The root that turns everything gold. Fresh turmeric, cold-pressed into 40g shots with black pepper and citrus, the way it's been eaten for centuries. Here's what fresh turmeric actually is, where that colour comes from, and how to drink it, with the powder and the promises left out.
Turmeric (Curcuma longa) is a rhizome, the same family as ginger, grown across South and Southeast Asia and used in cooking for thousands of years. The skin is a dull brown; snap it open and the inside is a deep, almost fluorescent orange-gold that stains everything it touches. It tastes earthy, peppery and a little bitter, warmer than it is hot.
We press whole fresh root, never powder, never an extract, never from concentrate, through a slow hydraulic press at our juicery in Bishop's Stortford, then flash-freeze it straight away. Almost all the turmeric people meet is dried and ground into a jar. Fresh cold-pressed root is a different thing: brighter, sharper, and gone the moment it's heat-treated.
There's 40g of fresh root in every turmeric shot, the most we press into anything, with black pepper and citrus the way turmeric has been paired in the kitchen for centuries. It's printed on the bottle, so you know exactly what's in it. For the two roots together, there's the Ginger Turmeric.
The colour, explained
Where the gold comes from
Turmeric's colour isn't a dye, it's chemistry, and it's the easiest way to understand the root. Naming the compound is just describing what you can see.
Curcumin
The pigment behind turmeric's gold. It's what stains your board, your fingers and anything else it meets, and it's at its brightest in the fresh root.
Fresh vs dried
Drying and grinding dulls the colour and flattens the flavour. Fresh cold-pressed root is brighter and earthier than anything from a jar.
Black pepper
Turmeric has been cooked with black pepper and a little fat or citrus for centuries. We press it the same way, because that's how it tastes right.
How much root
40g of fresh turmeric in every 60ml shot, the highest we press. The number's on the bottle, so you know exactly what you're drinking.
Fresh vs the rest
Why fresh root, never powder
Most ginger you'll meet has been dried, ground, concentrated, or left sitting in a warm bottle for months. We do none of that. Whole fresh root goes through a slow hydraulic press in small batches, weighed so you know exactly how much made it in, and into the blast freezer straight off the press.
Freezing isn't a compromise, it's the reason nothing else has to be done. No heat, no high-pressure processing, no preservatives. It reaches you frozen and waits in your freezer until you want it, then defrosts to taste exactly as it did coming off the press.
Fresh root, cold-pressed, weighed, and frozen. That's the whole method. If a label won't tell you how much root is actually in the bottle, it's usually worth asking why.
How to drink it
Taking a turmeric shot
Expect peppery, not hot
Turmeric isn't fiery like ginger. It's earthy and peppery with a warm finish. If you've only had it in a curry, the fresh shot is a surprise.
Neck it or sip it
It's 60ml. Straight down or slowly, on its own or chased with juice or water. It's a bold, earthy mouthful, not a gentle one.
Mind the gold
Curcumin stains. It'll colour a light chopping board or a white shirt if you're careless, and it rinses off skin within a day. Worth knowing before your first one.
Defrost, shake, drink
We press to order and freeze fresh. Move a shot to the fridge overnight, or stand it in cold water for twenty minutes, shake, and drink within three days.
Shop turmeric
The turmeric range
Turmeric on its own at 40g, paired with ginger, or the whole range by the box. All cold-pressed from fresh root, never powder, delivered frozen across the UK.
Earthy, peppery and a little bitter, with a warm finish and more savoury than sweet. It's warming rather than hot, so it's gentler than a ginger shot even though it's bold. Nothing's added to sweeten it.
How much turmeric is in a shot?
40g of fresh root in every 60ml, the most we press into anything, and it's printed on the bottle. Most turmeric shots don't tell you, which usually means there's very little.
Is fresh turmeric different from the powder?
Completely. The jar is dried, ground and often old, so the colour's dulled and the flavour's flat. Fresh cold-pressed root is bright, sharp and earthy. We press whole fresh root, never powder, extract or concentrate.
Why is there black pepper in it?
Tradition and taste. Turmeric has been cooked with black pepper and a little fat or citrus for centuries, and we press it the same way because that's how it tastes right.
Will it stain?
Yes. Curcumin, the pigment that makes turmeric gold, stains boards, cloth and skin. It rinses off skin within a day, but don't drink one over a white shirt.
Is there any added sugar?
None. No sugar, no sweeteners, no concentrate. A turmeric shot is fresh root, citrus and black pepper, and nothing else.
How do you drink one?
However you like. Sixty millilitres, straight down or sipped slowly, on its own or chased with juice or water. Defrost overnight in the fridge, give it a shake, and drink within three days.
Are they pasteurised?
No. We flash-freeze straight off the press instead of heat-treating or high-pressure processing, so nothing's done to the juice between the press and your freezer.
Start here
The gold one, done properly
40g of fresh turmeric root, black pepper and citrus, cold-pressed and never powder. Frozen fresh and delivered across the UK. Subscribe and save 10% with free delivery.
Why is black pepper always paired with turmeric? What the research on piperine and curcumin absorption has really shown, minus the eye-catching numbers.
