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!