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JASSA Member In the News: Sake for Beginners
February
21, 2010
By Jennifer McInnis - Express-News
Online Link:
Sake for Beginners
When Koji Kubo moved to San Antonio from Japan, he was a
confirmed beer drinker. But after eight years at Sushi
Zushi, he's turned into a sake expert.
Kubo moved to San Antonio about 9 1/2 years ago to work for a
company located at the Sony outlet, only to have it close
nearly a year after he relocated. Instead of returning to Japan,
Kubo started working as a server
and driver at the original Sushi
Zushi at The Colonnade at
Interstate 10 and Wurzbach Road.
“At the time, I didn't know I
would work in the food
industry,” he says.
Kubo now works in the corporate
office providing restaurant
support, doing everything from
ordering flatware and glassware
to assisting at any of the four
locations when needed. For the
past several years, he has
presented demonstrations about
Japanese culture, food and sake
at the Asian Festival that was
scheduled for Saturday at The
Institute of Texan Cultures.
Since most Texans don't know
their sake from their sangria,
Kubo explains the basics.
"Sake is made from fermented
rice, with nine varieties used
to make the Japanese beverage.
The most popular is
yamada-nishiki rice. The quality of the rice and
water is the most important
thing.”
The alcohol content ranges from
15 percent to 17 percent,
similar to some wines.
- Sake is best served chilled,
although sometimes it's served
hot. Kubo says that heating it
makes it hard to distinguish the
flavors, so he recommends using
nonpremium sake if serving it
hot.
- There are four ranks of sake.
The most popular is nigori sake.
It's sweet and unmilled, giving
it a silky, milky color. The
three premium levels of sake
make up only 20 percent of the
market. Junmai-shu is made from
rice milled 30 percent or less;
junmai ginjo-shu is made from
rice milled 40 percent or less;
and junmai daiginjo-shu is made
from rice milled 50 percent or
less.
- Sake will keep in the fridge for
two to three weeks after it has
been opened.
- Unlike wine, sake does not
ferment in the bottle, so it
will taste the same in five
years as it does now.
Kubo recommends purchasing
premium sake from one of the
three Japanese markets in San
Antonio. Sushi Zushi also
carries nearly 50 varieties of
sake at its four San Antonio
locations.
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