Kombucha appears to be all the rage right now, with stores stocking more companies and flavors than I’ve ever noticed before, even outside the shelves of my local health food store. What is kombucha? Kombucha is fermented black tea. The fermentation process gives the brew carbonation and bacteria, the good kind of bacteria like in yogurt, which helps the digestive system. Due to the fermentation process, some kombuchas are contain alcohol, and others have gone through processes to filter out this excess alcohol and make it safer for those who don’t partake. Check on the alcohol content of the next bottle of kombucha that you pick up to make sure it’s at a level you prefer.
My favorite Kombucha brand at the moment is GT’s Living Foods, specifically their Enlightened and Synergy series. These teas come in heavy glass bottles with well-designed labels, and those with a white cap contain only trace amounts of alcohol. Not to mention, these teas are available in seemingly every flavor imaginable. Each time I find a store that stock’s GT’s Kombucha, I find a new flavor I haven’t seen before.
The best flavor I’ve tasted is their Synergy Trilogy flavor, which I see most often on the shelves. Trilogy features a trio of fruits and spices, blending raspberries, lemon, and ginger with the bubbly black tea base. This is the perfect balance of sweet and tart that compliments the sour bite of the fermented tea. The fizziness makes this feel like a sweet treat, but it has far less sugar than a can of soda, and more natural ingredients. With black tea, bubbles, and that perfect touch of tartness, this kombucha always makes me feel like celebrating. I can’t speak to how the good bacteria has helped my stomach, as I haven’t noticed a drastic change, but drinking the tea does do wonders for my morale.
Some of the other flavors I’ve had an opportunity try include:
- Trilogy – I’ve already waxed poetic about this flavor, see above.
- Gingerade – Less fruity, with more lemon and a spicier ginger kick, a great flavor for fans of ginger beer soda.
- Limited Edition Liberty – This blend came out for 4th of July, and features a blend of watermelon, cherry, and lime. It’s a fun limited edition, but the fruit is a bit too delicate to hold up against the bold tea base. I think it would have been better with a stronger lime-ade presence.
- Guava Goddess – Tasty, tropical, and pink, this was one of the sweeter blends available with the guava powering through the black tea base.
- Gingerberry – Very similar to the Trilogy flavor, but slightly sweeter with blueberry instead of raspberry, and still a hint of ginger spice.
- Cosmic Cranberry – The tartness of the cranberries work well with the sour tea base. It’s similar to the Trilogy flavor but with more tart zing.
- Multi-Green – Surprisingly nutty and not too grassy at all. Much more savory than the other flavors. Definitely an acquired taste.
- Lavender Love – The brew is almost purple in color from all the lavender. The soft, fragrant florals dance over the top of the sweet/sour tea.
- Lemonade – Most of the blends feature some lemon notes, but this blend is all-lemon, the sour citrus pairing perfectly with the tart tea.
- Mystic Mango – This blend is bright and opaque, full of fresh mango fruitiness. This is like a kicked-up orangina, with hearty sweetness and a burst of bubbles.
Even looking at their website now, I see additional flavors I’m intrigued to try. They even have a whole chia-seed series I haven’t seen before. I’ll have to keep an eye out at my local stores.
If you’re intimidated by the idea of kombucha, give one of GT’s Living Foods many delectable flavors a try and see what new avenues of tea await you.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: GT’s Living Foods (or at your local grocery/health food store)
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Holistic Hearts (Black) Tea from Beleave Teas
Holistic Hearts (Black) Tea from Beleave Teas is the second tea I have had from this company and I have to say both impressions have been positive ones! As soon as I opened the package of this Holistic Hearts (Black) Tea from Beleave Teas I could smell a fruity yet crusty combo – much like a jelly croissant! As you can see from the photo above Holistic Hearts (Black) Tea from Beleave Teas comes in the shape of hearts.
My first infusion of this Holistic Hearts (Black) Tea from Beleave Teas was a lighter to medium black tea liquor in the cup and a semi-sweet and bit of fruity notes on the first few sips. I knew this would be a black tea I would want to infuse multiple times and I am glad I did. I actually prefer my second cup of Holistic Hearts (Black) Tea from Beleave Teas to the first because it was stronger!
The second infusion was much more hardy, more strong, more malty, and a deeper flavor all around. It was like I was drinking to completely different teas and I am ok with that. I love doing a compare and contrast with the multiple infusions.
With the third infusion the tea color was much like the first infusion but the flavor was somewhere in between the first and third infusion taste-wise. The differences in the taste in the third infusion that I didn’t notice in prior infusions was the creamier maltiness rather than a hardy maltiness.
This Holistic Hearts (Black) Tea from Beleave Teas is a real thinker. I like that in a tea. One that makes you think. One that forces you to take your time. Sometimes we all need that, don’t we?
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: Beleave Teas
Description:
Dark Tea and rose petals from the Hunan province of China are compressed into single cup heart shaped pieces. Very smooth with a natural sweetness. Probiotic tea.
Learn more about this tea here.
