordering from for a while , pretty informative. www.sake.nu/this is good also . Yagyu-san (roninpenguine) also gave me a bottle at estrella 08 that was really good ! but someone snagged the bottle !!!! So i dont know what it was!
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Post by dianet on Apr 19, 2008 2:03:59 GMT -5
When I was in Tennesee.. at a Thor's Mountain Event. I got handed a very good bottle of sweet Sake.. The lable read Haiku. Nummy Yummy. The taste wasn't overbearing, but you could taste the distinct sweet flavor along with the sake.
BTW, I kept the bottle because it was a nifty looking green. I'm going to re-use it for when I brew my own. ;D
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Saionji Shonagon
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Post by Saionji Shonagon on Apr 19, 2008 10:44:49 GMT -5
this is good also . I've had that and it was pretty good as I recall - but it MUST be ritually drunk by passing a single Hello Kitty juice glass between guests while all of you are standing around a barbecue. (That's always how Tanaka served it....)
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Post by Ujimoto on Apr 19, 2008 14:41:32 GMT -5
Hojun Zuiyo Junmai is my personal favorite: Comes in a nice black bag with the Chinese characters in gold on said bag. I like my sake like my wine... on the dry side. The best place for sake in Albuquerque is Talin World Market. They have a huge selection of sake and fortunately (for me).... they label all their sake with nice tags that describe the sake and give a rating of how sweet or dry it is. I also like the fact they keep the domestic sake in the wine section, but they keep the imported sake with the Japanese foodstuffs. Now, I have not purchased a domestic sake I enjoy. I can't find one I like. Any suggestions? I believe there was some Shochikubai at the sake tasting that I enjoyed. Shochikubai is domestic right? Ujimoto
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Saionji Shonagon
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Post by Saionji Shonagon on Apr 19, 2008 15:00:38 GMT -5
Any suggestions? I believe there was some Shochikubai at the sake tasting that I enjoyed. Shochikubai is domestic right? If you consider Berkeley, California domestic, yes. I really should visit the tasting room some weekend and further my education. I had a bottle of the Sho Chiku Bai Nigori Silky at the Estrella tasting. I think the Katayamas had some SCB classic with them as well. Their nigori "Creme de sake" is not as sweet as the silky. I've also had their organic Nama and thought it was quite drinkable. The Sierra Cold seemed flat and tasteless to me. You can find SCB Classic at Safeway here in California, it's so ubiquitous. www.takarasake.com/ The Naga Saki in the blue fish shaped bottle that Lash-dono posted is also brewed in the US, I think. Momokawa USA produces Momokawa and Moonstone lines of sake, mentioned previously in this thread. www.sakeone.com/sakeone/index.jsp
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bovil
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Post by bovil on Apr 19, 2008 19:28:08 GMT -5
I just did my sake buy for Costume-Con 26 (along with giant shrimp crackers for us to eat while watching The Giant Brine Shrimp). We've got the "Evil Genius" thing going on, so... I bought a big bottle of the aforementioned Oni Karakuchi brewed by Toraya Shuzo in Sagae Yamagata. I bought a bottle of Junshinmuku ("Naive Innocence," yes?) brewed by Heiwa Shuzou in Wakayama. I bought a bottle of Tenmei Daiginjo brewed by Akebono Shuzou in Fukushima. Mostly because of the gorgeous label. Reviews to follow next weekend.
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Saionji Shonagon
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Post by Saionji Shonagon on Apr 28, 2008 22:08:23 GMT -5
Add to the list a marvelous premium sake: Jinyu 100 poems (junmai ginjo). I'm not just saying that because it comes in a pretty red box with a picture of Ono no Komachi on the box either. I think it may have supplanted Rihaku Wandering Poet as my favorite.
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