Auto Assassination Interlude (AAI) Part 1: Kuei Hua Chen Chiew

First of all: I like China! I have been to the country several times and I always enjoyed it very much. Today’s beverage however is something very “special”. I think I never had anything comparable before in my life. At least I can’t remember it. I suppose it will remain this way. Of course today is, and will be, the only exception. This Kuei Hua Chen Chiew is a cinnamon flavoured rice wine produced of sticky rice, water, cinnamon, fresh sweet osmanthus, plum juice and sugar.

The colour of the “wine” had a hue of pale diet coke. Not very appealing indeed! The fragrances were dominated by impressions of superimposed plum juice, cinnamon and alcohol. Some smoke and brandy resemblances were pretty obvious as well. Its taste appeared to be very constructed. I spotted the ingredients very easily. It was not like a blending of flavours. It was more like four or five different flavours strangely separated form each other, but very present in their own way. Certainly, a very subjective view. Whatever! I got clear and typical flavours of cheap rice wine, very aggressively sweet cinnamon, strong artificial plums, maybe some prunes, and some other indefinable perfumed impressions. Unfortunately it was very sweet, pretty smoky and stomach irritant in every state of matter. I wouldn’t recommend its use for cooking either. After my tryout with slighty spicy chicken I was rather sick for the rest of the afternoon. The problem of this “wine” was the additional sugar and the totally unnecessary plum juice. Last one ruins the entire concept of a cinnamon flavoured rice wine.
Let’s face it: It was exceedingly obnoxious and disgusting! I hope I will never see, hear, feel or taste it again! Sorry for being so harsh. No, not really! For the retrieval of the honour of China's Wine Industry I will savour a real Chinese wine within the next months ahead. There are very fine things, too. Believe me :-)