Commonly referred to as "unfiltered" sake, nigori literally means "cloudy," and refers to sake that still contains rice solids that have not fermented. The color of nigori can range from barely cloudy "usunigori" styles to rich, chewy sakes that almost require a spoon. Although some people might find the texture of nigori a tad daunting, the creaminess is completely natural. With nigori, a mesh with larger openings is used so that some of the rice solids can escape into the liquid as well. Although the sediment in nigori settles at the bottom of the bottle, a quick shake is all it takes to blend the sake back to its opaque, milky color. Nigori sakes are deliberately unrefined, so a high rice polishing rate is not what you're looking for here. Although I'm sure there are junmai daiginjo nigoris out there, it's a little purposeless to put rice through the expensive and time consuming milling process to produce a sake that is celebrated for its rustic qualities. Nigori sake taste best chilled. The creaminess also contrasts well with fatty foods and desserts!
