Particular About Shibori (Squeezing)

Three pressing methods.

Three pressing methods,

Sake is usually pressed with a machine, which has an automatic compression filter, often called as a Yabuta.

It is the most common way to pressing. Because it is faster to finish pressing and it has an advantage for preventing the oxidation as well.

Unfortunately, it is not good for Sake, includes DaiGinjo sake, because it is too strong to press without losing its delicate flavor.

 

 

DaiGinjo sake, with delicacy taste is to squeeze by the traditional method, often called as a Fune-shibori.

Bags filled with 3 litter of Moromi, sake mash, are stacked in the Fune to put the pressure and are turned sideways to pile and are pressed from top with its pressure.

Fune is suitable for a sake with delicate taste, because its pressure is not as hard as a Yabuta.

However, Fune cannot press quickly a large amount of Sake at one time and also it requires highly craftsman’s techniques to stack bags. Fune requires more time to press than that of a Yabuta, so, we have to keep an eye for preventing the oxidation.

 

The last way is often called as a Shizuku shibori.

It is not a way for commercial sake, is a way for DaiGinjo sake

Sake competition.

Pushing Sake mash into a bag, and hung it in the tank.

Approximately 30 bags can be hanged. Only the drop from the bags can be collected, falling by natural gravity.

 

In short, it is the most delicate method of pressing without using sake weight in a bag, the gravity itself.

Under this method, only the required components are extracted, it means the unnecessary tastes, such as bitter components does not come out at all.

This method is to press Sake with collecting each “drop”.

Shizuku shibori can produce the clear, delicate and wasteful taste with fully extracting the original potential of sake.