2008-11-01: Day 04: Japan Tour: Part D: Atami, Shinkansen, Shin Osaka, Osaka Castle, Kobe Nada (Sake Brewery Museum), Kobe, Mosaic Hall Harborland, Osaka
Mountains the special mineral water good quality sake rice and time-honored traditional skills bring out the full-bodied fragrance crisp taste that are characteristic a particularly suitable water for sake brewing is miyamizu miyamizu water mysteriously gushes up through an underground shell stratum unders rich in mineral salts such as potassium phosphorus and calcium
And has an extremely low iron content for saggy making this natural water is ideal in the goji malt culture adjust fermentation processes as autumn advances yamada delicate rice which is low in protein and unsurpassed in water absorption ability the center of the kernel is white and especially tender
This part is called shimpaku and allows for easy penetration of the koji mold thirty to fifty percent of the outer kernel of yamadaniski rice is polished down to remove fat and protein every winter seasonal workers from the tamba district of hyogo come to participate in the sake earning process
These proud workers are known as toji the skills and intuition they’ve acquired over the years contribute to the special taste and aroma of kikumasu let’s take a look at the actual process of how tombatoji workers make kikumasu the polished rice is washed in the tub to remove white rice bran
The rice is left to soak until it absorbs enough water and is then drained the rice is steamed in a large cedar vat called a koshiki the steaming continues for about one hour or pinching the rice cake tells whether the rice is steamed evenly for just the right aroma feel and elasticity
The steamed rice is divided into thirds one for making the koji another for making the molto sake base and the last portion for preparing for the main fermentation let’s look first at the making of koji first the steamed rice is moved to the koji room the rice is disjoined and is then
Sprinkled with moyashi a star for the koji culture the koji room is kept at a constant temperature of about 30 degrees celsius allowing the culture to propagate through the rice the rice is mixed again and scooped into stacked containers called kojibako later the containers are re-stacked and
The rice is mixed inside the containers to adjust the temperature and ensure the best condition for the culture at this point the rice turns white as the koji mold grows it takes two days of careful nurturing in this way before the goji is ready koji plays a vital role in sacrifying rice
Next let’s take a look at the motto making process the task of nurturing the yeast that catalyzes sake fermentation even today kiku masumune employs the traditional method of motto making called sodate motto which is both time consuming and laborious in the process miyamizu water is added
To the steamed rice and koji and then mixed together the mixture is then mashed with large wooden paddles a process called moto or moto the work is done in pairs who keep time to a song so that the paddles move in unison the singing is a clever method to
Synchronize breathing and measure the time of mashing the mixture is then transferred to a tank the wooden barrel filled with boiling water is used to control the temperature these mashing and heating processes to adjust the acidity and sweetness are repeated for about two weeks this is the perfect condition for yeast
Growth and bubbles begin to form the mixture is left alone for four to five days at a constant temperature of 25 degrees celsius then the alcohol content reaches 10 percent it takes approximately 20 days for the water to be ready finally we are ready for the brewing process and preparing for the main
Fermentation using moldo as a base steamed rice koji and miyamizu water are divided into three parts each and mixed in one at a time determined by how far fermentation has progressed this three-stage process is called santan and is unique to the japanese sake brewing process the rice starch changes into glucose by
The action of the koji enzymes and the glucose is fermented to alcohol by the water yeast thus rice sacrification and alcohol fermentation take place simultaneously in one tank this method unique to japanese sake making is called permanent multiple fermentation let’s see how fermentation progresses first bubbles rise to the surface
About two weeks later the bubbles shrink in size the alcohol content measures the highest around this time jumping to 19 finally the bubbles become large globular masses and then shrink this is the end of fermentation about 20 days after the first blending the still unrefined selfie is squeezed
By the compressor to obtain the first sake original sake is finally born however the sake making process does not end there maintaining kikumasu reputation for delicate color fragrance taste and complex composition veteran sake experts taste the sake and conduct strict quality control only the highest quality sake that
Passes these checks goes on sale as kiku the finest ingredients for sake brewing yamada nishki rice and the mysterious vietnamese water transformed in the skilled hans of tampa doji this uniquely japanese time-honored process of making sake continues to bring you a premium dry sake