What would you do if you had a time machine?
We would go right back to the summer months of June and July from our childhood when we used to pick pulpy little Jamuns from the neighbourhood trees all day long and sneak away in the evenings to eat the sinful Kala Khatta Gola!
Remember how we would stand holding the largest bedsheet at home – spread underneath the Jamun tree while one of us climbed the tree to shake the branch with the ripest lot. How we would collect the ripe and uncrushed fruit that fell to the ground courtesy of a gush of wind, forgetting all about the five-second rule. Those were the days!
The deep dark purple of Jamun, the fleshy little fruit, its tarty texture and sweet-sour flavour that left behind an all too familiar puckered aftertaste and indelible dark purplish stain in the mouth – are one of the fondest memories we cherish from back in time we were kids. The taste would leave the mouth feeling weird after we had too many, but we couldn’t stop wanting more! Such was the magic of Jamun.
Back then, hot summer afternoons after school would be for the Jamun Kala Khatta Gola – our summer saviour, eaten all too swiftly before it could melt away but carefully enough so as to not drop any tell-tale signs on our uniforms.
Do you remember walking on those purple-stained paths lined with Jamun trees? They still evoke those memories – sweet nostalgia and the taste of summer.
The mind seems to have pushed it back in memories but the tongue still remembers the taste. There were different ways we enjoyed this summer treat. Some prefered it raw, popping the fruit into the mouth, chewing on the pulp till we had wiped the seed clean – an art mastered.
Others preferred the fruit topped with masala or kala-namak – making the ultimate Jamun Kala Khatta combo. The salt would cut the astringence of Jamun while the spices made the flavour shine out, making an explosion of flavour in the mouth.
Then there was the brain freezing bite into the purple-hued gola or chuski made of shaved ice, topped with a dark sweet and spicy concentrate that would cover the tongue and seize the brain – ah, pure bliss! And how can we forget our mamas and grandmamas making us Jamun sharbats and Kala khatta mocktail during the season.
Gen Z perhaps wouldn’t have tasted these and thus may not relate to this nostalgia instilled in us millennials, but that being that nowadays the taste and preferences have also changed somewhat. Synthetic colas, candies, syrups and juices have taken over, with not many fans of raw jamuns left to appreciate the fruit as is, these days. Value-added products made from Jamun are a norm, bought because that’s what is available and marketed, but also preferred because they are versatile and can be used in a variety of ways. After all they’ve made it so easy to make those healthy smoothies for breakfast or shake up a Jamun cocktail, or Kala khatta mocktail in a jiffy or use the syrup as a topping to jazz up your ice creams and other delicacies.
No objections to the new and the modern! Now whether you like the artisanal Kala khatta mocktail or boozy Jamun cocktail appeal to your modern tastebuds or you still prefer the original summer delights, the Jamun Kala Khatta flavour unites us and that’s what matters!
At SWA, we have reinvented this flavour in the form of a tasty concoction that pleases one and all, a syrup that can be enjoyed as a drink or a gola topping and several other ways to relish the magical taste of Jamun Kala Khatta.
Our Jamun Kala Khatta carries the sweet nostalgia of the original and all the deliciousness of the summer flavours, has been kept as close to the original taste and is made with no preservatives or additives, so though it might not give you the blue tinge on your tongue (from all the unhealthy food colourings), it will definitely take you down the cherished memory lane of taste and have your mouth bursting with the flavour of Jamun Kala Khatta and bucketloads of nostalgia!
Try the magical SWA Artisanal Jamun Kala Khatta and enjoy the rich flavour of nature’s best Jamuns.
Buy your bottle here and make tasty healthy drinks and more!
