I’ve recently been really into kombucha, not for the purported health and digestive boosts (though if they are true, then woot) but because I get my taste of fruity beverage without all the sugars in your other packaged fruit juices and iced-teas.
I’ve been trying various brands, and some have been fantastic, while some have made me gag from the funk. I’m trying to get a list of brands to try and what to avoid.
I’ll start off:
GT’s – good stuff; probably one of the most common brands; a HUGE variety of flavors – my personal favorite is the Gingerberry but the Guava Goddess is also very good
Kevita – another easily found brand; pretty good; not sure I have a clear favorite yet, but I haven’t had as many of these
Health-ade – some interesting flavors; I like the pink lady apple and the pomegranate; not so enthusiastic about the lemon ginger which I found quite stringent, and I usually love a strong ginger taste
B-tea’s Iced Tea Raspberry – god, it felt like I was sucking on someone’s sweaty gym sock. This was disgusting, and I couldn’t get past two sips before pouring it down the drain. Found it at Ocean State Job Lot and now I know why. So gross!
I don’t think I’ll ever be brave enough to ferment my own (have you seen those videos?? ) as I still want to live after drinking it.
Never thought about local kombucha brewers and looked up a few in the Boston area. I will definitely try to seek them out. Didn’t realize that having kombucha on tap was a thing, but I guess it is!
That’s interesting. Is it alcoholic at all when it’s on tap? I’m just learning that there are some varieties of kombucha that are brewed to develop more alcohol. I can’t drink, so I wouldn’t be able to partake if it has it, but it would make going to a brewery with some friends that much more enjoyable if they had regular, minimal alcohol kombucha on tap.
I love it, GT is my favorite brand, and I like most of their flavors. The ginger flavor makes a great Moscow Mule and is good with gin too. I find it very refreshing in the summer, but drink it year round. I pick it up at Costco & save a few $$$
I’ve been envious of Trockwood’s home brewed & her flavors sound interesting. Maybe I’ll attempt it sometime.
Kobuta, as far as I know, most komboucha is minimally alcoholic. I think there are a few around here with higher amounts of ETOH that can’t be sold to anyone under 21.
Most have an alcohol content of about 0.5%…its a fermented product, so not possible to make it completely alcohol-free. Most carry a mention on the label, but its not enough to be a huge risk…less than eating a main dish cooked with wine. Ymmv.
There are a few that carry a 21 and up label…I haven’t tried them.
I would highly doubt that you’d find a brewery that makes it…the fermentation and the SCOBY are very different than the brewing process for beer.
I don’t hate it, but I guess I am not a follower/fan. Kind of like… I will drink it if it is around the corner, but I won’t seek it out.
meatn3
(equal opportunity eater in the NC Triangle)
11
The bigger producers have gotten the alcholic level stable and low. When kombucha was starting to become commercially available there were some issues. You’d be without stock from bottlers for months on end while they tried to figure it out. I don’t drink it that often these days but I still maintain my old habit of keeping the bottle very still before opening it carefully. Had too many geyser accidents during that period!
Too funny, I know what you mean by geyser accidents. When I tried my first bottle I shook it vigorously because it looked like there was a lot of settling on the bottom. I then promptly opened it, getting a komboucha shower & enough on the floors to mop with. I had some close calls where I wanted to shake it again, but remembered & caught myself in time.
Lol, most of the brands I’ve tried have been lightly fizzy. They didn’t seem as carbonated as soda or seltzer, but I just bought a Kevita Master Brew Kombucha from the market and it must have gotten jostled quite a bit on the walk back to the office. It just made a mild explosion all over the new carpet in my office. (oops!)
And remember that its naturally carbonated, which is sustained by the ongoing activity of the cultures…that bottle you opened today won’t go flat…it’ll still be fizzy tomorrow!
I’ve been on a bit of a kombucha tear, trying as many as I can find. I’ve since discovered an organic version called Holy Kombucha that looks like it has national distribution too. Was good, but costs about a whole $1-1.50 more per bottle. They do have a few interesting flavors though, like prickly pear. So far so good; haven’t found any more funky sweaty sock tasting ones yet.
So I tried kombucha for the first time today. I saw some great looking flavors but I had to limit them down. I didnt want caffeine or stevia. I picked a real winner. This stuff is fantastic. It literally tastes like a lambic (if there are any beer fans here.) 60 calories and 12g sugar in the bottle…nice tart cherry taste…loving this one! Are there any decent deals on Amazon? I generally find liquids aren’t that cheap on amazon due to shipping.
) as I still want to live after drinking it.
