Sake is drunk both chilled and warmed. Warmed sake is called “kanzake (燗酒)”, and chilled sake is called “reishu (冷酒)”. Sake has a name for each temperature.
Names for each temperature
| Name | Approximate temperature |
|---|---|
| Yuki-bie (雪冷え) | 5°C |
| Hana-bie (花冷え) | 10°C |
| Suzu-bie (涼冷え) | 15°C |
| Jo-on (常温) / hiya (冷や) | 20°C |
| Hinata-kan (日向燗) | 30°C |
| Hitohada-kan (人肌燗) | 35°C |
| Nuru-kan (ぬる燗) | 40°C |
| Jo-kan (上燗) | 45°C |
| Atsukan (熱燗) | 50°C |
| Tobikiri-kan (飛びきり燗) | 55°C |
“Hiya” does not mean chilled sake
“Hiya (冷や)” refers to sake at room temperature. Chilled sake is “reishu (冷酒)”. When you want chilled sake, ask for “reishu”.
How to warm sake
Heat water in a pan until it is just about to boil, then turn off the heat. Put sake into a tokkuri (徳利) or other sake vessel, place the vessel in the hot water up to its neck, and warm it for about 1 minute. This is called yusen (湯煎, warming in a hot-water bath). To warm sake in a microwave oven, heat it for about 45 seconds to 1 minute, then stir it so that the temperature is even. For sake vessels, see the Sake vessels page.