What is a sake-tasting class?
Tokyo is home to a vibrant food and drinks culture, and sake-tasting classes are a fantastic way to experience the city's rich culinary heritage. Sake, a traditional Japanese rice wine, is a staple of the Japanese diet and has a rich history and culture behind it. If you're interested in learning more about sake and experiencing the unique flavours and aromas of different varieties, then sake-tasting classes in Tokyo are a must-do.
Sake-tasting classes in Tokyo typically take place in specialized sake shops or in breweries. These classes offer visitors the opportunity to learn about the history, production, and different types of sake while sampling various sakes. Oftentimes, the sake will be paired with different foods to understand how food can change sake. Sake classes are a great way to experience the local culture and gain a deeper understanding of the traditional Japanese drink.
This past week, we took Lisa, on a sake-tasting experience as a part of her Hello! Tokyo private tours experience.
Lisa (left) enjoying tasting sake on her sake-tasting experience in Tokyo!
To begin, we had our sake expert explain the history, and production methods of sake. Just with the introduction and story of sake, it got Lisa hyped up to try some delicious sake.
After our mini sake lesson, we were given a paper with all the sake we were about to try. We were also told to rate it on the chart to the right. Our sake expert explained to us that each person will have a different-looking chart at the end, because there is no definitive answer to how it should taste, rather every person has their own unique tasting experience, especially while pairing it with different foods.
The eight different sakes we tried came from different prefectures around Japan. Our sake expert told us that, the menu changes almost daily depending on whats good that day. That day, we were able to try sakes from Hiroshima, Yamagata, Gifu, Chiba, Gunma, and Tochigi. Our sake expert explained to us that depending on the smoothness or harshness of the sake, the food pairing will differ. A lighter, smooth sake might be paired with something heavy and vice versa.
We had ordered a full course meal with the sake, so we were served a lot of food, to pair with our sakes. There was an option to pair with no course meal, only with small food pairings, but we were glad we got the full course meal, as it gave us the full sake experience!