Kuding Tonic

Healthy herbs, rooibos, honeybush, decaf tea, and yerba mate.


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Dec 15th, '16, 19:12
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Kuding Tonic

by entropyembrace » Dec 15th, '16, 19:12

So, yesterday I was drinking some kuding and the 3rd infusion came out a bit too strong to drink on it's own. I didn't want to waste it but after a sip it was a bit too powerful to be any fun to drink as it was. Thinking that kuding tastes and awful lot like tonic I decided to pour it over some ice in a glass and fill with carbonated water.

The result: a nice refreshing drink, kind of like tonic without the sugar. I imagine with a bit of simple syrup it would be even more similar.

Might be a better recipe for summer, but I thought I'd share :)

Dec 16th, '16, 01:07
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Re: Kuding Tonic

by ethan » Dec 16th, '16, 01:07

Do you drink kuding often?

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Dec 16th, '16, 01:48
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Re: Kuding Tonic

by jayinhk » Dec 16th, '16, 01:48

Might be good with gin. :) Unfortunately I can't drink kuding--makes my heart feel funny and gives me palpitations. I'm sensitive to stimulants in general. Tea has some powerful compounds in it that neutralize the effects of caffeine on my heart. Gotta love the camellia sinensis!

Dec 16th, '16, 13:25
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Re: Kuding Tonic

by Groucho » Dec 16th, '16, 13:25

I didn't think kuding came from camellia sinensis?

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Dec 16th, '16, 16:18
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Re: Kuding Tonic

by jayinhk » Dec 16th, '16, 16:18

Groucho wrote:I didn't think kuding came from camellia sinensis?

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It doesn't--the second part of my reply was about tea. :)

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Dec 16th, '16, 17:55
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Re: Kuding Tonic

by entropyembrace » Dec 16th, '16, 17:55

ethan wrote:Do you drink kuding often?
About once a week or so.
Groucho wrote:I didn't think kuding came from camellia sinensis?
It's Ilex kaushue, that's why I posted in the herbal section. :)
jayinhk wrote:Might be good with gin. :) Unfortunately I can't drink kuding--makes my heart feel funny and gives me palpitations. I'm sensitive to stimulants in general. Tea has some powerful compounds in it that neutralize the effects of caffeine on my heart. Gotta love the camellia sinensis!
Kuding is definitely a stronger stimulant than tea. The intensity of flavour from briefly infusing just a single nail is a pretty good hint of that. I can see how it wouldn't be good for caffeine sensitive people, especially since it doesn't have the theanine content of tea.

I really enjoy the intense herbal bitterness followed by sweet aftertaste, makes for a fun drink. It does wonders for clearing up sinus congestion from environment allergies too.

I don't drink alcohol so I won't be the one to try mixing with gin either :)

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Dec 16th, '16, 18:01
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Re: Kuding Tonic

by jayinhk » Dec 16th, '16, 18:01

entropyembrace wrote:
ethan wrote:Do you drink kuding often?
About once a week or so.
Groucho wrote:I didn't think kuding came from camellia sinensis?
It's Ilex kaushue, that's why I posted in the herbal section. :)
jayinhk wrote:Might be good with gin. :) Unfortunately I can't drink kuding--makes my heart feel funny and gives me palpitations. I'm sensitive to stimulants in general. Tea has some powerful compounds in it that neutralize the effects of caffeine on my heart. Gotta love the camellia sinensis!
Kuding is definitely a stronger stimulant than tea. The intensity of flavour from briefly infusing just a single nail is a pretty good hint of that. I can see how it wouldn't be good for caffeine sensitive people, especially since it doesn't have the theanine content of tea.

I really enjoy the intense herbal bitterness followed by sweet aftertaste, makes for a fun drink. It does wonders for clearing up sinus congestion from environment allergies too.

I don't drink alcohol so I won't be the one to try mixing with gin either :)
I've been wondering if there's more to tea's calming effects than just theanine...perhaps compounds that haven't yet been identified. I'm glad I can drink something with caffeine, at least. Coffee and mate are no go for me now, but tea is still fine (knock on wood)! I do like the taste of kuding too and bought some very nice stuff in Hainan, where it is widely grown and consumed. I think I'll put it up for sale on the site in 8g packs.

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Dec 16th, '16, 19:20
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Re: Kuding Tonic

by entropyembrace » Dec 16th, '16, 19:20

jayinhk wrote:
I've been wondering if there's more to tea's calming effects than just theanine...perhaps compounds that haven't yet been identified. I'm glad I can drink something with caffeine, at least. Coffee and mate are no go for me now, but tea is still fine (knock on wood)! I do like the taste of kuding too and bought some very nice stuff in Hainan, where it is widely grown and consumed. I think I'll put it up for sale on the site in 8g packs.
That could be, tea is amazingly complex chemically. So, I wouldn't the surprised at all if there's more going on that we have no idea about still.

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