NationStates Jolt Archive

Does anybody know why sake tastes so much better warm than it does cold?

Like is there some sort of chemical reaction that happens when it's warm vs when it's cold?

Does anybody know why sake tastes so much better warm than it does cold?

Like is there some sort of chemical reaction that happens when it's warm vs when it's cold?
My guess is that it's just like beer. The taste is there, but the coldness suppresses it. That's why good beers should be drunk warm and bad ones ice cold.

My guess is that it's just like beer. The taste is there, but the coldness suppresses it. That's why good beers should be drunk warm and bad ones ice cold.
I've never really noticed much of a difference. It is more refreshing on hot days if it's cold, but there's no real taste difference.

With sake, if it's warm it tastes almost like tofu, but sweet, and when it's cold (i.e. room temp) it just tastes bad.

Does anybody know why sake tastes so much better warm than it does cold?

Like is there some sort of chemical reaction that happens when it's warm vs when it's cold?
My guess is that it's just like beer. The taste is there, but the coldness suppresses it. That's why good beers should be drunk warm and bad ones ice cold.


Actually you've both got it wrong. Myrmidonisia was close, but 180 deg. off. Bad sake is heated in order to mask the taste while good sake is served slightly chilled. Sake should never be served cold. But sake is much like wine, and some types are better with slight warming.

http://www.sake-world.com/html/hot-or-cold.html
Long Answer: Indeed, sake was traditionally served warmed. This was related to the fact that sake was, until about 30 or 40 years ago, much, much rougher, fuller, sweeter and woodier than it is now. Warming suited it much better back then.

Wooden (cedar) tanks were used for brewing for centuries, slowly being phased out in the early part of the 20th century. Also, before glass bottles, for centuries sake was then stored in wooden casks (also cedar). As such, they took on a tremendously woody flavor and aroma. While this might have been enjoyable, today's fine fragrances and subtle flavors would be bludgeoned out of existence by such wood (although you can still enjoy such sake today; it is called "taru-zake").

But in the end, one big reason sake was warmed in the old days was that it was woodier and rougher, and warming masked a lot of the less-than-refined aspects.

However, about 30 to 40 years ago, things began to change in the sake-brewing world. Brewing technology and the availability of new strains of sake rice (and the equipment to properly handle it) and new pure yeast strains led to sake with bold and lively taste and fragrance profiles. Much more delicate and fragile sake also came about, with fruit and flowery essences all of a sudden becoming part of the equation. Sake like this would be effectively neutered of the very qualities it was brewed to exude, if heated. Today, sake is brewed in stainless steel, ceramic-lined tanks, and stored in bottles. Rice milling technology is immeasurably better than it was even just 30 or 40 years ago. Most premium sake today is delicate, fragrant, and elegant. To heat such sake would be to destroy precisely the flavors and fragrances the brewer worked so hard to have you enjoy!

So: Most good sake should be enjoyed slightly chilled. How chilled? The short answer: like white wine or even a little warmer. Much sake peaks in flavor just below room temperature. The long answer: like wine and any other premium beverage, each sake will be different at even slightly different temperatures. Every sake will appeal to some people at one temperature, and other people at another temperature. What appeals to you most is the best temperature for that sake, for you, on that day.

I've never really noticed much of a difference. It is more refreshing on hot days if it's cold, but there's no real taste difference.

With sake, if it's warm it tastes almost like tofu, but sweet, and when it's cold (i.e. room temp) it just tastes bad.

That's most likely due to the fact that good sake's are not so common in North America (IIRC, you are in N. America, right?)

The sake usually served to an uninformed patron at the typical Japanese restaurant is usually of inferior quality. Check out the reccomendations at http://www.sake-world.com/html/best-sake-picks.html before you try it next time.

Well, I bought really cheap sake, which might explain how bad it was at room temp....

That's most likely due to the fact that good sake's are not so common in North America (IIRC, you are in N. America, right?)

The sake usually served to an uninformed patron at the typical Japanese restaurant is usually of inferior quality. Check out the reccomendations at http://www.sake-world.com/html/best-sake-picks.html before you try it next time.
I bought my sake at the LCBO because it was on sale and when things are on sale I'll do my experimentation. It's "Gekkeikan" and the label says it's the finest sake. I dunno, I think it's nice warm but not so much when it cools down. But then since it's nice warm, I wouldn't mind buying it again...

Warming it covers the taste? How strange.

I've never had bad sake, but I've had good sake both warm and cold many times. Cold sake tastes much less flavorful to me.

Never tried Sake. Eat enough rice already, let alone drinking it.

I also have never tried sake but i have rice maybe 2 times per week.

Warming it covers the taste? How strange.

I've never had bad sake, but I've had good sake both warm and cold many times. Cold sake tastes much less flavorful to me.

In most foodstuffs, warmth increases or enhances the aroma and flavor. Cheese is best served at room temperature, as is red wine.

In the case of good sake and white wine, the flavor is crisper and better when cold. Poor quality sake needs the warmth so that the increased aroma masks how bad the sake is. The comforting warmth also creates a nice mouthfeel, which also helps mask the poor sake taste.

So warming good sake is a waste, because you don't want to mask the flavor you paid for. Warming cheap sake is a good way to make it more palatable.

And, of course, shaken, not stirred.

I bought my sake at the LCBO because it was on sale and when things are on sale I'll do my experimentation. It's "Gekkeikan" and the label says it's the finest sake. I dunno, I think it's nice warm but not so much when it cools down. But then since it's nice warm, I wouldn't mind buying it again...

Well, Gekkeikan is usually an OK brand - not a good one, but not a bad one. It really depends on the particular type. On the otherhand, Gekkeikan is the largest brewer of sake (AFAIK), and in my opinion is rather like table plonk wine. However I was spoiled by learning about sake while living in Niigata, the
Japanese equivilant of the Champagne region.

However, the implication in your post is that you're drinking it "cool" after having heated it. If so, it's no wonder it tastes bad! Try it slightly cooled, without having been heated.

But if you like Gekkeikan served heated, don't let me stop you. I'd reccomend you go through "John's Picks" at the link I posted above and try some you like served at room temp or slightly chilled.

Out of his picks, I like Koshi no Kanbai and Koshi no Homare. But they might be difficult to find...