Escarpment Kombucha Co.

Added pineapple sparkling water to this and somehow that highlighted the habanero hot sauce. It’s honestly so odd.

Ordered from my local kombucha place again for the first time in probably a year or so because of this seasonal flavour – a combo of pineapple and habanero hot sauce. It actually has a bit of a kick which made this pretty tasty. The company recommended adding sparkling water to it so I’ll try that with my next glass.

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I don’t love this one. I think it’s something with the mint aspect. I expected it to be more crisp but it was a bit of a muddled mess. I had high hopes for this one but it fell short. It was fine but not a favorite.

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This last cup was not as good as the other two I had of this. Perhaps because I didn’t drink it right away but it just seemed like the honey sweetness was weirdly distinct from the more sour kombucha. That was never the case prior so that’s odd and a sad way to finish this off. It’s not bad but it’s just always been better.

Guess I was having a honey day while steepster was down yesterday because in addition to my smoothie with wild honey matcha, I broke the seal on my haskap honey kombucha. I think this was the flavor I was most excited for because I love honey/honey-flavoured things. It definitely has a honey quality to it. Also a tree sap quality which pairs well. Of course there is also the sourness from the fermentation but there is less of that here as it’s tempered by the sweeter ingredients. Alas, this one is seasonal because it’s up there with Peach Rosemary (which of course is also seasonal) as one of my favourites.

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I had this one with dinner. My brother-in-law had a sip though he preferred the peach one. I am getting used to having daily kombucha which is a problem as I am almost out.

I am not sure what sumac should taste like but I did get blackberry. This was nice enough. Blackberry isn’t a flavor I have often so I don’t know if I would reorder this but it was still good.

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I’ve been drinking this all day and am now finishing it off while eating skittles and attempting to watch the new Mulan.

This morning I swore it was a whole lot of rose. This will sound odd but if someone named a kombucha flavor “pink” that’s what I got this morning. Now, paired with skittles, the rhubarb is coming out more and it’s a touch more sour. I’d say this is better than the Cherry but not as good as the Lemon Ginger or Peach Rosemary.

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Sad one to see go since it was a seasonal flavour and thus no longer an option. Their current seasonal flavour is turmeric chai and I’m not sure how I feel about that.

This one always has such a fresh and ripely sweet peach flavour to it. It’s natural tasting and kept from being overly sweet or one note by the vinegar-ish base and the rosemary bit. I’d highly recommend this one if it were still available.

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Finished this off with out Philly cheesesteak dinner. My brother-in-law also had a glass with dinner after trying it at breakfast and enjoying it.

It’s nice. Really nice. Fresh peaches pairs perfectly with the vinegar-like sourness of the kombucha. All rounded out by rosemary. I’d get this one again, especially now that I know that my brother-in-law is also a fan.

Rosemary has been growing on me because the rosemary is strong in this one and I don’t mind at all. Plus, at first I didn’t think I was getting peach but what I realized as I kept drinking was I was not getting the overly sweet peach flavor and instead got a peach flavor that was true to the fruit.

The other day I put fresh peaches on a sesame bagel with maple cream cheese. After I finished, I thought to myself that it would have been improved if I used one of our rosemary sea salt bagels. This kombucha is sort the tea version of how I thought that would taste, minus the maple of course. I am a fan.

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I was worried about the cedar in this one but honestly there isn’t a lot of it. That wouldn’t be an issue for me personally except there also isn’t as much sour cherry as I hoped for. It still tastes good but the lemon ginger was better.

I’m always on the lookout for local companies and cool offerings near where I live. Those were super easy to come by when I lived downtown Montreal or worked downtown Toronto. Now I am in a small city near Hamilton, Ontario which makes things a little harder, but I have found some interesting stuff. A cupcake bakery, chocolate shop, and hamburger joint springs to mind first.

One interesting find is Escarpment Kombucha Co. I am not actually a kombucha fan but I have a friend from school who loves it and Roswell Strange has been into it for a while now. That, plus the company uses locally sourced ingredients in small-batch brews and delivers them right to your home, peaked my interest. I bought all their flavors, except for Raspberry Lavender because I don’t like Lavender. So the list of flavors I do have are: Haskap Honey, Blackberry Sumac, Rhubarb Rose, Peach Rosemary, Blueberry Mint, Sour Cherry Cedar, and Lemon Ginger x 2.

The Lemon Ginger is what they recommend for those who have not had kombucha before so it seemed like a good place to start. It’s good. It’s really fresh. This is what I feel like super fresh ginger infused lemonade would taste like…if someone used lemon vinegar (which is very much a real and tasty thing) as the base instead of lemon juice. I am doing a shitty job at describing it but I promise, it’s good.

As far as kombucha goes, this is the best of the few I have tried. With that said, I don’t think I am suddenly a huge kombucha fan now, but I won’t have an issue drinking this (and the other bottle of this flavor I have as well). It also has me excited to try the other flavors. I was worried I would have one mouthful of this and then dread having to have anymore and I would regret buying them. As it is, I am happy to explore the other flavors and can see how someone who already enjoys kombucha would love this. Roswell Strange, I wish I could send you a bottle (though maybe not of this flavor since the ginger is definitely present and I know that is not your favorite)!