Kiki-choko・kiki-choku

【English】

Sake tasting cup(s)

【Japanese】

きき猪口

A cup or cups used for sake tasting (kiki-zake) : usually made of white porcelain. Standard sizes hold about 200ml when full. At the bottom are two concentric circles of a dark cobalt blue colour; this pattern is called ja-no-me (蛇の目), “snake’s eye”. The blue portion is for assessing clarity (tomei-do), and the white sections for assessing the degree of colour.

The sensory evaluation of sake quality is a most delicate process, and the kiki-choko used must be uniform in colour, shape, size, weight and quality. In cases where it is desired to make an assessment without being influenced by colour, a yellowish-brown-coloured glass (known as an amber glass) is used.