Albica

Special thanks to Albica Nature's Gift for extending this product review invitation.

Albica Nature's Gift is a Penang-based manufacturer of herbal products. It offers a wide range of consumer products from functional teas to cleansing bars. To maintain its stringent quality requirements, 100% of Albica's ingredients are plant in origin. Neither food additives nor artificial preservatives are included.

Among Albica's bestsellers is its selection of functional teas. Conveniently packaged into small tea bags, herbal teas are conveniently available by simply adding hot water.

The Cat Whiskers Tea (Teh Misai Kucing, 猫须草茶) is beneficial for cardiovascular and digestive well-being. The flowery aroma lingers on despite multiple drinks. This tea is available in a pack of 30 tea bags of 2 grams each, for RM18.00 retail price.

Also popular is the Carica Papaya Tea (Teh Betik Carica, Carica木瓜茶) which uses unripe papayas as the key ingredient. A little-known fact is that unripe papayas are rich in digestive enzymes. Regular consumption of this drink helps to cleanse the digestive tract. Each pack comes in 25 tea bags of 4 grams each, at retail price of RM35.00.

For sweeter experience, the Green Tea + Stevia + Ginger (Teh Hijau + Stevia + Halia, 绿茶+甜叶菊+姜) is a good choice too. Stevia (甜叶菊) is a natural-occurring sweetener which has nearly zero calories, but is 300 times sweeter than sugar on per-gram basis. For this drink, a pack of 30 2-gram tea bags is available for RM22.00.

If lemongrass is your cup of tea (pun intended), then Lemongrass + Cat Whiskers Tea (Teh Serai + Misai Kucing, 香茅+猫须草茶) is the right choice for you. This pack contains 30 tea bags of 3 grams each, with a retail price tag of RM24.00.

Unlike regular tea, most of these functional tea products are suitable for multiple drinks. Although the drink becomes more dilute over multiple washes, the aromatic herbal scent persists quite noticeably.

Sabah snake grass (belalai gajah, 优顿草) is a local herb with purported cancer-fighting properties based on survivors' testimonies. This herb made available by Albica as ReMeTea, and comes in two different flavors. A box of Sabah Snake Grass + Lemongrass (RM26.00) has 20 2.5-gram tea bags, while a box of Sabah Snake Grass + Ginger + Kaffir Lime + Stevia (RM23.00) contains 18 tea bags of 2.5 grams each.

The effectiveness of Sabah snake grass in fighting cancer is still subjected to debate. Cancer patients should consult an oncologist before using this herb as part of medical treatment.

Albica also offers culinary herbs as part of its product line-up. Made in fine powder form, these products are useful to be used for food seasoning. The herbs available are Stevia (甜叶菊), Lemongrass (serai, 香茅), Ginger (halia, 姜) and Pandan Leaves (daun pandan, 班兰叶).

Each of these bottles (RM7.00) has net weight of 30 grams. Nice packaging makes these products suitable as housewarming gifts.

Most Malaysians are aware of the physiological effects of Tongkat Ali (东革阿里). However, it is not common knowledge that this tropical herb also benefits the fairer sex from complications such as menstrual cramps and menopausal discomfort.

Albica supplies Tongkat Ali in form of thin slices, which are vacuum sealed to maintain freshness. A box of Tongkat Ali (10 grams net weight) carries retail price of RM60.00, but it is now available at introductory price of RM49.00. A larger package of 20 grams net weight is offered at RM88.00.

To consume the Tongkat Ali, simply place a chip in a glass of hot water and let it set for 20 minutes. The used chip can be dried and reused for multiple drinks to extract the best medicinal essence. Genuine Tongkat Ali is extremely bitter, so use half a chip if the taste is unbearable for you. If someone told you that there is a non-bitter version of Tongkat Ali, he also has a bridge to sell you.

Another category of Albica's product line-up is its range of herbal cleansing bars. Among the special ones is Tongkat Ali (东革阿里) with rosemary (rosmari, 迷迭香) + ginger (halia, 姜) + eucalyptus (eukaliptus, 桉树).

Other variations of cleansing bars are Carrot & Pure Honey (lobak merah dan madu tulen, 萝卜和纯蜜糖), Pineapple & Pure Honey (nanas dan madu tulen, 黄梨和纯蜜糖), Lemongrass & Pure Honey (serai dan madu tulen, 香茅和纯蜜糖) and Kaffir Lime & Pure Honey (limau purut dan madu tulen, 柠檬和纯蜜糖草药).

Each bar weighs 100 grams and is priced at RM12.90, with the exception of Tongkat Ali version which is sold at RM18.90.

The most recent product from Albica is the Instant Braised Meat Paste (Pes Daging Tumis Segera, 即煮封肉酱料) under the banner of Penang Little Sifu (槟城小师傅). Using authentic Penang-style Nyonya recipe, this meat paste can be used with any choice of meat. The 3-steps cooking process is formulated to be so simple that even teenagers can grasp.

Thanks to Albica's cutting-edge packaging technology, this meat paste has shelf life of 18 months despite the fact that no artificial preservatives are used. Each packet of meat paste weighs 120 grams and is sold at RM5.50. This is significantly more affordable than dining in a Nyonya restaurant.

All Albica products are halal-certified and the ingredients are strictly plant in origin. Most products are available at selected pharmacies, health food centers and organic food restaurants. A list of retail outlets is available here. Online ordering is also coming soon.

Name: Albica Nature's Gift
Address: 670, Jalan Kebun Baru, Taman IKS Juru, 14100 Simpang Ampat, Pulau Pinang
Contact: 04-502-3969
Business hours: Depends on individual retailer
Website: http://www.albicaherbs.com
Coordinates: N/A
Directions: N/A