Kohla
It continues with exciting non-alcoholic liquids. We also deal with cola. More precisely with Kohla.
For our big cabbage project, we had experimented with red cabbage juice as a base for a lemonade and came up with Kohla. As promised, we are now revisiting this idea to create a carbonated cabbage juice-based drink that is a little more reminiscent of the famous original.
Vegetable limo
To do this, we add the appropriate spices and sugar to the deep red juice. The juice itself smells very charcoal, even slightly musty and involuntarily reminds of Christmas. It is precisely this association that we do not want to arouse, but rather to establish red cabbage as a refreshing cold drink. The spices of the classic version partly coincide with traditional red cabbage recipes but also with those of the classic cola: cinnamon, anise, clove and juniper characterize this variant. The following Kohla variants are in our test range:
- Classic
- Apple-vanilla
- Grapefruit
- Currant
- Pomegranate
The classic KOHLA serves us as a flavored base. For this we take fresh cabbage juice, add the spices (cinnamon, juniper, anise, clove) and boil it once. This ensures durability and good and fast extraction of spices. In the first experiment, we had used a cold brew preparer for this purpose. This has advantages but cold processing is not decisive for the end product after all and as a process for larger quantities it is very laborious and time-consuming.
We develop the other varieties based on the classic variant. Each version is seasoned for itself and combined with the classic Kohla. The different varieties also give us the opportunity to experiment with other spices and gradual differences in acidity, in order to check not only the taste orientations but also what goes particularly well with the Kohla.
Kohla with maturation
The first taste tests are already promising, but we let our kohlas mature in the bottle for another two days. We hope that the taste profile will be rounded off a bit. In fact, we can see a positive change. The kohlas are more intense and individual aromas come into their own.
Now we are working again on the sweet-sour ratio to get a refreshing Kohla with a typical profile.
The Kohla lacks caffeine, but it has intense cabbage power: Lots of vitamin C, cabbage prevents stomach ulcers and ensures good digestion.
Tasting
The tasting in the team makes it clear once again that tastes are very different. Not necessarily just ours and that of the team. Overall, very different varieties are favored and that’s exactly how it should be. Finally, we designed several versions to suit different tastes.
Vanilla apple is rather lovely and sweet and definitely has fans. Vanilla Coke is also a classic. The variants with fruit juices partly overlay the distinct cabbage taste but without taking that certain something away from the Kohla. Grapefruit has a slightly bitter finish and is therefore a good option for those who like it fruity and tart. When it comes to pomegranate, mace stands out as a spice. This is unusual but not bad and can be easily adjusted. Currant is the ideal addition to our cabbage base when it comes to getting close to the cola taste. With all of our variants, the color is particularly impressive. It’s not just brownish, but bright red-purple and therefore a real eye-catcher in the fridge.
We would love to give the world a Kohla and would be delighted to have such an addition to our range of drinks!
