Habu Sake/Awamori

[ChanceSchmerr]

Anyone else try it?

Picked up a couple bottles of Habu Sake from Okinawa when my ship stopped in last year...and also a small selection of aged Awamori. Has anyone else tried this stuff or even heard of it?

I'm not a fan of Sake much myself, find it too bland, but Awamori was a revelation - smoother, yet with a deeper punch. The Habu Sake was a little sweeter, the spices and honey really came out in the aftertaste.

More to the point - has anyone who HAS tried it, tried it paired with a CC? I think I might have to try a pairing soon!

[coopesc2000]

Not a big sake fan. Smells too much like rubbing alcohol.

[yossie]

Awamori is not a kind of Sake. Awamori is a distiled alcohol but Sake is not. Yet We Japanese frankly call alcohol drink as Sake. in the point, Beer is Sake as well :-

[ChanceSchmerr]

It's true, Awamori is distilled, and so is different than Sake. Also, Awamori is exclusively made in Okinawa. What they call "Habu Sake" is actually Awamori, with addition of a Habu snake and additional herbs and spices. It's an American euphemism, stemming likely from the large number of American servicemen posted to bases on Okinawa to this day.

And it tastes awesome!

[thechenman]

I am a big fan of sake and have tried all kinds...however, my impression is that they would not make a great companion to a cigar. At least not the cigars that I prefer. My impression would be that the flavors of the cigar would totally overpower the subtle flavors in the sake.

[ChanceSchmerr]

My impression would be that the flavors of the cigar would totally overpower the subtle flavors in the sake.

That does make sense. Maybe a mild cigar, like a ERDM Choix Supreme?

[thechenman]

That does make sense. Maybe a mild cigar, like a ERDM Choix Supreme?

I agree. With sake...the milder the cigar the better. To be honest, I might even go with a DR. While Cuban cigars are lighter than many NCs, I find they are still more powerful than most DRs. Maybe even a Jamaican cigar. Those are really light.