ALEXCIOUS

Bring your favorite Sake to life!

The Japanese have long felt that the enjoyment of food and drink also requires a ‘feast’ for the eyes. The graceful forms of the KABURAKI SAKAZUKI (Sake cup) range has been developed specifically to draw out the beverages's vast array of complex, delicate flavors and fragrances, while traditional Arita-yaki, Kiyomizu-yaki and Kutani-yaki patterns perfect the task. Suitable for all types of Sake, including warm, the petal-like flared rim of the versatile Takahai draws Sake to the front of the tongue to perceive the flavor. It then delivers it across the palate bringing out the beverage’s refreshing acidity without a sense of heaviness. The addition of the stem to what is essentially a Shuhai enhances the beauty of the hand-painted designs while making the Takahai easy to hold.

Arita-yaki (aka Imari-yaki) Porcelain

Originating in the town of Arita in northwestern Kyushu, Arita-yaki was Japan’s very first porcelain. Kaolin was first discovered by Korean potters there in 1616 and has continued to be fired in the area ever since. Together with their Japanese counterparts, these Korean potters began creating porcelain with a unique Japanese beauty that is today world-renowned. Arita-yaki is characterized by colorful yet delicate designs on translucent, hard white porcelain. Savor the mellowness of junmai and yamahai/kimoto Sake with one of these gorgeous pieces of Japanese heritage.

Sake

While some kinds of Sake have almost no perceptible aroma, others have a very prominent fragrance approaching wine in style. Embedded in this aromatic package can be all kinds of fruit fragrances, flowers, rice-like elements, and anything in between. Some are gentle and only present for a few seconds, while others can be strong and have the staying power of a few days. Though neither end of the spectrum is inherently better than the other, more often than not, a particular Sake’s fragrance is a function of the style of its region of production, and closely tied to local water and rice. The results are no accident; they are precisely as the Toji (Head Brewer) envisaged.

Sake Types:

Polishing the rice to the fullest possible extent and fermenting it slowly at low temperature produces superbly refined, flavorful Sake. It gives off a gorgeous fruity aroma while exhibiting no bitterness.

Made exclusively from rice and water without the addition of extra alcohol, (which would serve to dilute its flavor), Junmai has a full, soft flavor.

The Yamahai techniques improve Kimoto, which is the traditional way of making Sake. However, very few Sake makers are able to produce excellent Kimoto and Yamahai Sake due to the necessary specialized manufacturing techniques, which are both time-consuming and labor intensive. The microbes produced during the brewing process give an appealing well-rounded flavor to the beverage.