The Art of the Sake Cup  by Hiroshi Kawabata (6/2002)

Although we need a cup to drink sake, we usually do not have much interest in sake cups.  For example, the shape of wine glasses are often selected by the type of wine served.  Some sakes seem to take on different flavors as you change the cup. This is because the shape of a cup changes the way sake flows into the mouth.  Moreover, visual images influence how we taste.  How about trying different cups the next time you drink at home or with your friends at a party?  In this issue, we'll talk about the differences between various types of sake cups.

The size of cup you choose should be determined by the way you intend to drink sake.  If you plan to enjoy various types of sake at once, or plan to drink with many other people at a party, a small cup (less than 2 oz.) would suit best.  Conversely, when you drink only one type of sake with many other people, a bigger cup (about 6 oz.) would be a better match.  Bigger cups do not require frequent refills, and thus makes it easier to track down the amount of consumption!

The shape of a cup changes the way sake flows into the mouth when we drink it.  Thus, we can discover subtle differences in flavor. The factors that effect flowing are angle, thickness, and lip shape of the cup.

Angle: A cup with a steep angle, such as o-choko (traditional small sake cup) or a cocktail glass, makes sake flow well even if you just lightly tilt the cup. Thus, sake flows quickly onto your tongue and hits the inside of your mouth, stimulating areas of the mouth where we experience taste.  If you use this kind of cup, your sake will taste more bitter.  A cup with no angle, such as guinomi or large sized cup, needs to be tilted a lot.  Thus, sake flows slowly from the tip of tongue then spreads into the whole mouth.  The place which can sense  sweetness is on the tip of tongue.  Therefore, you taste sake sweeter if you use this kind of cup.

Thickness: If you use a cup with thick walls, sake hits the roof of the mouth, drops to the tongue, then slowly rolls in the mouth.  As with cups with no angle, a thick cup stops alcohol from going deep inside the mouth.  Thus, you don't sense much of the harshness of sake.  On the other hand, if you use a thinner-walled cup, sake flows on the tongue deeply into the mouth.  Like a cup with a steep angle, this kind of cup lets you taste more bitterness.  Use the thick cup if you like a sweet flavor, and select the thin cup if you like a bitter taste.

Cup Lip: If a cup has a wide lip, sake spreads from one side of the mouth to the other.  There are spots that sense intense sourness on both sides of the tongue, and this gives sake an undesirable quality.  In addition, because this type of cup conveys a lot of sake into the mouth at once, it makes the sake taste denser.  On the contrary, if a cup has a small lip, sake flows linearly onto the center of the tongue.  Thus, you experience less sourness.  The less sake in the mouth, the lighter it tastes.

Applying these characteristics, you can select a cup with a wide lip if you like a strong taste of sake, and a cup with small lip if you like a lighter taste.

There are various components to the aroma of sake, varying according to the type of cup used. Basically, the smaller the cup’s lip is, the less the quality of sake is altered. Thus a small lip is best if you want to take pleasure in the aroma. However, a cup with a small or tapered-off lip is hard to drink from.  So, if you don't mind enjoying a light aroma, it is better to select a wide-lipped cup so that you can drink easily.

Even though it does not influence the flow or aroma of sake, the image which the cup presents also affects taste.  Texture, color, and transparency are some of the characteristics involved.

Texture (smoothness, roughness): A cup with a smooth finish gives an impression of sophistication, while a sandy finish gives an impression of roughness.  Sake can be selected with these images in mind.  In short, a sophisticated sake like Ginjyo (quality sake from the finest rice) would match with a smoothly-textured cup, whereas an aggressive sake like Junmai-shu (pure rice malt sake) goes well with a roughly-textured cup.

Color and Transparency: Color and transparency are not directly related with a given flavor.  However, it is better to select a dark-colored cup for hojun-shu (rich sake) and light-colored cup for tanrei-shu (light sake).  Glassware, which evokes a refreshed feeling, is suitable for cold sake.

It is fun to collect your own sake cup sets.  You certainly expand your love of sake and even of your life.  If you would like to find out more about finding your ideal sake cup,  check out the store "Utsuwa no Yakata (The Art of Tableware)" at www.utsuwa.com . You might be able to find just the one.  See you next issue.