Sunflower Sake

May! 😍 MAY IS SUMO MONTH! This is the month we take sumo very seriously. Look forward to complimentary kakinotane from 5:30-6:30, sumo from 5:30-6:30 (current highlight followed by the previous day), a sumo-themed flight on the 13th, if it's gloomy out-- perhaps even chankonabe. @coffee_ma_pdx this weekend, Sun + Mon mornings, as well as the last weekend of the month (31st + 1st of June) Next Weds, Hiroshima flight: taste 4 for $20, take home 2 bottles it's free~ Weds 13th, Sumo flight: taste 4 for $20, take home 2 bottles it's free~ Weds 27th, Portal to the Past flight: taste 4 for $20, take home 2 bottles it's free~ Finally, seasonal club pickup on Saturday the 16th (as long as it all arrives in time!) Now's a good time to sign up, if you've been thinking about it ❤️

Another seasonal release to be truly proud of. Vibes ranging from aperol, to white pepper and lemon verbena, to soft and plush cantaloupe, to kiwi-banana pudding & fine herbs. Two fully wild-fermented sakes from @hanatomoe_official & @morikishuzo + ultra-rare (in the US, anyway!) releases from @kazenomori1719 & @kirinzan ❤️ We are regrettably VERY short on supply this season, with no extras to sell-- a BIG thank you to all the new folks who signed up in the last quarter. Club release started yesterday and tomorrow is our big pickup day! Seasonal club is the culmination of dozens of hours of work: coordinating and preordering, painting (@sunflowersakeart ), researching, writing, and of course launch logistics! But it's worth the effort every time and we truly look forward to this special project every season. As always, a hearty thank you to @litenaubergine who handles ALL of the back end and without whom, we could never have grown past 20 members 😂 While we're sold out of Spring, there's still plenty of time to sign up for Summer, which drops in August 🌻

Special flight tonight! A set of 4 for $20 (+ bonus for $5) to match the basho. Sumo will be on the wall to enjoy with complimentary kakinotane while you sip selections from wrestlers' home prefectures. From 4-7PM or sold out~ YOSHINOFUJI: Fresh, crisp and lovely Kohro Mebuki (Kumamoto) FUJINOKAWA: Sturdy, aged, salty and earthy Tamagawa (Kyoto) FUJIRYOGA: [New vintage!] Richly flavorful, soft yet muscular Chochin (Aichi) HAKUNOFUJI: Mysterious and clean Chiyomusubi (Tottori) WAKANOSHO: Soft, aromatic and charming Houou Biden (Tochigi) Sumo on the wall tomorrow, Friday and Sunday at 5:30 as well (but not on Saturday). Escape this gloom with a little something lovely. See you soon!

Our annual sake class is coming up in about a month. Like Sunflower Sake itself, Sun101/201 is an out-of-the-ordinary intro course: nuanced, touching on outliers and fringe trends, placing sake within a broader context of history, production, regionality and flaws. Sun201 is offered on a Monday-Tuesday to accommodate our professional hospitality community and unlike Sun101, includes segments on sake program management and sourcing, primarily for the Oregon buyer. This segment is offered is at the end of day 1, so that non-professionals can opt out if they prefer. The course cements its lessons with a private, 45 minute 1:1 session scheduled with each student followed by a group review, to which past alumni are invited. The focus of Sun201 isn't teaching from a textbook, it's providing you with a framework in which to understand and contextualize sake, to "place" new taste memories in the future, and simplified language for relating sake to others. We reinforce lessons with review rather than exams. Perhaps most important, you're learning from an expert with a rich wine and sake background who works in the industry every day, has visited over 40 breweries, and knows precisely what sake samples are best to illustrate concepts at any moment. The quality of a course is always a function of the quality of the teacher. Why choose Sun201, when global course providers are more well known? By keeping our course design in-house, we save you money while at the same time teaching even more content. In comparison, many other introductory courses are short and very topical: WSET 1 Sake, ~$350, 4 hours lecture; Certified Sake Advisor, $475, 4 hours lecture; Introductory Sake Professional (online), $350, 4 hours lecture. Sun201 can't go too deep of course, but over 11 hours and with my usual academic energy, there's a whole lot we can cover! This course is offered at Sunflower Sake in SE Portland on Monday, June 8, Tuesday June 9 (half day), + group review on Monday, July 6. More details at the link in bio; 6 spots are currently available.

This Wednesday, May 6 from 4-7PM we have a little combo breaker from our history series: Hiroshima sake! Featuring 5 very distinct styles from this special brewing region (and a wonderful place to visit, too). 🐳 $20 to taste 4 or $25 to taste 5~ Base tasting is free if you buy 2 x 720ml bottles. See you Wednesday 🌻🌻🌻

Wishing you a lovely beach day 🏖

If you’ve never explored the website, it’s a good time to do so! 😊 seven articles added from the monthly club archives, spanning Kokonoe Saika & sushi to natsuzake, Molly’s chutney, and the Reiwa Rice Crisis in comic form. 📚

Terada Honke: easily one of my earliest sake loves, a brand that I've carried from the beginning of the Sunflower popup all the way through to present... at any given time we have at least one product, right now we have 3. I was so happy to see Terada Honke profiled by the New York Times a few days ago-- this is the side of sake that I think captivates and moves people. Brewing rooted in history, wild fermentation, hard work, farming and locality. TH is the face of a bigger movement in Japan: Moriki Shuzo, Hata Shuzo, Niida Honke, Ota Shuzo, Izumibashi to name a few-- where farming, tradition, fermentation and craftsmanship intersect. TH is the most famous brand in this movement-- the team is as brilliant at marketing themselves honestly as they are at brewing-- their flavors are vivid and alive, and toji Masaru-san is bilingual, young and charismatic. For those who are curious at learning more about Terada Honke's sake, we have 3 styles in stock, but all of them quite limited. One remaining bottle (left) of Daigo no Shizuku, which we featured in last Wednesday's tasting. A very old-school, sweet-tart, unpasteurized ancient bodaimoto brew that you would probably think was cider at first glance. (9/24 bottling). We have better stock of Gonin Musume, a custom-label bottling of the flagship pasteurized junmai TH became known for (infamous for?) in the 90's. Fermenty, a little sour, funky, grain-y, like toasted rice bran and plums. I like it warm/hot but it's also good chilled. This is quintessential Terada Honke. (2025). On the right, Katori 80. This is made with less-polished table rice, only 20% of the grain removed and bottled unpasteurized and undiluted (nama genshu), so it's 19% ABV of unbridled flavor and power. It drinks luscious, malty, fermenty, but with a deep earthy cacao and soil character. Being unpasteurized, it is always evolving. (6/25). Visiting in 2024 showed me a lot about their range, their craft, and it was so enlightening to taste it fresh, as the stuff we get tends to be aged a bit. The 300+ y/o brewery is filled with character and history, and Masaru-san was a gracious host. I hope you have a chance to try some soon. ❤️

Another lil wave of spring arrivals, including a fresh vintage of 1859 and Eiko Fuji, somehow these bottle’s just taste like the essence of sunny Spring weekend. Open 1-7 Saturday, 1-6 Sunday for all your picnic sake and backyard BBQ needs. See you soon 💕💕

Starting at 4PM today and until sold out (usually late Thursday?), drop by Sunflower anytime to taste 4 ($20/free with 2 bottle purchase) or 5 ($25/ $5 with 2 bottle purchase) sake inspired by Japan 1185-1467AD, marked the rise of samurai & zen buddhist culture. Narutotai "Red Snapper" Ginjo Nama, in reference to the Battle of Dan-no-ura and naval attacks from mainland forces (Korea, China). Terada Honke "Daigo no Shizuku" Bodaimoto Nama, in reference to temple brewing, warrior monks, and the rise of Buddhism. Tensei "Song of the Sea" Junmai Ginjo, in reference to the first Eastern capital in Kamakura. Denshin "Haru" Junmai Ginjo Nama, in reference to Zen buddhism and daimyo culture. BONUS: Shinsei "Matcha Omoi" matcha liqueur in reference to the evolution of chanoyu, tea ceremony, and its adoption by the new military class. Psst-- we have a few servings of mini oden ($8) available starting this evening, to clear out some random leftover oden supplies! (potato, gobomaki, tofu, rice cakes, mochi kinchaku. 8 servings available)

Tomorrow, Weds April 22 from 4PM, we're entering the era of the SHOGUN: dynastic military rule with emperor as figurehead, which would last from 1185 to 1868, with only a brief interruption. Taste 4 sake inspired by this era for $20, or 5 for $25 if you'd like a little bonus matcha liqueur 🍵 Your base tasting of $20 is FREE with purchase of any 2 (720ml) bottles. There is quiet nostalgia in this period-- the heyday of ostentatious court shenanigans are in the rearview, and with the stoic, principled military leadership in charge the whole vibe has shifted to something more controlled, disciplined, and meditative. Zen buddhism, rock gardens, sumi-e art, chanoyu, the evolution of noh, are characteristic of this time. See you tomorrow! 🐌 [We wrap at 1467 or the onset of the Onin War, which will take us to the Sengoku Jidai-- the warring states period-- in our next Portal to the Past installment.]

Limited menu today & Tuesday 🌷 Enjoy the sun! See you soon 👋