You’ve probably noticed the cool sake cups, carafes, and service vessels that adorn the sake experience. As the sake journey deepens, more types and styles reveal themselves. This guide is designed to help you find your new favorite cup.
The first part of this article will teach you about the most important traditional sake cups and flasks. I also cover modern sake glass alternatives.
The second section is all about the design of cups and glasses. The shape, size, and material of a sake vessel affect the aroma, flavor, and ideal serving temperature. By the end, you’ll know what type of cup is right for you.
I’ve also curated a list of some of the best sake cups and glasses available from my affiliate advertisers. I may earn commissions on qualifying purchases through these links.
Traditional Sake Cups and Carafes
Sake, or seishu, has a long and evolving history in Japan and is deeply rooted in its culture. A bunch of cups and glasses evolved along with it.
Different drinking experiences have resulted in a variety of cup designs.
Some styles are for ceremonial use. Other types of glasses are ideal for hot or cold sake. Finally, professional tasters and brewers have developed glassware to maximize aroma and flavor.
Below are the most common types of traditional cups and glasses that you’ll find in izakayas, sake bars, shops, and online.
The Ochoko: the Most Popular Sake Cup
The ubiquitous ochoko (猪口, ちょこ) is the most common sake cup type. They are generally smaller cups, while larger examples are considered guinomi. The average volume of an ochoko is around 1.5 oz (45 mL), though some are smaller.
Ochoko have a traditional feel and aesthetic that most sake fans appreciate. They’re just great all-around sake cups.
They also make a great choice of sake glassware for izakaya, sushi restaurants, or Japanese bars due to a tendency to be durable, affordable, and heat-tolerant.
Learn more about choko with this in-depth guide.
How to Say Ochoko
(oh choh koh) –Types of Ochoko
Porcelain and stoneware are the two most common materials used to make ochoko. Glass, wood, and metal designs are also made but are less common.
The most affordable ochoko are typically made from porcelain. They’re also durable and can handle even the hottest sake. Stoneware ochoko tend to be more fragile, but they feel great in your hand.
Drinking Sake from Ochoko
Ochoko tend to make sake taste more subdued, light, and sweet when compared to larger types of cups.
Their small size is the reason ochoko produce a (relatively) mellow tasting experience.
The aroma of a sake will seem restrained because they typically have a small opening, lack of headspace, and limited volume.
The narrow opening also concentrates sake on the front of your palate. This tends to mask acidity, which enhances the perception of sweetness.
Ochoko often come in sets with a matched carafe (tokkuri). These sake sets are great for serving hot sake or for entertaining.
Shop Ochoko Sake Cups
Guinomi: Large Sake Cups
Guinomi (ぐい呑) are generally larger in size than ochoko with a heavier feel. Superficially, these two traditional sake cups look similar.
But cup size matters when it comes to the flavor and aroma of sake. So the same sake served in a guinomi will seem a little different in an ochoko.
There’s no standard size for guinomi. But they’ll typically hold more than 2 oz (60 mL) of sake.
How to Say Guinomi
(gwee noh mee) –Types of Guinomi
Guinomi are often made of stoneware or porcelain. But other mediums are also used like glass, metal, and wood.
Handmade traditional yakimono guinomi are some of the most interesting drinking vessels in existence. And they’re great for sake and shochu. The finest examples can also be expensive.
Compared to ochoko, guinomi are more likely to be sold individually than in sets. Sake sets with tokkuri and guinomi do exist if you look hard enough.
Drinking Sake from a Guinomi
The larger size of guinomi impacts the aroma and flavor of sake in several ways.
A large amount of sake can be held inside with more surface area and volume to emit aroma. And, unless you’re filling your guinomi to the top, there will be more headspace than with an ochoko.
This headspace captures aromatic components for longer before they are blown away by currents of air. Both of these qualities allow the taster to better appreciate the aromas in sake.
The size of the opening is another component that affects how your sake tastes and smells. The wider mouth (vs. ochoko) can present sake across the whole palette more easily. This typically leads to the sake’s acidity being more prominent.
And one characteristic of increasing acidity is the decrease in perceived sweetness.
But as with ochoko, guinomi are not uniform in shape and size. So the above characteristics are generalizations.
Shop Guinomi Sake Cups
Janome: Professional Sake Tasting Cups
A janome (蛇の目) translates to snake eye and is also called kiki-choko (利き猪口, きき猪口). The snake eye refers to a blue bullseye, double-ring pattern on the inside bottom of the cup.
Janome are a sub-style of ochoko and guinomi. They vary in size, from consumer-focused 36 ml o-choko to large guinomi.
How to Say Janome
(jah noh meh) –Types of Janome
White porcelain janome are the most common type. But there are modern designs that use glass.
Drinking from a Janome
Professional tasters and brewers developed the kiki-choko. Kiki refers to the act of analyzing a sake’s appearance, aroma, and flavor.
Sake brewers (toji) use large, 6 oz (180 ml) janome for the sampling of unbottled seishu. Soy sauce brewers do too. Sake sommeliers (kikisake-shi) and judges often use this size for evaluation in competitions.
The blue circles at the bottom of the cup allow the taster to check for clarity and color in the sake.
If you’re looking for a sake cup that gives you a traditional feel but also want a complete tasting experience: the janome is a great choice.
Shop Janome / Kiki-choko Sake Cups
The Sakazuki Cup: Ceremonial Sake Ware
The sakazuki (盃) is an ancient style of sake cup that’s often used ceremonially. Shinto weddings usually incorporate sakazuki.
A wide and fluted design is the classic shape. Some only hold a few sips, though bigger examples exist.
Confusingly, the term sakazuki is sometimes used generically for sake cups.
How to Say Sakazuki
(sah kah zuu kee) –Types of Sakazuki
Like the ochoko and guinomi, sakazuki are made from a variety of materials. Stoneware and porcelain are probably the most common, but lacquered wood and metal (gold, silver, tin) examples are made too.
Drinking Sake with a Sakazuki
The wide mouth of the sakazuki presents a large surface area for the detection of aroma. However, a limited capacity, short headspace, and an outwardly fluted shape don’t allow for the recruitment of many aromatic compounds.
Larger and deeper sakazuki will mitigate some of these impacts, but this may not be the best sake cup choice if you place extra value on the bouquet of your sake.
Many sakazuki don’t have much of a lip either. When combined with the severe angle at which one drinks from them, sakazuki are not always the best choice for hot sake. There are exceptions to this, of course, depending upon the specific design.
Traditionally, one uses both hands when drinking from a sakazuki cup. One hand is underneath and the other holds the side.
Overall, sakazuki are one of the more interesting styles of sake glassware. They may not be the best for deductive tasting, but they make up for it with soul.
It’s hard not to feel reverential towards sake, the brewers, your loved ones, and life itself when enjoying quality seishu in a traditional sakazuki.
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Masu: Wooden Sake Box
The masu (升) is a wooden cup that was used historically as a rice measuring tool. This practice occurred for over a thousand years of Japan’s feudal past.
Masu were used for drinking sake as well. Today, this is the most common use.
Masu come in various sizes, which correspond to different sizes in sake bottles. The most common volume is 6 oz (180 mL), which is called ichigo (一合).
How to Say Masu
(mah suu) –Types of Masu
Hinoki (檜, 桧, or ヒノキ), or Japanese cypress, is the most common material for masu. Most of this hinoki comes from Ogaki-shi, Gifu.
Lacquered masu are made, as well. But these aren’t nearly as common.
Drinking from a Masu
Sake in a hinoki masu will take on some of the flavors of the wood. The evergreen, floral, and citrusy aromas are highly prized and soothing. However, this perfumed aroma can also mask the sake’s innate bouquet.
Lacquered masu won’t have the heavy hinoki scent and flavor.
The large volume of the average masu does hold sake aromas well. Combined with the scent from the hinoki wood, a masu can provide a fragrant sake experience.
A common way to serve sake in a masu is with a sake glass inside the box.
Sake will fill the glass and overflow into the box below. This act of generosity and good faith by the server is a nice touch if a bit theatrical. Once you’ve sipped away some of the sake, you can pour it into the masu or drink from the cup until it’s empty. Then you simply finish the sake left in the masu.
It’s helpful to drink from the corner of the masu. Historically, it was common to sprinkle a bit of salt on the corner as well.
And hot sake fans will be relieved to know that masu can handle a wide range of sake temperatures. It’s usually best to avoid over-heating, however. Warm sake of any degree will accentuate the perfumed aroma of the hinoki, for better or worse.
If there’s a glass inside the masu, you’ll want to make sure it is suitable for the task.
Shop Masu
Kiriko Cut Glass: Elegant Sake Cups and Carafes
Kiriko (切子, きりこ) is a cut-glass style that is more modern than the other sake cups in this section. Its origin is Western, but the techniques arrived via Korean craftsmen.
How to Say Kiriko
(kee ree koh)
Types of Kiriko
Two primary types exist, Edo kiriko (江戸切子) and Satsuma kiriko (薩摩切子). Neither type is superior, and as with most hand-crafted pieces, quality comes down to the individual producer.
Edo is the old name for Tokyo and is where Edo kiriko gets its name. It’s the original form of kiriko.
Kagaya Kyubei was the originator of this style. He founded a glassware store in 1834 in present Chuo-shi, Tokyo.
Edo Kiriko is much easier to find than its Satsuma sibling. It typically features thinner clear glass with transparent colored glass overlaid. Often the material is crystal, but that’s not always the case for cheaper examples. Colors are often a bit more restrained for Edo kiriko.
Satsuma Kiriko takes its name from the Satsuma Domain (late Edo period) of Kagoshima. This type followed shortly after Edo kiriko’s emergence. The Satsuma clan brought in craftsmen from Edo to teach the locals how to produce the ornate designs. Satsuma kiriko production didn’t last long, though, and only a tiny amount of the originals exist. Luckily for us, the style was revived starting in 1985.
Satsuma kiriko is usually more colorful and heavier than Edo kiriko. Its ornate gradation is highly prized.
Drinking from Kiriko
Kiriko isn’t a specific type of sake cup. Ochoko, guinomi, tokkuri, and sakazuki are all made into kiriko, as are many other objects.
These glass cups should be used for cold, chilled, room temperature, or gently warmed sake. It’s not a good idea to drink hot sake from kiriko glassware.
Further Kiriko Reading
- ANA Cool Japan has a colorful article about Satsuma kiriko.
- Wikipedia is another great place to find info about Satsuma kiriko and Edo Kiriko (in Japanese).
Buy Kiriko Sake Glasses
Tokkuri: Sake Flask
Tokkuri (徳利) is a generic term for sake carafe. Generally, they have a narrow neck and a bulbous base. The vast majority of carafes are ceramic. And they often come in a sake set with matching ochoko or guinomi.
Carafe size varies, but 12 oz (360 mL) is the most common volume. Eight-ounce tokkuri are probably the next most common size.
How to Say Tokkuri
(tohk kuu ree) –Types of Tokkuri
Tokkuri, like most sake service vessels, can be made from a range of materials like ceramics, glass, metal, and even squid.
A metal sub-style called a chirori (銚釐), or tanpo (湯婆), is used for heating sake rapidly in hot water, and occasionally as the service vessel itself. I find them incredibly easy to knock over and do not advise this last practice!
Drinking with Sake Tokkuri
The narrow neck of the tokkuri is designed for heat retention. Most ceramic tokkuri are designed to withstand high temperatures, which makes them ideal for hot or warm sake. You can place an entire carafe in a hot water bath. The sake inside will heat up rapidly.
Many tokkuri are also microwavable. But I recommend avoiding this when possible. It’s very difficult to control the temperature. This means it’s easy to cook your sake. It won’t taste as good if this happens.
Cold sake can also be served in a tokkuri, of course. Thin, decanter-style glass carafes are ideal for cold or chilled sake. You can actually see the sake inside, which is nice. But you generally don’t want to heat these up.
Tempered glass tokkuri are the exception. They’re not common or traditional, but they look cool and can handle anything you throw at them.
Shop Tokkuri and Sake Sets
Katakuchi: Sake Flask
A katakuchi (片口) is a serving vessel with a single spout on one side. It’s one of many types of tokkuri.
Traditionally, katakuchi were sake pitchers. Today it’s a popular choice for serving a variety of liquids, including matcha and salad dressing.
How to Say Katakuchi
(kah tah kuu chee)Types of Katakuchi Sake Pitchers
Stoneware, earthenware, porcelain, glass, and metal (gold, silver, tin) are all materials used to make katakuchi.
Drinking Sake with a Katakuchi
The katakuchi is a better cup for serving chilled or room temperature sake than heated sake.
Unlike tokkuri, katakuchi have a wide opening at the top, which doesn’t help retain heat. That said, most of them will do fine in a pinch. And this may not be a factor at all if the sake gets consumed quickly.
Shop Katakuchi and Sake Sets
Modern Sake Glassware
Modern sake service vessels are defined primarily by the use of Western glassware.
Wine glasses have come into prominence somewhat recently as they do a much better job of showcasing every bit of character a sake has than smaller traditional sake cups.
Smaller port-style glassware has also become more acceptable recently. Many izakaya’s in North America and the European Union have moved to this design. They offer affordability and a quality tasting experience.
For a long time, shot glasses have been a popular choice for serving sake. They’re also cost-effective and somewhat resemble traditional ochoko.
Lastly, strong genshu sake has become more available to Western sake fans, and with it the suggestion to try them on the rocks. With all of these trends, the modern sake glass has taken on an international design.
Sake in Stemware: Wine Glasses
Sake wasn’t served in stemware historically.
The reasons for this are straightforward: these glasses are of Western origin and are easy to knock over in a traditional Japanese table setting.
But drinking sake from a wine glass can greatly improve the sake tasting experience. They’ve been widely adopted by sommeliers, brewers, and sake competitions for this reason.
The Benefits of Drinking Sake from Wine Glasses
You can smell and taste sake more acutely in a wine glass. This is because wine glasses have more capacity, headspace, and an inwardly curved design.
All of these glass traits contribute to aromatic intensity while holding it in the glass better for your next whiff. The larger opening also passes the sake more evenly across your palate, where you can better evaluate the structure (texture, sweet, dry, acidity, alcohol).
Overall, the wine glass will give you more details about what’s going on with a particular sake.
But that’s not always what people want.
Downsides of Wine Glasses
Perceived intensity is probably the biggest downside to drinking sake in a wine glass for some.
Sake will taste more delicate in smaller cups like ochoko.
Suddenly, sake’s relatively high ABV (14-20% typically) becomes more noticeable. Flavors may show too assertively for some, as well.
If you prefer your sake tasting light and mellow, you may want to stick to smaller sake cups and glasses.
Some people also just prefer the look and feel of traditional cups. And there’s nothing wrong with that.
Choosing the Right Wine Glass for Sake Drinking
Any wine glass will work fine for serving sake.
But smaller white wine-oriented glasses are ideal. Glasses designed specifically for aromatic wine grape varietals like sauvignon blanc and riesling are even better. This is especially true for fragrant types of sake like ginjo-shu.
Aged sake (koshu) is typically aromatic and earthy and shows really well in a Burgundy glass.
Can You Use Wine Glasses for Hot Sake?
One important final point about wine glasses: they are for cold, chilled, or room temperature sake only.
You should not serve hot sake in this type of glass. Otherwise, your lips will feel it.
Buy Wine Glasses for Sake: Stemware
Small Stemware: Serving Sake in Port or Aperitif Glasses
Smaller dessert wine, fortified wine, and aperitif glasses have also become quite popular for sake service.
Many izakaya and sushi bars have moved to Port glasses or similar stemless tumblers for their chilled sake service.
Sake Tasting with Small Wine Glasses
Port glasses have a shape conducive to a proper evaluation of seishu.
They typically have a wider bowl compared to a narrower opening.
There’s also room for headspace. This helps hold and gather aroma for longer, making it easier to appreciate.
The full force of the sake will be tempered somewhat by the smaller opening and moderate volume.
Can You Use Port Glasses for Hot Sake?
Smaller wine glasses, like their bigger white and red wine cousins, are not made for hot sake. Doing so is a good way to burn your lips or crack the glass.
But they are outstanding for drinking room temperature, chilled, or cold sake.
Shop Port and Dessert Wine Glasses for Sake
Shot Glass Sake
Sometime before the digital age in many parts of the West, ochoko may have been difficult to come by. Shot glasses often filled that space as they were readily available and affordable.
They also have a nominal resemblance in shape and size to the classic sake cup. And for those reasons, they’re still sometimes used as a substitute.
Drinking Sake from a Shot Glass
Shot glasses will make a sake seem light, subdued, and soft. Detecting aroma can be difficult. Additionally, expect sweetness to seem more pronounced.
Shot glasses are suitable for cold, chilled, or room temperature sake. Hot temperatures should be avoided in them, though most can handle gently warmed sake.
Shot Glass Sake Bombs
Shot glasses are typically used to serve the infamous sake bomb. But you’ll want to use a sturdy glass and take a few precautions.
The most important thing to avoid is super hot sake and cold beer.
I’ve seen shot glasses filled with piping hot atsu-kan used for sake bombs then dropped into cold Sapporo. They usually don’t break. Buy maybe one out of ten cracks and glass shards can and do get produced. You don’t want to drink that.
If you must, let the beer get a little warmer or the sake a little cooler.
Buy Shot Glasses for Sake
Rocks Glass: Genshu Sake Glasses
Sake in rocks or Old Fashioned glass is not something that seems obvious. Cocktails and Western spirits are the original purpose of this glass.
Drinking Sake from a Rocks Glass
Rocks glasses aren’t bad for appreciating cold sake. They’re sort of like large guinomi.
There’s a lot of headspace and a big volume. The structure and flavor of the sake are all there when tasting in a rocks glass. However, the straight sides don’t hold the volatile aromatics well.
This makes it just an ok choice for appreciating aromatic seishu like many ginjo-shu.
Where rocks glasses have come into style is with undiluted (genshu) sake on the rocks. Bottled at full strength (or nearly), genshu is often between 18% and 20% alcohol by volume. And some can reach as high as 22% ABV. That’s pretty hot.
So a little ice isn’t always a bad idea to temper the heat and power.
Drinking Sake from a Rocks Glass
Sake Cups: How Design Impacts Aroma and Taste
There’s more to sake cups than meets the eye. In fact, the shape and thickness of a cup will have a large impact on how sake will smell and taste.
One of the fun things about being a sake fan is the flexibility it has with serving temperature plus all of the unique serving vessels that have developed to enjoy this range. Served chilled in a large guinomi, sake can often seem similar to white wine in structure and flavor.
But the same sake in a smaller ochoko may seem comparatively soft and delicate. If this small cup has a thin lip, it might not be great for serving the sake piping hot like so many American’s seem to love either.
This section will teach you the design principles that impact the drinking experience and what cups are best for cold and hot sake.
The inverse of this: a wide opening and a narrow bowl leave little surface area for sake to emit aroma while allowing it to more freely escape the glass. Straight sides fall in-between. The amount of headspace is also key. The more space between the sake and the atmosphere above– the more aromatics can remain in the glass for your next sniff. Lastly, overall size amplifies the above characteristics. Large cups have more surface area and bigger openings equate to more aroma, more perceived acidity and body, and less sweetness. Smaller cups will have the opposite impact and make a sake seem lighter.
Sake Cup Shape, Size, and the Tasting Experience
The tasting experience of all sake will be greatly influenced by the shape of the cup or glass it’s served in. There are many reasons for this.
Sake Cup Size Matters
The overall size of a vessel has a large impact. Smaller cups hold less sake and therefore have less sake emitting aroma. Seishu in small cups will therefore seem less aromatic than when served in larger glassware.
Similarly, smaller cups tend to produce less aroma for another reason: less headspace. The space between the sake and the lip of the glass may seem empty, but it’s valuable real estate for holding pretty aromatic compounds before they float off into the atmosphere.
Shallow cups often have little headspace and can make sake aromas seem mild.
Width of the Bowl vs the Mouth
Another key design element affecting sake glass behavior is the size of the bowl (maximum width) compared to the size of the opening. Wider bowls with narrower openings trap aromatics much better than straight-sided or fluted glassware.
Finally, the size of the opening also impacts the tasting experience of a sake. The wider the mouth of the cup, the more sake will flow over the entire palate.
This will result in a more full-flavored experience and one where acidity and alcohol will appear more pronounced. The wider mouth will often make a sake seem a little less sweet.
The reverse of this pattern appears with smaller cups. A narrow opening tends to make sake seem lighter and sweeter.
Big Cups vs Small Cups
Taking all of these factors together, one can make some broad assumptions about sake glassware.
Overall, the smaller the cup or glass, the lighter, sweeter, and cleaner a sake will appear. Aromas will be correspondingly subdued.
Larger glassware will make a sake seem more fragrant, firmer, more acidic, drier, and richer.
Hot and Cold Sake: How to Choose the Right Cup
When selecting a cup for your sake, the service temperature should be a key consideration. If you like your sake cold, chilled, room temperature, or even lukewarm, then just about any glass will work fine. But for hot or warmed sake you’ll want to be more selective.
Imagine drinking hot coffee or tea from a water glass. You wouldn’t do that right?!
The reason is the glass is very thin and not insulating. It could break, burn your hand, and would probably burn your lips.
A thick and heavy mug or teacup is designed with purpose down to the fat and rounded lip and ceramic materials.
So a general rule for choosing a cup for hot sake: make sure the cup is reasonably thick and is ceramic.
Materials for Hot Sake Cups
Stoneware and porcelain are fairly well insulated and will not transfer heat through the sake cup or flask as easily as other common cup materials.
Wood, and some metal designs, will work just fine but aren’t ideal.
There are sturdy tempered glass cups and carafes on the market designed for warm and hot sake if you’re willing to dig around for them. Otherwise, it’s best not to use glass for hot sake.
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Thank you for this helpful post! My husband purchased a 10 piece set in Japan many years ago but I’m not sure of all of the elements. The set includes a lid with a small hole for one of the 3 Guinomi cups (I think). I’m interested to know the function and have not seen a similar example online.