Honjozo of "Tama-Savoury" from Suhara (formerly Morimon-mura), Uonuma City, Niigata Prefecture.
By the way, "Morimon" is read as "Sumon".
As is typical of Uonuma sake, it can be served cold or hot, and has a deep flavor.
The following is the product description of Tama Flavor Honjozo from the brewery's website.
Good flavor. Good character. Good appearance.
This is the representative brand of Tamagawa Sake Brewery, which has been brewing sake since 1673. This delicious honjozo sake has been brewed in pursuit of a perfect match with the cuisine of Uonuma, a region with deep snow. It is recommended by local drinkers for its unchanged taste that has been handed down from the company's founding.
One of my classmates from high school is a sake lover from Morimon Village who is definitely in the "local drinker" category, and today I asked him about the best temperature range to drink Tama Flavor Honjozo,
He replied that it can be served at any temperature, but it should be served lukewarm.
It is exquisite👍.
A 50% polished Junmai Daiginjo, Meguro Gorosuke, from Tama Flavor in Uonuma City (formerly Morimon Village), Niigata Prefecture.
As is typical of Uonuma sake, it is a ginjo-shu that is not overly aromatic.
I remember drinking it once at Tatsuya, a yakiton (grilled pork dumpling) restaurant in Numabukuro on the Seibu Shinjuku Line.
Uonuma Tama Flavor Honjozo
A clear, dry sake with a nice alcohole flavor, just like a cup of Niigata sake 🍶.
At a standing bar in front of a station in Niigata Prefecture: ☺️
It's the key, apparently.
It has a mellow aroma with a sense of vinegar, and a rich flavor that combines the full-bodied sweetness of low-alcoholic sake with the refreshing acidity of white malted rice. It reminds me of Akishika's sake mother sake, and in Gunma, it is close to Tsuchida F. This is my favorite type. I drank it chilled, but I am also interested in heating it up.
Comparison of Honjozo cups,
This is Tamagawa Shuzo, also from Uonuma, Tamafuumi.
A representative brand with a history of 350 years
The color is a very light yellow, almost transparent,
The aroma is a light alcohol,
Slightly smooth and silky on the palate, with a rounded sweetness and
Rounded sweetness and a firm acidity,
There is not much astringency or bitterness.
It is light and flows smoothly.
It is light and flows smoothly, with a beautifully light and delicious taste,
It is low in alcohol, but it has a strong umami flavor that makes it very drinkable,
It is delicious.
When you draw a ball, it is a circle. A circle is a connection. We want to become a sake that is loved and drunk at the center of a gathering of people who have a connection with each other," said Executive Director Kazama.
=== Sake
Ingredients: rice (domestic), rice malt (domestic), brewers' alcohol
Rice: Gohyakumangoku, Koshibuki
Rice polishing ratio: 60
Alcohol content: 14
Sake degree: +2.0
Acidity: 1.2
350 yen per 180ml
===Sake bottle
★★★★☆☆☆
We compared three different types of sake from the family brewery of the owner of the Niigata cuisine restaurant.
The most reasonably priced honjozo was quite tasty.
Mildly acidic when served hiya, mildly mellow and mild when heated, classic light to medium-bodied flavor with few peculiarities.
Easy to drink, mellow and umakuchi-like flavor that is easy to enjoy with any accompaniment.
It tastes better when heated, and is not to be underestimated as a Niigata cup sake.