fermented hippy tea

[jwgh]

A few weeks ago, christychristy suggested that I try Synergy brand fermented kombucha drinks. I did so, and I find them to be a decent soda substitute; although they are almost (but not entirely) completely unlike soda, they are a little fizzy (from the fermentation I assume) and a little sweet (from the fruit), and they are kind of peasant to sip on.

There are various flavors. I think I like the guava kind best, but the raspberry and cranberry ones are also decent, and the strawberry one is acceptable. (The grape one seemed overly vinegary to me, and I've never tried the mango one as christychristy reported that it was vile.)

I was poking around online today to find a picture of the bottle to show some online friends, and I happened across this review, which I found very amusing. (Also, it contains a picture!) There is no doubt that this is pretty strong-tasting stuff and not to all tastes.

The ingredient list for the Raspberry Rush flavor is:

Ingredients:
95% G.T.'s organic raw kombucha, raspberry juice, and 100% pure love!!!

Update: I found the product's official website: http://www.gtskombucha.com/synergy.html

Comments

[peachcrush.livejournal.com]

ha ha, you said "peasant to sip on." :-D

[paracelsvs.livejournal.com]

"Kombucha" sounded slightly too hip to be a real name, so I started looking it up, but then I got distracted by this passage from the wikipedia page:

The popular alternative metal band System of a Down references Kombucha in the song "Sugar" on their self-titled album. Lead vocalist Serj Tankian screams, "The Kombucha Mushroom people sitting around all day."

[paracelsvs.livejournal.com]

I knew it:

It should be noted that what is referred to as kombucha in Japanese is totally different from kombucha in the West. Actually, kombucha literally means "kelp (kombu) tea (cha)". It is a tea-like infusion made from brown kelp. It is not fermented and does not contain parts of the tea plant. It is not sweet, but sometimes it is salted. It tastes like a thin soup and it is a favorite food for convalescence of sick persons who cannot yet eat stronger food. The Japanese name for the drink made from the tea plant is kōcha-kinoko, which means black tea mushroom.

[paracelsvs.livejournal.com]

This is turning out to be pretty hilarious!

It is a little known fact that Paracelsus fermented all the medicinal herbs one could think of with KOMBUCHA. These medicinal herbs fermented with Kombucha were particularly effective.

http://w3.gorge.net/chriss/kombucha.htm

I also like this from the product's FAQ page:

Our Kombucha is delicately cultured - some liken it to fermentation - for 30 days.

I guess some people DO liken fermentation to fermentation.

If it's unpasteurized is it safe?

Kombucha is “hydroponic” which means that it grows in water as opposed to soil. Therefore, it does not have the opportunities for contamination like soil-based foods (i.e. meat, fruit, or vegetables). In addition, Kombucha contains natural anti-bacterial properties that can prevent the presence of unfavorable microbial growth.

It's an anti-bacterial bacterial culture!

[jwgh]

When your product is made of 100% love!!! then all of these contradictions are resolved!