My Top 10 Favorite Kombuchas (Reliably Good!)

Today, I'm celebrating my ten year boochiversary! Ten years ago, I discovered the amazingness that is kombucha. OK, I should actually back up a sec. When I first tried it, I didn't actually like it. I thought it tasted vinegary and weird. But then, after time, something magical happened. I tried another flavor ("Gateway Grape" as I used to call GT's Divine Grape) and I was hooked.

WHY do I love kombucha so much? For one thing, it's healthy. When my body feels a smidge rundown, it asks me - in no uncertain terms - for a kombucha. In my experience, it's rejuvenating, immune-boosting, and restorative. However, it's also just a reaaaaally yummy thing to sip and savor. I enjoy my kombucha as some might enjoy a fine wine. A really good booch is a thing of pure heavenly perfection . . . but a bad one can be devastating. 

I mean, let's say you're dying for a booch fix. You need one bad. Real bad. We've all had days like that, where we just need a nice cold band-aid for what ails us, right? You go to the store, buy a kombucha, and then BAM. It's as flat as a sidewalk. SO sad! So, here's what I've learned - when you really need a good kombucha, rely on the ones you know are going to deliver. Hence, this post! That's how much I love you. : ) 

Tess's top 10 reliable favorites:

1. If you're new to kombucha, a good one to start with is GT's strawberry. It tastes like fizzy strawberry candy. I consider it to be the new Gateway Grape.

2 and 3. If you're lucky enough to live somewhere you have access to Kombucha 221bc, they make some pretty epic booch. My two favorite flavors are the ginger and orange turmeric cinnamon. Oh how I miss them since I moved back to Colorado!!

4. This next one, I really turned a corner on about a year ago. I never understood why this was a best-seller until I realized it was ALWAYS fizzy. You gotta respect that in a booch. No bad days for Trilogy.

5 and 6. If you're ever in Denver, you simply must make a trip to Happy Leaf kombucha bar. YES A KOMBUCHA BAR AND YES I ALMOST DIED WHEN I FOUND OUT. (I was brought back to life with kombucha, obviously) You can get a kombucha flight (right??!!), but my favorite is their salted grapefruit. It's heaven. 

However, in all fairness, I ALWAYS get a flight there, and then I get a glass of my favorite flavor from the flight. If they're out of the salted grapefruit, there's invariably another flavor I'm excited to have more of. So, the official recommendation here is a flight AND a glass of their best, which is often the salted grapefruit!

And I highly recommend hanging out at the bar, and enjoying your kombucha along with some nibbles (they have some great vegan items on their menu). Plus, their staff has never been anything short of delightful!

7. I waited til now to tell you I'm celebrating this Boochiversarry with my dear friend/cousin/soul sister/fellow booch addict, Stacia Aashna. This next kombucha is one that she suggested I include. As I mentioned earlier, some people don't like kombucha due to the vinegary taste. This next variety, made by Live Soda, is sweeter, without a trace of vinegar flavor. 

Personally, I've come to prefer a more tart kombucha over the last few years, but in all fairness, Live Soda was my favorite for a long time. They really reminded me of the sodas I grew up on. My favorites were the root beer, lemon-lime, and most notably, the cola, as I was a diet cokehead all through my youth - and this really took me back!

8. Another GT flavor I totally rely on is Passionberry. The passion part (from passionfruit) takes me back to the time I lived in Hawaii, while the berry part is from blackberries, my absolute favorite kind of berry! And again, I've yet to have a Passionberry let me down in the fizzy department. Always a good time.

9 and 10. Disclaimer: Two of my favorite GT flavors are ones I hesitate to mention, because I've been let down many times. It's really a crapshoot with these two. About 37% of the time, they're flat. But when they're good, they're really really goooooood. So, I gamble. 

Plus, I have a little trick to increase my odds of finding out how fizzy they'll be. First of all, I look to see if any of them have bubbles or foam where the liquid ends at the top. Then I very gently shake (GENTLY!!!) to see how much action I get. If that little nudge-shake movement yields some bubbles and promise, I bite the bullet and gamble my life away. Have you ever had a really good, fizzy Guava Goddess? Totally worth all those other times. BLISS.

So that's it. I've had other great kombuchas in my day, but none I can give my pure, unwaivering endorsement to. I haven't been paid (even in kombucha, which is kind of tragic) to write this, I just wanted to share with you - so that you too can feel confident when choosing a booch. 

Celebrate with me? Get a kombucha (or three) today and share a photo of yourself with your favorite flavor. 

Thanks so much for stopping by - and CHEERS! : )

XO 
Tess

p.s. I haven't made my own in a while, but I plan to start again very soon. When I do, I'll refer back to my step-by-step guide on how to make your own at home! It's cheap, easy, and fun!

Kombucha Making...Made Simple!

Hey there, kombucha lovers! I hope you're enjoying the long weekend. Me, I'm doing great - except for the fact that I haven't had a kombucha in 2 days. That's pretty much a world record for me, considering how addicted I've become! But, my little glass bottles filled with kombucha are fizzing up and should be ready to drink within a day or two. Ah, sweet relief.

Lately, I've been getting asked this question fairly often: "How do you make kombucha?" Followed by "Is it hard? Do you have to tend to it several times a day or week?" So, I've decided to just write out the instructions as simple and directly as possible. I'm a keep-it-simple kind of girl, and I find that far too often instructions give you t.m.i. (too much information) and confuse you right into giving up. But, the truth is that making kombucha couldn't be easier! And, for those who are new to this wonderful beverage, kombucha has been associated with everything from anti-aging benefits to curing cancer to just plain rejuvenation. Whatever your reasons for drinking kombucha may be, I think you'll find that it feels great in your system and is a fantastic, healthy beverage to incorporate into your life.

Tess's Kombucha 101

1. Score a scoby. What's a scoby, you ask? It's a starter mushroom that you'll need. I find that if you ask, you'll very often receive. So, just put the word out in your community (and at your local health food store) and see if anyone has a starter for you. They probably will. You should also receive a little liquid with your scoby. This is your starter liquid.
2. To make a gallon jug of kombucha: Boil 3 quarts of water. Add 2 tablespoons plus one teaspoon of organic black or green tea. Add one cup of organic sugar to the hot tea, stir, and let cool. Remove the tea bags.
3. Wash your hands very well (it is very important that every step of the kombucha-making process be clean and sanitary - and the containers you use should always be sanitized as well). Place the kombucha starter (scoby and liquid) in a gallon size glass container. Add the cooled sugar-tea mixture.
4. Cover the opening with a cloth or organic paper towel. Place a rubber band around it to secure. This is to keep air flowing through to the kombucha (and it will also prevent any bugs from entering). Place in a cool (room temperature), dark place for 10 days. Don't move or disturb it, as it's pretty antisocial during that time. It will also start forming a cute white baby scoby on top of the mixture. At first, you might even think it looks like mold. Leave that baby alone and go about your business.
5. After 10 days, you'll want to check it every day or two to see if it has become perfection. What you're looking for is the perfect sweet-sour flavor. If you want really sweet kombucha, you can let it ferment for less time. However, the longer you let it ferment, the less sweet it will become (and healthier, in my opinion). However, don't let it get too sour or you'll end up with kombucha vinegar! Find that fine line. And, of course, you'll want to be sanitary about testing the kombucha. Enough said.
6. Once your kombucha is at just the right level of sweet-sour-ness, you'll need to take immediate action. With your very clean hands, remove the scoby(s) and wash well under room temperature water. Place in a clean glass container along with about 2 cups of the kombucha liquid. That will be your new scoby starter and starter liquid.
7. Do you have several old GT (Synergy) kombucha bottles that have been sanitized (run through the dishwasher, for example)? Good, you'll need them. Place the rest of the kombucha in your old GT kombucha bottles this way: Fill each bottle with the kombucha liquid, leaving about two inches of space at the top.
8. Now for the fun part! The fizz part. Place another one inch of juice in each bottle (so that you still have one inch of space at the top). You can try grape juice, cranberry-pomegranate juice, fresh berry juice (blackberry, strawberry, or blueberry), and/or ginger juice. Or any other kind of natural, organic juice that sings to you. Finally, cap each bottle tightly and set aside in a cool dark place (at room temperature) for several days. Personally, I find that four days is the perfect amount of time to let the kombucha become fizzy paradise. However, if you prefer your kombucha less fizzy, you can let it sit for less time. From there, place the bottles into the fridge. Once cold, follow your bliss and drink up!
9. Do it all over again...and once you get too many scoby starters, spread the love!

I hope that helps, and be sure to let me know how your kombucha adventure goes!