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Jamu Juice is the Liquid Sunshine You Need This Winter

Make healthy juice a part of your New Year’s resolution

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If there’s ever been an example of globalization, it’s Jamu Juice, a South County based start-up making liquid sunshine: yellow turmeric and ginger tea blends. Owner Jess Filkins grew up on Block Island, but her powdered tea and spice blends are inspired by her purchase of a one-way ticket to Indonesia. There she discovered Jamu, a bright yellow drink steeped in a centuries-old practice of Indonesian herbal medicine. She credits her daily Jamu habit, and particularly the turmeric and ginger it contains, with ending years of struggling with IBS. It was this personal story of healing, as well as her visceral love for the drink that led Jess to want to expose it to American consumers.

Turmeric – the spice that gives Jamu its gorgeous yellow color – has long been used in non-traditional medicine. Recently western medicine has begun to study, and in some cases, confirm some of the health claims of its chief active ingredient, curcumin. Turmeric is just one of the ingredients in Jamu, and some, like raw eggs, are not quite so appealing to the American palate, or for that matter, the Rhode Island Department of Health. Jess decided to translate Jamu for an American audience into something a bit more familiar. She came up with a version of Golden Milk, which is a bit like a turmeric-rich spiced chai latte. What we’re left with, in the proudest of American traditions is not so much a melting pot, as a juicer of traditions, with Indonesian Jamu, Indian Chai and South American Mate.

Due to her firsthand experience with nutrition and wellness, upon returning to the US, Jess decided to study at the nstitute of Integrative Nutrition. Meanwhile, working at the Wakefield Alternative Food Co-op part-time, she used their kitchen to make her liquid sunshine, with fresh turmeric and ginger. At first it was just for her own benefit, but when they began bottling it in small batches, it sold really well, and she decided to really commit to the idea. And commit she did, turning down an opportunity to teach yoga in Hawaii, to try to get Jamu Juice off the ground, evidently preferring liquid sunshine in the snow to the tangible Hawaiian variety. She distilled her liquid version into a more salable range of powders that can be added to milk and an instant version that can be added to water.

Nutritionists have been advocating for turmeric for years, but they haven’t been doing a good job selling it. As Jess relates, “they’ll say stuff like, just add it to your eggs, but that doesn’t taste good.” Her tea tastes really good, and while it may be born of warmer climates, its perfect for a cold winter night. There’s something very satisfying about spooning yellow powder into warm milk, and watching it swirl into a cup of balanced, spicy tea. Currently she is selling at The Alternative Food Co-op in Wakefield, and It’s My Health in Cumberland, as well as selling online at her website. She’ll be expanding her retail availability soon, and has recently launched an indiegogo campaign to help her offset the cost of moving to a larger kitchen, which she needs to meet growing demand.

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