Dr.Höhls Pomp - Bio-Aperitif O.O - Feinherb

Photo: Oliver Schwarzwald

Less is sometimes more.

The Höhl family has been producing valuable natural products from and with apples in the Main Valley since 1779. Among others, the non-alcoholic organic aperitif POMP 0.0 in the flavour oriental-fine-tart.

The bottle is closed with a real cork and has a simple design. The content is without sugar substitute, free of other additives, organic and of course alcohol-free. The perlage is fine and lasts a long time in the glass.

On the back of the bottle, the manufacturer promises the following: "..... a botanical from selected medicinal plants, spice extracts, cucumber and juicy fruits. Pure or mixed, this multi-faceted tasting alcohol-free organic aperitif surprises with delicate ethereal, almost smoky notes and slight bitters."

In contrast to the fruity version, I don't find the fine-tart version to be as clear in its aromas. Initially I couldn't clearly define any other fruit notes apart from cucumber, which comes through extremely well. Raspberry perhaps? No, more like redcurrant. The gooseberry mentioned on the label brings fine acidity but otherwise I can hardly detect it. The following ingredients are also included: Apple juice, currant juice, natural flavouring extracts of turmeric, cardamom, coriander, ginger, bitter orange blossom, daisies, pu-erh tea, cubeb pepper, spices and herbs. That's a lot and perhaps the reason why there is no clear balance. The mentioned bitter substances only come to the fore to a limited extent in the finish. Too little for me. I don't find this sparkling alternative delicately ethereal either. Which is no drama, but according to the label, I expected something completely different. On the nose, I got a wild mix of fruit that veers more towards the sour. An association with Ki-Ba (cherry-banana-juice mix) spreads. I've never been a fan of it, but there are die-hard Ki-Ba drinkers. So perhaps it's a bumpy start for this Pomp 0.0 and me.

Pomp 0.0 oriental-fine-tart is definitely more unusual in taste than the fruity version. There were very divided opinions from other sides here, and I'm also torn. On the one hand, a special unexpected taste, on the other hand, not 100 per cent convincing. My conclusion: No clear recommendation to blindly serve this one as an aperitif. But you should certainly order a bottle to try it. Taste is very subjective, and really bad products do not appear on this blog.