Growth and Production
Powdered Stimulant Drink, and the variety of different brands of marketing of Stim Drink, are all derived from the Amphexea Stalk plant. The Amphexea Stalk plant is a long green and orange stalk plant that grows up to six feet tall in the fertile soil of the planets along the central regions and borders between the Ka'yar Colonial Governance and the Representative Democracy of Liberation.
The Amphexea Stalk plant contains a mixture of naturally occurring amphetamine chemicals and salts that allow for a boost in energy, focus, and alertness. Much like caffeine does but typically this plant's mixture of amphetamines is much higher and has a much stronger effect at lower doses. And the effects do not diminish when the plant is dried and powdered for storage and later consumption.
The plant takes roughly three to four months to grow to its full adult stage, afterwards, the stalks are cut at the base and stored in a cool and dry area for up to a week to allow for drying. After this stage the stalks are sliced open, and inside are hundreds of bead-sized seeds which are removed and stored separately. These seeds are what are purchased by Stim Drink producers as they contain the highest concentration of stimulant effects. The remaining stalk is usually then used as a natural fertilizer for the next season's plants.
After the seeds are purchased, the Stim Drink companies will dehydrate them removing any remaining moisture and powderize them, sometimes adding various other additives for flavour, nutrients, or whatever their current marketing gimmicks are advertising at the time. Regardless, once the seeds are powdered they are further dehydrated and then bagged for sale.
The Aphexea Stalk plant near harvest season
Brewing and Consumption
The brewing of any sort of Powedered Stimulant Drink is rather simple, using preferably clean water or technically any sort of liquid, either hot or cold, add a serving of the powder to the liquid and stir until completely dissolved. And then it can be consumed.
The taste of a standard Stim Drink is typically very bitter and tastes somewhat of acorns or similar nuts, though allowing the liquid to sit for a few minutes after brewing will help alleviate some of the initial bitterness of the drink. Many different brands have tried to mask or change the taste of their Stim Drink, adding in popular seasonal flavours or flavours that are popular to a certain species, but it is never fully effective and the drink almost always veers back into bitter acorn flavour. Many have grown accustomed to the taste and enjoy it. Though this may be more due to the drink's addictive nature and not necessarily its taste.
After consuming the drink, the imbiber will notice an increase in their energy levels and alertness, and if they are an addict they will typically see an increase in their mood as well. There are two main types of Stim Drink when it comes to their effects, sold as immediate and extended-release. The first has an immediate and large effect on the imbiber's energy levels and alertness, while the other has a milder effect that lasts longer.
Regardless of the stimulant level of the drink, regular consumption of the stimulant is highly addictive, as the body begins to rely on the wakefulness effects of the drink.
Farming and Trade Difficulties
Due to the ongoing
Ka’yar Civil War access to the Amphexea Stalk plant and its seeds have become increasingly difficult to grow and to purchase. The plant only grows on a few planets that fall within the regions between the contested borders between two warring factions. Even farmers of the plant have been affected, as their planets do often come under crossfire from the ongoing skirmishes associated with the civil war. As such, not only are crop yields down year to year, access to these crops for off-world sale is often tricky and increasingly dangerous to attempt.
Because of these ongoing trade and growth roadblocks, the Amphexea Stalk plant is much harder to get in sufficient numbers. This has, in turn, caused a surge in the product's cost across the board, both for the businesses that sell it and the customers that consume it. Many businesses have actually had to abandon the product completely due to the dangers and cost of trade for the plant.
But that hasn't stopped the Stim Drink business entirely, some enterprising individuals have started underground black markets with Stim Drink as their main sell. Other lunatics have started smuggling trades, breaking into contested territory, sometimes even active war zones, to fly to a planet where the growth of Amphexea Stalk is underway in order to buy as much as they can, and haul it back to safe territory before they get blasted out of the sky before being mistaken for a combatant in the war.
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