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Sake Journal

Handbook for the Recently Sake Obsessed

Notes, obsessions, and rabbit holes from a Texan deep in the world of nihonshu. Basics, homebrewing, vocabulary, all of it.

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Illustration of a giant sake bottle reading 'In Sake We Trust' amid Texas Hill Country desert plants and a roadrunner, under a starry night sky

Sake Education

Basics of Sake Grades

Honjozo, junmai, ginjo, daiginjo. Learn the framework that makes sake labels make sense.

Illustration reading 'Deep in the Heart of Sake' with a heart-shaped o-choko cup, set against a Texas Hill Country pattern of mockingbirds, cacti, and the state outline

Sake Education

Basics of Sake Styles

Nigori, nama, koshu, genshu. The styles that show up on bottles and what they are telling you.

Illustration of steaming sake in an orange tokkuri and cups on a wooden table at night, with the text 'Some Like Sake Hot'

Sake Education

Basics of Sake Temperature

Hot, cold, and everything in between. How the same sake tastes different at every temperature.

Photo of a well-stocked liquor store shelf with the text 'Sake vs Everything'

Sake Homebrewing

Brewing Differences

Sake isn't beer, wine, or rice wine. Here is what actually happens in each tank.

Illustration of a Roman emperor statue raising a cup in a toast, with the text 'Carpe Nihonshu'

Sake Education

A Note on Romanization

Yukibie, yuki-hie, futsu-shu, futsushu. Why the same word ends up spelled so many ways.

Illustration of an assortment of sake cups, flasks, and vessels arranged in a grid, with the text 'Only Pour Choices Here'

Sake Education

Sake Vessels

O-choko, guinomi, tokkuri, masu. The vessels that shape how sake actually reaches you.

Illustration representing sake vocabulary and terminology

Sake Education

Sake Vocabulary

Every term used across the site, defined and pronounced in one place.

Illustration of an armadillo raising a cup of sake at sunrise over the Texas desert, with the text 'From Curious to Certified'

Sake Education

Sake Certifications

SEC, WSET, SSA, SSI. A tour of the sake certifications worth knowing about and who each one is for.

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