Jabsons - Natural Jaggery, Desi Gur (900g) 2Lb

Excellent natural dark jaggery, export qualityFor those who don't know what jaggery is, here's how it's made - sugar cane is harvested by hand at various times during the growing season, crushed in a mill that is turned by hand or by farm animal, the now-rendered juices are boiled down over an open fire while being stirred continuously until this consistency you find in your container is reached, a thick, semi-solidified state of reduced sugar cane juice - this hot syrup is now poured into little earthenware jars - for export, the jaggery is poured into large containers purchased by packers & exporters, who heat the jaggery to a pourable state, and then pour into plastic tubs, which are much lighter in shipping weight, & far less apt to break than clayThe longer the sugar cane grows (the more it matures), the darker & richer the cane juices will be, with a more pronounced iron & sulphur flavour (one reviewer described this as a 'burnt' flavour, probably connoting the scent of the jagghery's sulphur content with that of a burnt match) - jaggery has pronounced flavours of molasses, caramel, & grassy notes, which is a flavour characteristic of grass-extracted sugars, such as cane, sorghum & barley - you can also taste the pronounced flavour of sulphur & iron, a taste characteristic of molasses, which is a by-product of white sugar crystalsSugar cane juice can be boiled down (condensed) to varying stages of concentration (consistency or degree of thickness), the first stage would be cane syrup - reduce the syrup further & you now get a thick, spoonable paste, which is what this tub jaggery is - reduce still more & the paste changes consistency, becoming drier & forming larger crystals, this is poured into molds of various shapes such as half-spheres or cones (Mexican piloncillo for example) -American (dry) sugar produced by centrifuging the cane syrup, this process separates the crystals from the liquid, you now have what's called table sugar & the residual liquid is called blackstrap molasses - blackstrap molasses is refined to produce table molasses - some of the dry white sugar is turned into various types of brown sugar such as light, dark, & turbinado, by adding back varying amounts of dehydrated molasses - by the sugar reaches the stage of extracted white crystals, every flavour has been extracted from it as well

I find this is best suitable to stir into a freshly made cup of hot tea. I bought this because it looks cheaper than the powdered jaggery. It tastes good.

Cracked open lid. Unable to use it.

It tastes good.

Real gud, waiting for it to be back in stock.

good taste

There was a burnt smell as soon as it was opened, and smelt as if it was overdone.

Good taste but packaging container of better quality (instead of plastic) may be used for more freshness.