Our mission is to educate our readers on what’s out there the cool, the quirky and in this case, the insanely good quality. We sample a heck of a lot of drinks throughout the course of a week, and I mean a lot, so it’s always great when something really makes us step back a little… when you really get one of those ‘Wow’ moments.
Five years ago, when people thought of freshly squeezed juices, they thought of a saturated market with cheap quality mass marketed products. Over the past couple of years that perception has slowly been changing, as more and more health conscious companies have made it their mission to create beverages that not only taste great, but do good to both the body and the community they source their labor and fruits from. Last week after tasting several remarkable juices, I did a little more delving and to my surprise found what in my opinion would call a pioneer of the juice movement. 100% juice, 100% quality and 100% community.
So before I get onto taste and why you should be trying these folk’s guys out, let me tell you a little about Tamaya Gourmet. Local would be the word– from the farmers, to the pickers, to the bottlers, and even to the distribution outlets, every single process of making this delicious drink series what it is, takes place within the Limarí Valley, just some 250 miles north of Santiago. For those of you who know your geography, you’ll also know that this region is home to the driest place on earth, the Atacama Desert, it’s also not too far from the shores of the Pacific Ocean, too. Combine both of these in the correct doses and you end up with the ideal soil and climate conditions to produce some truly outstanding fruit. You also help a community that otherwise would have a tough time getting by.
But I don’t just want to make this a charity story, the reason I’m writing about this company is because of how highly impressed I was with the quality of their 100% grape and 100% berry juices. I’ll be honest, grape juice has never really been my thing, I’ve tried it many times but until now never come away thinking ‘damn, that was actually really good”.
With two varieties of grape, Sauvignon Blanc and Moscatel at their disposal, hot summer days have never felt so refreshing. If you’re not in a position to be drinking alcohol, these make for the ideal substitute. Even separating alcohol from the equation completely, these guys are the perfect chill-out beverages for when the sun is beaming down and you just need an instant refresh. They are sweet, they are flavorful and they are incredibly nourish, which in my book, is always a good sign. If you want to make that person who turns down the glass of wine feel in the group, seriously, this is your new best friend for that.
Grapes aside, the berry juices are equally as consistent to the taste, quality, health and community focus. Two luscious and juicy flavors of blueberry and raspberry await your palate. They are silky smooth with a dolce sweetness and that slight bitter ting that hits your tongue with delight. These are beyond doubt cocktail-completers when not being enjoyed solo. Your senses trick you into thinking for that moment, right there, you are stood next to the patch of ground these wonders were created from, before you are brought back to reality.
In sum, if you want to impress, Tamaya Gourmet present you with the ideal solution. Not only does their sleek, sophisticated and cleverly designed premium glass bottle packaging make them look the part, but also as I’ve elaborated multiple times, they taste bloody great.
