Eiko Fuji Junmai Ginjo Origarami

A lightly hazy, gently creamy sake with notes of rainier cherry, melon creamy soda, and ramune. It tastes a lot brighter and more acid-driven than it is, and it doesn't come across nearly as sweet as you might expect either. If a nigori were a rose, like if you closed your eyes and used your imagination and convinced yourself it was pink... that's where my mind goes with this Eiko Fuji gem: a warm-climate rose with florals and stonefruity notes, much like provence. 

Origarami is a style of nigori (cloudy) sake which is very unique. It's hazy from the fine lees (ori) left over after pressing the sake clear. Usually what happens is, when the  (porridge-like) sake mash is pressed, there are still some very fine rice particles left over in the almost-clear sake. Those fine particles are generally removed with gravity, by letting the just-pressed sake sit for 12-24 hours in cold storage, and then pulling the clean sake off the top as the particles settle to the bottom. What's left over at the bottom, softly hazy, is origarami-- and the term for that fine particulate is ori.

The result is a nigori (ish!) with a very silky, fine texture that just glazes the tongue: a style you usually only see (in very limited amounts, at local shops) in Japan during the bottling season, as each batch provides just a bit of origarami sake. It's really special!

Eiko Fuji's juicy origarami has a lovely bright acidity to it which is brightened further by its freshness and single light pasteurization, making the sake taste almost effervescent and crisp.  It's undiluted (genshu) with lots of flavor, and aromatic with stonefruit notes typical of Yamagata KA yeast. The use of Miyamanishiki to me is telling: common in Yamagata and other cool-climate areas, Miyamanishiki has a richness and velvetiness to it that might make it my favorite sake rice (at time of this writing!) Miyamanishiki is like a cozy blanket and a warm hug. So happy to share this new nigori with you!