SPOT3

This is the Milling room.

The machine in the center of the room is the milling machine. To make delicious sake, this machine removes the outer layer of the rice grain, leaving only the core of the rice.

When choosing which sake to drink, some sake enthusiasts look to see what the ‘rice polishing ratio’ says on the bottle. Have you ever heard the phrase “rice-polishing ratio” before?

The ‘rice polishing ratio’ is used to identify how much the rice has been milled using a milling machine such as this one. If the sake’s ‘rice polishing ratio’ is 40%, that means 60% of the rice has been milled away and only 40% of the rice core is used to brew the sake.

Even using this machine, to successfully mill 1.2 tons of rice it takes 50 hours. That’s more than 2 full days!

Now, you may be thinking what happens to the outer layer of the rice? To avoid waste, it’s typically re-used to make rice crackers, pickles, and even food for animals.

Next, we will cover the Steaming vat room where the rice is steamed.