Brrrrrrrr! Many people ask how can I sell cold sake during the coldest months? The answer is easy - it's always warm in your mouth! So if you have a mouth then cold sake during the winter months makes sense. And if don't have a mouth, would you please run for Congress.

In this issue:

• Warm Sake - Cold Nights
• Sex & Sake - Valentine's Night!
• New Store Arrivals
• Special Events
• "Ask Beau"
• The SECRET WORD

As many of you know True Sake carries a majority of sakes that do well chilled, a.k.a cold sake. It's not that we frown on hot sake; rather we find most consumers prefer cold sake once they have tried it. Part of the reason for their immediate love for chilled sake is that these sakes tend to be premium versus the lower quality sakes that most restaurants and bars use for their hot "house" sake. This begs the question - are there better sakes for warming? And this doubly begs the answer - ABSOLUTELY! Certain sakes perform better at different temperatures. The trick is to find a sake's "sweet spot" as per temperature.

I was once at an "izakaya" (a sake-focused restaurant) that specialized in all things octopus, including live octopus sashimi, in Osaka with John Gauntner. A customer who recognized John ordered us his favorite sake as gift. As soon as we finished said gift another round came and we sheepishly said please no more thank you. But the fellow sake lover said "no please taste, it is still the same sake at a different temperature!" Suffice it to say the same sake came to us in four waves of four different temperatures. Both John and I have done lots of homework on finding a sake's sweet spot in terms of its peak-flavor temperature, and quite often we ask the brewers themselves. On many back labels in Japan there will be a temperature chart with five little images that represent a sake on the rocks, chilled sake, room temperature sake, warmed sake, and hot sake. And there will be a little circle placed by the brewers over the temperature image that they feel suits that sake the best. In the US, many of these labels have been covered over by our FDA warning stickers about pregnant women and heavy machinery (and pregnant women operating heavy machinery).

The point being is that inside each bottle of sake there are so many potentially different flavors, and all one has to do is to try them all! So when the weather is cold try heating things up. Upon your next visit to your local sushi shack ask for your favorite chilled sake to be slightly warmed up to "Nuru-kan"! If you like dryer sakes ask them to warm it up to "Kan", which is the temperature between slightly warmed and hot. And if you must have it piping hot then ask the chef which junmai on their list would warm up to "Atsu-kan" the best! If they offer the regular house hot sake thinking that you do not know the difference then perhaps it's time for a new sushi destination.

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Okay okay I will keep it semi clean here, but sex and sake have a lot in common. They both are great fun, and when used properly together watch out! This Valentine's Day represents a "night" that may just need a little sake to make things perfect. Why? Well some older Japanese men have a real belief that nigori or unfiltered sake is an aphrodisiac. I was told countless tales of older gentlemen in the Kyoto area who "used" a certain nigori sake from Tsukinokatsura brewery as a ummmm errrrrr an "equipment enhancer." The owner of the brewery who has an amazing smile to begin with always beams when he tells of getting phone calls from 80 year-old men early "the next morning." And yes we sell this nigori at True Sake!

In the creative department there is a great way for you and your partner to share sake sans clothes. If you are at all sensitive to adult matters of this nature I recommend scrolling down to the next paragraph. Remember folks it is my sworn duty to "enlighten" you to all things sake. And I mean all things! So in this vein picture a naked woman in a chair. Picture her sitting up straight a.k.a erect with her legs bent and so tightly closed that her knees are firmly pressing upon each other. Now with her head tilted back picture her pouring sake from a glass down her throat. No not on the inside; rather down her flesh through her cleavage passing her femininity and sliding through the crevasse of her firmly pressed legs to her touching knees where her lover's mouth is opened wide to enjoy this "lover's sake."

Okay and we now resume with our regularly scheduled programming. Of course one should never drink booze whilst hot tubbing, but in case one is living life too close to the edge sake and hot tubs go together like Michael Jackson and lawyers. And of course V-day represents the number one "tubbin'" night of the year. So in this light if you dare to imbibe whilst you bubble we recommend heating your sake, as cold fluid in a hot bath sometime causes a funny tummy. It's not a rule, but think in terms of the higher the heat the dryer the sake!

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Bingo! We are now entering that time of year "spring" when fresh nama (unpasteurized) sakes are rolling out of the tanks. The first wave of these popular "seasonal" sakes have arrived from four great breweries. Each of the four sakes was made and bottled in December! Talk about the freshest Japanese sake in America. Never before in the history of US retail sake sales have consumers been able to buy nama sake that was produced a month earlier. Three of the four are Genshu "undiluted sakes" which means that they have had no watered added to dilute the alcohol percentage that is usually the case with most sakes.

• Harushika "Shiboribana" - Junmai Ginjo Nama - Nara Prefecture - SMV: +4~+5 Acidity: 1.4 $28/bottle
  
  
• Kaika "Shiboritate" - Tokubetsu Junmai Nama Genshu - Tochigi Prefecture - SMV: +1~+2 Acidity: 1.4~1.6 $28/bottle
  
  
• Komikokoro "Toukagen Shiboritate" - Tokubetsu Junmai Nama Genshu - Okayama Prefecture - SMV: -11.5 Acidity: 1.4 (Made with Peach Yeast) $28/bottle
  
  
• Koshinohomare "Shiboritate" - Junmai Nama Genshu - SMV: +5 Acidity: 1.75 $28/bottle
  
  

You can review sakes on our web site: www.truesake.com

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Hurry because the February 9th True Sake tasting is almost completely sold out. This timely event will honor V-day and the Chinese New Year in the same evening by focusing on sakes with a touch of sweetness.

The tasting is called "Hello Sweetie" and will run from 6:30-8:00 (or there about) on Wednesday February 9th at Hotel Biron, which is roughly 6 blocks from the True Sake store in Hayes Valley.

Hotel Biron is located in the alley behind the Zuni Café on Market St. @ Gough #45 Rose Street 415.703.0403

The evening will feature 6 unique sakes with a bend towards the sweet side paired with great munchies prepared by Jeff Inahara. Tickets must be ordered by phone (415.355.9555) or purchased at True Sake, 560 Hayes Street btw Laguna and Octavia.

The price is $40 per person limited to 40 seats. Tickets will NOT be available at the door, so please don't even try. We recommend that you use the tasting as a launching pad to ring in the Chinese New Year. If you enjoy nigori (unfiltered cloudy) sake this is the perfect event for you to taste some sakes that have all of the flavors found in gently sweeter unfiltered sakes.. Dry sake fans do not be intimidated, especially if you are keen about learning the realms of sake.

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Chris A. from cyberspace (no location given) asks "Do you sell Habu Sake?"

I selected this question as it has arisen several times in the "Ask Beau" question machine. Chris the answer is No! For several reasons. The first being that Habu Sake is not sake at all. Well then what is it? Habu is one of four venomous snakes found in Okinawa prefecture. The sake they refer to is actually a distilled rice beverage (Awamori) very similar to shochu. Put together and you get a "snake in the glass". Habu Sake originally came from China and the thought was that the venom of a snake had medicinal qualities. Many believe that Habu Sake is an aphrodisiac or a stamina enhancer, and perhaps with 19 special Amino Acids found in snake flesh and venom this could be true. Think of Tequila with the worm, and you have the proper image. The cheaper Habu Sake just has venom added to it, whilst the more expensive has the entire snake in the bottle. To make Habu Sake they take a snake and place it 95% alcohol to embalm it. After a month of soaking the snake is transferred into a 59% alcohol blend for 50 days, and followed by its final resting place in a 35% alcohol distilled rice fluid that is steeped in local Okinawa herbs. The ultimate goal is to have the snake in a recoiled position, mouth wide open, ready to strike. In all honesty Chris I have heard of more negative experiences than positive ones when people speak of this Okinawa treat.

Please send your sake specific questions to askbeau2 @ truesake.com. (This address is not for general questions and I only review the questions once per month. All correspondence should use info @ truesake.com.)

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Well I cannot begin to tell you how popular the "SECRET WORD" has become. In case you are new to the newsletter, the "SECRET WORD" is a code word that we select to reward those who read the True Sake Newsletter and would like to further their sake experience and intake. Typically we select two sakes and sell them to you for half price. This month we are offering just one great Junmai from Kobe - Fukunishiki - usually $18 but for you $9! One bottle per reader please. This sake is great at three temperatures so by all means heat it up this cold February. And the "SECRET WORD" is OKINAWA.

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Sincerely,

True Sake