Hanami (sakura viewing) season is upon us, as fruit blossoms are exploding worldwide, if not already. We are celebrating our release of the long-awaited Umami Mart Bitters by Miracle Mile and have been tinkering with it night and day to create a perfect cocktail for the season....
Co-founder Troy Nakamatsu (left) in the production room I am a proud ABJ (American Born Japanese). So when I see a new ABS (American Born Sake) on the market, I'm rooting for them. In the eyes of others, ABS' might be hard...
L to R: Troy Nakamatsu and Russell Wolfe of Sawtelle Sake, James Jin of Nova Brewing Co., Brandon Doughan of Brooklyn Kura Sake Gumi is our monthly sake subscription service with 250 members throughout the country. Join today! I am a...
Co-Founder Emiko Tanabe holding up the peace sign and James Jin (in the mask) with their team. I am a proud ABJ (American Born Japanese). So when I see a new ABS (American Born Sake) on the market, I'm rooting for them. In...
Welcome to the first edition of Female Frontrunners for Shochu Gumi! This is a theme that is dear to us at Umami Mart, as a women-led company: Yoko has been featuring women for the last six years of Sake Gumi, to coincide with Girl’s Day in Japan and...
Welcome to the first edition of Female Frontrunners for Shochu Gumi! This is a theme that is dear to us at Umami Mart, as a women-led company: Yoko has been featuring women for the last six years of Sake Gumi, to coincide with Girl’s Day in Japan...
The team at Tsurunoe Shuzo with Yuri Hayashi (bottom right). This month, we introduce three queen bees of the sake world for Female Frontrunners month: Yuri Hayashi of Aizu Chujo, Saori Kobari of Daitengu Sake Brewery, and Akiko Hakuto of Hakuto Brewery. Their sakes are...
This month, we introduce three queen bees of the sake world for Female Frontrunners month: Yuri Hayashi of Aizu Chujo, Saori Kobari of Daitengu, and Akiko Hakuto of Hakuto Brewery. Their sakes are part of the selection for Sake Gumi this month...
This month, we introduce three queen bees of the sake world for Female Frontrunners month: Yuri Hayashi of Aizu Chujo, Saori Kobari of Daitengu, and Akiko Hakuto of Hakuto Brewery. Their sakes are part of the selection for Sake Gumi this month and...
Brandon Doughan and Brian Polen, co-founders of Brooklyn Kura. I am a proud ABJ (American Born Japanese). So when I see a new ABS (American Born Sake) on the market, I'm rooting for them. In the eyes of others, ABS' might be hard to categorize, are marginalized,...
We had such a wonderful event with our friends of Daytrip in Oakland for our Sake Gumi members. In conjunction with our sakes from last month's theme Kayoko's Hometown Pairings: Saitama Sakes + Oakland Eats, we partnered with Daytrip to pair the Gumi selections with their dishes. It...
On my first night in Kagoshima, back in 2017, I tried niku miso. Served alongside a few cucumber spears, like morokyu (cucumbers with miso), it's a miso dip that is mixed with ground pork. It's savory and sweet and really hits the spot with a glass of shochu. ...
Sake Gumi is our monthly sake subscription service with 250 members throughout the country. Join today! As a beekeeper, I think about female-led organizations often. In particular, I find inspiration in the queen bees of my hives, leading their workers into the seasons. Although she is...
Shochu Gumi is our monthly sake subscription service with 70 members throughout the country. Join today! Welcome to the first edition of Female Frontrunners for Shochu Gumi! This is a theme that is dear to us at Umami Mart, as a women-led company: Yoko has been...
Sake Gumi is our monthly sake subscription service with 250 members throughout the country. Join today! As we celebrate 10 years of Umami Mart, I want to reflect on the notion of 実家 (jikka, or hometown) and pair sakes from my own hometown, with dishes from our...
We got a phone call around December 20th that my brother Kei aka Casa de Kei, would be driving up from LA around Christmas. So we sprung at the chance of hosting him on Xmas Eve for a raw bar popup, accompanied by Martinis made by our...
Sake Gumi is our monthly sake subscription service with 250 members throughout the country. Join today! Organic, biodynamic, slow, and natural – these are buzzwords that are often used when talking about farming or wine. But how do we talk about these methods in sake-making? I've always...
And here we are, the end of 2021, a year that we can now accurately call purgatory. If you've read Dante, you'll know that hell can be much more jubilant and inspired. But we made the most of it, in our little corner of Oakland, and we're happy to...
This post is in conjunction with the Sake Gumi December 2021 theme Winter Food Traditions. Sake Gumi is Umami Mart's monthly club celebrating Japan's brewed beverage! Join today to try all three recipes with our club offerings. Although we can not visit Japan again this year...
This post is in conjunction with the Sake Gumi December 2021 theme Winter Food Traditions. Sake Gumi is Umami Mart's monthly club celebrating Japan's brewed beverage! Join today to try all three recipes with our club offerings. Although we can not visit Japan again this year...
