Kombucha Saturday - Reviewing Local North Carolina Kombuchas on the Blockchain

Why not?

I love kombucha, it is a delicious drink and there’s a whole scene forming around it. Nowadays I see many different brands and flavors in the wild and it feels like each brewery has their own approach.

The whole thing is starting to remind me of the craft beer scene. Except kombucha is (mostly) alcohol free and healthy. You can drink it at any hour. This is more convenient for regular drinking.

We have lots of Beer Saturday posts but so far as I know there has never been a Kombucha Saturday, until now.

Review Method

Kombucha can be an intense experience. I drank these two flavors on separate days so that I could be fresh and alert for each one.

In each case I’ll start by reviewing the experience of the kombucha and then at the end I’ll assign it a score out of 10. Both of today’s brews are coming from Raleigh’s own (technically Cary’s own) Tribucha.

Kombucha #1: Controlled Burn

Here’s my set up for kombucha-ing on day one:

I got the weed too because it just seemed appropriate.

Upon opening the can, the smell is all ginger. As I pour it into the glass, the aroma opens up to reveal the turmeric and a hint of cayenne.

At first there was a lot of foam, right up to the top of the glass. It was gone within 30 seconds.

Looks like fizzy grapefruit juice but a shade closer to apple juice.

The first taste is a wallop to the face. The ginger and cayenne join forces and assault my senses, it’s a lot like doing a straight ginger shot. Intense.

If that scares you, this is not a drink for you. If that excites you, this is definitely a drink for you. It’s an intense one, the ginger tang and cayenne spice make me feel alert and cleansed. This is an alternative to espresso for the afternoon pick-me-up.

As I continue drinking, the intensity goes away and the turmeric comes out in the flavor. By the end it’s more mellow and turmeric-forward. This is a great journey through the drink.

Overall I give Tribucha’s Controlled Burn a 8/10. It’s a great experience, though it would be improved by more of the kombucha itself being present in the flavor. I am curious how they can take this to the next level flavor-wise without sacrificing any of the intensity.

This is definitely one of my go-to flavors from now on.

Kombucha #2: Flowers of Life

This kombucha promises to be a more soothing experience than the ginger/cayenne blend. In here we have honeysuckle, hibiscus, and rose. Will it help me chill? Let’s find out.

Much less foam on this one despite the same pouring technique as the last one.

You can see the color better on this photo - it looks a lot like beer, but with a hint of grapefruit color, i.e. red. The smell here is opposite the previous drink, this one is lots of kombucha tea flavor with only hints of the other flavors. Honeysuckle is the immediate note on the smell, with hibiscus lurking behind it.

Upon sipping, the kombucha again takes center stage but the hibiscus is much more present as well. It feels mildly fruity, with the honey coming in on the tail end.

It’s remarkably refreshing, the kind of drink you want after coming in from a hot day. This seems like a great replacement for sugary soda drinks because it feels like it hits the same craving of fizz and perceived sweetness.

On the longer aftertaste, it started to taste a little like artificial sweetener (even though the drink is organic). The light lingering sweetness just sat weird with my palette.

Overall I would give this a 7/10, a good refreshing flavor that pretty much anybody who likes kombucha will enjoy. It’s a safe pick if you are buying kombucha for a group or just don’t want to think too much about your drink.

The hibiscus + kombucha combo didn’t quite do it for me to be honest but I think other people might enjoy it a lot.

Final Thoughts

I love kombucha!! This was fun and I already have Tribucha’s other two flavors (including cocoa coffee) in my fridge ready for next Saturday’s Kombucha Review post.

Have you had any of these? What do you think of them?