G.T. Kombucha

Yesterday I was in an area of downtown Montreal that I don’t regularly shop at, but I decided on a whim to grab a drink and a snack for my metro ride home and I saw a bunch of new (to me, anyway) GT Kombucha flavours at the grocery store. So, I actually ended up with a backpack stuffed with bottles of kombucha for the ride home…

Honestly, this was pretty good! I think it’s probably pretty spot on for what you’d assume a strawberry kombucha would taste like – or, at least, it was for me anyway. Thick and a little jammy from the fruit juice used in making it, but that more dense sweetness is immediately balanced out by a kick of tangy, sour kombucha vinegar. In some ways, it almost had a balsamic kind of vibe? But, unlike the Blueberry Pomegranate kombucha I had recently from Cove, this time it was more of a good thing. Like a nice funk to it, instead of the sensation of drinking straight balsamic vinegar…

It feels almost shameful that out of all the different commercial/grocery store accessible kombucha out there that I still haven’t tried this classic one that is in practically every grocery store…

Well, until now anyway. I made the realization that I still hadn’t tried this, and I finally bought a bottle. I can see and understand why it’s one of the most classic/iconic kombuchas in grocery because the taste is pretty pleasant. It’s kind of got a hint of lemon with a pleasant red berry flavour and the tiniest bit of ginger in the backend. I believe the red berry flavour is supported to be raspberry, but this has that sort of generic red berry taste where I’d probably believe you if you told me it was raspberry, strawberry or really any other red berry. Nothing about it necessarily stood out to me as really great or really bad and I think that in general that sort of “safe” feeling taste is what makes for a highly commercial flavour – especially when it comes to something like kombucha which can already be a huge turn off to people who are new to it because of the acidic/vinegar funk.

I’d buy it again, but definitely much lower on my list that some of my other grocery available favourites.

I have to say this vinegar soda they call kombucha is starting to grow on me. I don’t really consider it tea and it’s still a little too sharp to chug down an entire bottle but there’s definitely something addictive about it.

This one was really delicious. It tastes closer to real juice than other kombuchas I’ve tried. It’s like mango nectar with a little fizziness and added tang. A few sips of this made me feel a lot less stuffed after a heavy meal so perhaps there’s something to the purported probiotic/gut benefits of kombucha after all.

I’m surprised that I rated this so low the last time I had it because I was very into the bottle that I had earlier this week. I’m not sure if I’ve ever described the mouthfeel of a kombucha as “thick” before, but this was a thick kombucha. Ripe and highly natural sweet mango juice notes with a pleasant tang and acidity from the kombucha vinegar. Could have been a bit more fizzy/fermented, but honestly solid.

Need to go back and reread that old tasting note so I can see what didn’t click the first time.

I went Halloween Costume shopping yesterday because dressing up at work is a REALLY big deal in our office and I wanted to build my own costume instead of buying one – I’m going as Mr. Clean, which is pretty hilarious (if I do say so myself) because I have a VERY clean shaven head. Finding completely white pants was a big struggle, but I ended up getting the bottoms from a set of white scrubs, so I think that’ll work…

While shopping, I also saw that the store had expanded their kombucha shelf to include a bunch of new flavours – so I bought a bottle of each of the four new ones that I saw, this included. I don’t think this is actually a new flavour, just new to the store.

I’m drinking it now and honestly? It’s kind of weird. Not really in terms of flavour; it’s basically like a tangy/sour mango or mango puree type of taste which is actually really good tasting. It’s even thick and cloudy orange from the actual mango mixed into it. The weird part is that it was a completely sealed bottle but it’s hard fizzy at all. Like, this might actually be the least fizzy kombucha that I have ever drank – and I’ve even tried a bunch of things from this company specifically and they all have more fizz to them.

Is it even kombucha without the fizz? I’m struggling to feel that way…

Had this with lunch today…

I’m slightly torn because this just reminds me of a sort of generic “red berry” type of drink with the usual kombucha vinegary quality; less so anything distinctly cranberry. I want to be frustrated by that, since what I was really craving WAS the cranberry. However, I also just think it tastes really good even if it’s not accurate to me? So can’t really be that frustrated with it.

Welp.

(Also, it’s not as good as the grape flavour that this companies carries!)

I was pretty sure I’d tried this flavour before when I saw it at the grocery store but I couldn’t remember when so I grabbed a bottle just in case. I just went through my last tasting note though and it was six years ago! Holy smokes! No wonder I was struggling to remember when.

It seems like last time I drank this I was really struggling with the sourness of the kombucha vinegar, but this time around that didn’t phase me at all. That’s a fun reminder of both how palates change over time, but also acclimation to polarizing/acquired flavours. Six years ago I would have very much been a kombucha baby since I put off trying kombucha for a very, very long time since I wasn’t sure if I was allergic to it or not (long story). Now I quite often find myself disappointed when kombucha doesn’t have that strong sour funk.

Anyway – I really enjoyed this. The guava flavour is really spot on, but not sweet/cloying like so many guava drinks tend to be. I thought the balance with the kombucha vinegar was really nice!

More kombucha!

So, the store where I normally buy my prebottled kombucha from just increased their offerings tenfold, and now I can get this flavour there as well. In the past I’ve had and enjoyed the Divine Grape flavour from this brand so I was excited to see another fruity option to try. Plus, I do really like guava flavoured stuff generally speaking.

This one was alright; it tasted a lot like guava so I think anyone looking for that flavour profile would be really pleased with what they were getting. The only thing that really stopped me from completely getting into this one was honestly just the sourness. I don’t mean the normal, almost apple cider vinegar like tang that kombucha usually has; but just like sheer sourness the same way you get from sucking on a lemon slice. It was a little overwhelming and I would have personally appreciated something a little more mellow and refreshing or just balanced out with multiple fruit flavours instead of this one bright, piercing guava note.

I’ve been humming and hawing over trying this for a long time. Then I picked up a case (of 6) at Costco on a whim. That is how I purchase most of the stuff I get at Costco. Go in for a few things and come out with a giant cart full. Sigh.

When looking at the glass bottle there is quite a bit of “sediment” on the bottom of the bottle. It appears to be a cloud of floating (presumably) bacteria. It says directly on the bottle “Do Not Shake” . Which I find counter-intuitive because seeing that sediment on the bottom makes me want to mix it all up. But I do find it odd because if you are not supposed to shake the bottle then presumably you are not supposed to ingest the floating cloud. So it is a little tricky drinking this. I find you don’t get to actually finish the whole drink because you cant get at the liquid without getting the cloud sediment.

On opening the bottle there is a sound of releasing carbonation with a bit of fizz that releases. The drink is not carbonated but that is the best way to describe it.

It tastes like ginger but not as strong as I thought it would be. There is some sweetness but it is not overpowering. It really reminds me more of a ginger-lemonade if that is something that exists. There is a definite fermented taste to the drink. The ingredients list tea. But does not describe what kind of tea other than to say it is organic. I presume it to be black tea. I am not tasting much tea in the flavour. It has a taste very similar to the malt in beer. But it doesn’t taste like beer, just the malt part. There is a strong yeast smell to the drink which is throwing me off a bit.

Overall this is good. I had never tried a bottled kombucha before. I am not sure I will re-purchase this one. I would most likely try other flavours.

Picked up a bottle of the original kind. I just wanted kombucha all of the sudden.

This didn’t really taste like much. I prefer the Gingerberry kind. Ginger and kombucha were a match made in heaven. This plain kind was okay. It was something healthy to drink, and it wasn’t gross by any stretch. But I think if I’m going to drop the $4 for a single bottle of this stuff, I want it to be more memorable.

As previously stated, I brew my own kombucha now, but it’s with a SCOBY made from this tea here, and when I travel to the States in December, we’ll be picking up enough of this to last us the two weeks. I just see homebrewed kombucha being an issue at the border.

This was lovely, sweet without being too sweet, just a touch of tart, and all around lovely. Though if you are new to kombucha, I recommend trying one of their flavored blends first, as booch can take some getting used to.

Sipdown!
Ahh nicce guava goodness :) Definitely one that I’ll repurchase next time I find myself at a Fresh & Easy or Whole Foods :) But dang, I love the ones with chia seeds in it already.

ALSO SCREAMING BECAUSE I’M DONE WITH FINALS AND I START WITH DISNEY TOMORROW. Well technically today since it’s 12:21 in the morning
AHHH DISNEEEEYYYYY

Dude. I definitely feel like kombucha is an acquired taste.
Personally, I don’t lie straight kombucha. This is my sister’s favourite one from GT, but I prefer my kombucha with chia seed since I feel like it takes a bit of the vinegar-y/acidic taste.
This is good! I like guava so much more than the gingery Trilogy.
I’ve decided to just add chia seed to the bottles of kombucha in the fridge. Makes it much tastier :)

Ahh yes. First cup of tea for the day because today was so freakin busy okay.
I didn’t get to my morning matcha so I was like falling asleep in class dang :/

But yeah. This is… okay. It’s very ginger-y and weird and ahh just drinking it to get rid of it

In other news, I think I pulled a muscle and I’m like limping all over the house right now.
I’ve got a midterm tomorrow and I barely studied.
I have lunch reservations for RKR, the student-run restaurant on campus (I’ll be taking that class next year!), and I’ve had those reservations for MONTHS now, and like half my party bailed on me today even when I asked them last week they said they’d be there.
I seem to be the only one who understands how to map for our anthro project and everyone’s emailing me and I’m like I HAVE OTHER THINGS TO TEND TO. GOODBYE.
I’m not even going to study for one of my midterms cuz I’ll need a 65% to pass that class with an A.
I have a nasty attitude when I get stressed out and I feel like everyone hates me because I don’t want to help them. Am v sorry. Going to tend to my needs first. kthxbai.

DISNEY IN LESS THAN TEN. ANOTHER THING TO STRESS OVER WOW.

You know, I keep forgetting that Kombucha is tea!
I personally prefer the ones with chia in it cuz I sorta love the texture.
This is the first time I’ve had regular non-chia Synergy.

I saw wee specks of silver stuff at the bottom of this and shook the bottle, not expecting it to explode on me! My sister told me that the ones with chia are the ones that are slightly carbonated, but I didn’t expect the regular ones with be carbonated as well haha. But still, I managed to shake it up a bit and pour it over ice as I watch Iron Man :)

Umm.. yeah this isn’t the greatest kombucha I’ve tasted. It tastes like… GINGER. YES. PINK CARBONATED GINGER. Sister loves it though and she just left, dang. Ahh well, I’ll just finish up this glass and I’ll just drink it little by little over the week :)

Kombucha is tea!

So I got a bottle of the Original. And poured about 1/4 of it into a cup to try. (New things every 2-4 weeks, don’t ya know.)

It tastes like super mild apple cider! The really yeasty stuff my mom gets!

SOLD.

Used the rest of the bottle, tea (Assam Mangalam from Zen Tea and Nepal Black from DavidsTea), and sugar, to start my own culture!

Apparently you can use flavoured teas? Ooo… the possibilities are endless.

I will definitely be making an apple kombucha. And serving it to my mom. Just to see what she thinks.

Update on this weird little concoction: It’s making me verrrrry sleepy and drowsy, and I only drank maybe a fifth of the bottle. The label says that it contains a “trace amount of alcohol,” so just be careful if you are planning to try kombucha anytime soon, and definitely don’t drink it and then drive, or use it to try to wake up in the morning! Thank God I waited until I got home to open it and don’t have anywhere else to be today.

My first real Kombucha!

This is a very unique tea product. It’s like having a soda. It’s bubbly. There are also little bits of the SCOBY at the bottom.

I mostly taste the ginger. This doesn’t really feel like drinking tea at all. It’s a very earthy, very raw, very strange experience.

Probably won’t buy another one of these. It’s a little too out there for me. Even though I know it’s super good for you.

Oh well.

Upon arriving in FL I was immediately slammed with allergies, almost instant overall irritation & swelling, along with sinus & bronchial crap. This happens every time I come to visit my folks. My healing plan has been rest, stay in air conditioning, Nettles & Elderberry teas, & a daily pint of Kombucha, sipped throughout the day, because my guts hurt too. I’m finally getting my appetite back, & starting to feel better.

I like this kombucha. So far this has been the only flavor I’ve liked, & I love ginger, so that should be no surprise. I also got a bottle of GT’s Third Eye Chai, which I’ll probably report on tomorrow.

I love this stuff!
I don’t drink it all the time, but I did buy a case a few days ago.
As a person who believes that we are all walking talking SCOBYs (that means Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria & Yeast), I think it’s important to make sure the cultures you’re made of are healthy. I think Kombucha can support that health, but with my own personal history of addiction, I was a little nervous about drinking Kombucha at first. Some brands are pretty ‘hoochie’, if you know what I mean, but GTs Kombuchas have been consistently awesome. This is really the only flavor I like, being a ginger fanatic, but it is VERY good! I drink it occasionally with a meal, especially when I’ve been going out to eat too often, or when I feel that my immune system is fighting something. Both of those apply this morning. I’m also eating a bowl of my homemade Kimchi, for the same reason. It’s loaded with life, very tangy!

I got a $50 Whole Foods gift card with credit card points, so I’m using it to buy the things I don’t buy because I’m cheap like coconut milk yogurt and my favorite frozen mac and cheese and local juice and oh yeah kombucha.

How many times have I walked past the cooler of kombucha and drinks with chia seeds floating in them and really thought about it…plenty.

…this actually isn’t bad. I figured my best bet would be something with fruit to at least try it out and yeah, I can handle this. It’s only 5% juice but it’s still pretty juicy, like a smoothie. Granted it’s puree and not juice so that helps.

It does have the slightly acidic, tangy, vinegar taste that I was fearful of but it actually isn’t that bad. Granted, when I want to get a reeeeeally nice beer I hop for something fruity and Belgian, and those tend to be pretty sour. So it’s kind of like drinking one of those that’s had the alcohol nearly removed and comes with more fruit.

And it is making me oddly feel better, because I have been sleeping nearly all day hoping not to get sick. I don’t know if preventative hibernation really does anything, but that’s why I have this, the juice, and a cold remedy tea. Just in case. Worst thing that happens they help out my allergy meds.

I think I may be willing to try a plain one sometime soon, especially if this really helps me feel better. Now if only it could ask for a test review sheet since I missed the class on Thursday due to napping too long. Wahhh.

This is honestly my favorite commercial Kombucha. If you don’t have time to brew it at home, GTs Classic Original is as good as it gets.

The original was a bit too much for me, but I did enjoy the strawberry one much more.