Just as there are wine and whiskey decanters, sake has its own carafes. They come in different colors, shapes and materials. The one you’ll see most frequently at Japanese restaurants and bars in the U.S. is the “tokkuri.” Often hourglass-shaped, tokkuri are used both to heat sake and to hold sake. You’ll often see these carafes, like the Porcelain Tokkuri With Black and Silver Urushi Lacquer, paired with small sake cups called “ochoko” and “guinomi.” When made of ceramic, tokkuri can be used to heat sake, but with glass, it’s best to stick to chilled sake.
Another type of pourer is the “katakuchi,” which is basically a sake bowl with a spout. These also come in various designs, from the robin’s egg blue Aosaiyu Katakuchi to the shimmering tin and gold leaf “Nousaku” Tin Katakuchi Gold. At Tippsy, prices for these items range from $20 to a couple hundred dollars, with the majority falling between $40 and $100.
