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Umami in drinks: tea, sake, wine - the fifth taste in the glass

Umami, the fifth taste, we usually associate with food: parmesan, tomatoes, soy sauce or broth. But this full, savoury, meaty, long-lasting taste also hides in drinks: in green tea, sake and aged wine. It is umami, alongside sweet, sour, bitter and salty, that completes the palette of tastes we perceive also in the glass. Understanding what umami is and where to look for it opens a completely new dimension of tasting. In this cross-niche post we will look at umami in tea, sake and wine: you will learn its source, find out why shaded gyokuro tea has the most of it, how it forms in sake and aged wine and how to sense it in the glass. It is a journey through the fifth taste that links three drinks with a subtle, full sensation.

The fifth taste - umami

Umami is the fifth basic taste, alongside sweet, sour, bitter and salty, officially recognised by science. It is described as savoury, full, meaty, long-lasting and mouth-coating. It is a hard-to-name but recognisable taste: it is what makes broth, aged cheese, tomatoes or soy sauce so satisfying and filling. Umami is triggered above all by glutamate and certain amino acids. Although we associate it mainly with food, umami is also present in drinks, especially in green tea, sake and some wines. It is an often underrated dimension of flavour in the glass, because we focus on sweetness, acidity or bitterness, forgetting the fifth taste. Understanding what umami is is the key to this post. It is a taste of depth and fullness that adds satisfaction and body to drinks. So let us get to know where umami comes from and where to look for it in drinks, starting with its chemical source.

Where umami comes from

At the heart of umami is glutamate, that is an amino acid, and certain related compounds. Umami is triggered by glutamate and nucleotides, such as inosinate and guanylate. It is these compounds that, when they reach the tongue, give the characteristic, full, savoury taste recognised by special receptors. Glutamate occurs naturally in many products: fish, aged cheeses, tomatoes, mushrooms, and also in fermented and aged products, like soy sauce. In drinks the source of umami is usually amino acids, especially glutamate, forming naturally in the plant or during fermentation and aging. That is why umami appears especially in drinks rich in amino acids, like green tea, or subjected to fermentation and maturing, like sake and aged wine. Understanding that umami is above all glutamate and amino acids explains where and why to look for it. It is not magic, but specific flavour chemistry. Let us now get to know how umami manifests in three drinks, starting with tea, which is its purest example in the world of non-alcoholic drinks.

Umami in tea

Tea, especially green, is the purest example of umami in the world of drinks. Green tea is rich in glutamate, an amino acid giving a satisfying, savoury umami taste. The sweet and full character of good green tea results above all from L-theanine and glutamate, two amino acids that bring both umami and sweetness. That is why good green tea tastes full, smooth and filling, with a characteristic, brothy, almost bouillon-like aftertaste, far from simple bitterness. L-theanine, an amino acid found almost only in the tea plant, additionally strengthens umami and sweetness. It is umami that is one of the main reasons Japanese green teas are so prized. Understanding that umami is a key element of tea’s flavour changes the way we perceive it: it is not only freshness or bitterness, but also a deep, savoury fifth taste. Tea is proof that umami does not belong to food alone. We write more about tea’s amino acids in our post on L-theanine.

Gyokuro and matcha - the peak of umami

Among teas there are those that have umami in downright excess: gyokuro and matcha. They are shaded teas, that is ones whose bushes are shielded from the sun for several weeks before harvest. Gyokuro is one of the teas with the highest umami content, and when trying it, you feel all the elements of flavour coming together into the fifth taste. The secret lies in shading: depriving the plants of full sun forces them to accumulate more amino acids, especially L-theanine and glutamate, which give umami and sweetness. Teas with the highest umami are usually those from young, early leaves, picked before longer exposure to the sun, and shaded ones like gyokuro and matcha. That is why gyokuro has such an intense, brothy, almost meaty taste, far from ordinary green tea. Shading is a deliberate measure that maximises umami. Gyokuro and matcha are the peak of the fifth taste in the world of tea, proof of how cultivation shapes amino acids and flavour. We write more about shading in our post on shading and gyokuro.

Umami in sake

Sake, the Japanese rice wine, is an alcoholic drink especially rich in umami. It is made by fermenting rice with the participation of koji mould, and during this process numerous amino acids form, including glutamate, giving sake its characteristic, full, savoury umami taste. That is why sake is sometimes described as exceptionally smooth, filling and deep, with a brothy, almost meaty background not found in grape wine. The umami of sake results directly from the process of fermenting rice by koji, which breaks down starch and proteins, releasing amino acids. This makes sake one of the most umami alcoholic drinks. The high umami content also means sake goes superbly with food rich in umami, like fish, seafood or dishes with soy sauce, where the fifth taste mutually reinforces. Sake is proof that umami does not belong only to tea or food, but also to the world of alcoholic drinks. It is a fascinating example of how fermentation creates the fifth taste, linking sake with tea through the shared, savoury character of amino acids.

Umami in wine

Grape wine too can have umami, though more subtly and in certain cases. The source of umami in wine is usually amino acids, including glutamate, released during maturing, especially on the yeast lees. A process called autolysis, that is the breakdown of dead yeast cells during the aging of wine on the lees, releases amino acids giving umami and characteristic, yeasty, bready notes. That is why wines aged on the lees, like champagne or some whites, are sometimes described as fuller, creamier and savoury. Aged wines too, especially long-matured ones, can develop umami with age. Umami in wine is usually discreet, woven into the whole, but it adds depth and fullness to it. It is an often underrated dimension of wine’s flavour, overshadowed by fruitiness, acidity and tannins. Understanding that wine too has umami, especially aged on the lees or with age, enriches its tasting. Wine completes the trio of drinks with umami, alongside tea and sake. It is another proof of how the fifth taste manifests in drinks, though in wine more subtly than in gyokuro or sake.

The synergy of umami

One of the most fascinating traits of umami is its synergy. When glutamate combines with nucleotides, such as inosinate or guanylate, the perceived intensity of umami multiplies dramatically, far beyond what these compounds give separately. This phenomenon of synergy explains why some combinations taste so satisfying: glutamate from one ingredient and nucleotides from another together give umami stronger than the sum of the parts. In the kitchen it is a classic, like broth from seaweed and dried fish. In the context of drinks synergy explains why umami tea or sake go so well with food rich in nucleotides, like fish or mushrooms: the fifth taste mutually reinforces. That is why sake and umami dishes are such a successful combination. Understanding the synergy of umami adds depth to grasping this taste: it is not only the presence of glutamate, but also its interplay with other compounds. Synergy makes umami a particularly powerful and satisfying taste. This explains why umami so strongly affects how we perceive both dishes and drinks, and their combinations.

Umami versus other tastes

Umami differs from the other tastes and it is worth telling them apart in tasting. Let us gather the sources of umami in three drinks:

The table shows that umami in drinks comes from amino acids, forming naturally in the plant, as in tea, or during fermentation and maturing, as in sake and wine. Unlike sweetness, acidity or bitterness, umami gives an impression of fullness, savouriness and filling depth, rather than a specific, sharp taste. Recognising umami alongside the other tastes is an important step in advanced tasting of drinks.

How to sense umami in the glass

Sensing umami in drinks requires attentiveness, because it is a subtler and harder-to-name taste than sweetness or bitterness. It is best to start with a high-quality green tea, especially gyokuro, where umami is most clear: look for a full, smooth, almost brothy, savoury taste that coats the mouth and lingers long. That is umami. Compare such a tea with an ordinary one, to feel the difference. Then look for a similar sensation in sake and aged wines on the lees, like champagne. Pay attention to the feeling of fullness and satisfaction, to the savoury, filling character, rather than to a specific fruit or flower. Umami is more a sensation of depth than a clear taste. It also helps to taste drinks with food rich in umami, like fish or cheese, to see how the fifth taste reinforces. Note your impressions, learning to recognise umami. Over time you will learn to catch it and appreciate this often overlooked dimension of flavour. Sensing umami is an advanced but satisfying tasting skill that opens a new dimension of drinks.

Why umami is addictive

Umami is a taste that draws us in and satisfies on a deep level. Why? First, umami signals the presence of protein and amino acids, that is valuable nutrients, so evolutionarily we learned to desire it, in contrast to the warning bitterness. Second, umami gives a feeling of fullness, satiety and satisfaction, making drinks and dishes more fulfilling. Third, thanks to synergy umami can reinforce itself, giving an impression of depth and richness. That is why drinks rich in umami, like gyokuro or sake, are sometimes so addictive and soothing. Umami is a taste of comfort and fullness, far from the simple pleasure of sweetness or the stimulation of bitterness. In drinks it adds a dimension of satisfaction hard to experience otherwise. That is why appreciating umami in tea, sake or wine enriches tasting with a deep, satisfying dimension. Understanding why umami draws us in explains why it is worth looking for in the glass. It is the fifth taste that completes the palette of sensations and makes drinks fuller, deeper and more satisfying than if they rested only on the four classic tastes.

The key points in a nutshell

Umami is the fifth basic taste, full, savoury, meaty and long-lasting, triggered mainly by glutamate and amino acids. Although we associate it with food, it is also present in drinks. Green tea is rich in glutamate and L-theanine, and shaded gyokuro and matcha have the highest umami, thanks to accumulating amino acids in the absence of sun. Sake draws umami from amino acids forming during the fermentation of rice by koji, and wine from autolysis on the yeast lees and from aging. Umami reinforces through the synergy of glutamate with nucleotides. It is a taste of satisfaction and fullness, evolutionarily desired as a signal of protein. Want to sense umami in drinks and record your impressions? Keep notes in the GustoNote app. See also our posts on L-theanine in tea and shading gyokuro.