It seems like whenever I scan my Instagram feed, pictures of “kombucha” drinks keep appearing. You can read all about kombucha on Wikipedia – basically it appears to be some sort of very healthy drink that includes enzymes, probiotics and antioxidants. It’s fermented and I have been told that all of the brands may include some very small amount of alcohol (there are some that have more alcohol as well).
I wanted to try a Kombucha beverage so I headed to Whole Foods. The kombucha drinks are in the aisle with the raw food snacks at the WF in Austin. From what I can tell, the most popular brand is Synergy Drinks. There are a number of varieties and Synergy offers versions for 21+ and for all ages.
I must have timed my trip perfectly because a WF employee was in the aisle looking at the drinks. I asked her if she knew anything about the kombucha drinks and she said she drinks at least one a day. Score! She gave me a 10-minute overview (seriously) of the different varieties. Another reason I love WF – such awesome customer service. She said the Gingerade was the most popular. I put a bottle in my basket and headed onward.
As I was getting ready to check out, I noticed a demo station for a local Kombucha brand, “Buddha’s Brew”. The local Austin company produces a number of varieties and the woman who helped me earlier said that the grape was a good place to start.
The person demo’ing the Buddha’s Brew kombucha drinks was knowledgeable and explained that his drinks only have a trace amount of alcohol. I took a sample cup of the Grape and gave it a try. To me it had a slight alcohol taste but overall it wasn’t bad. It definitely has a “need a few to get used to it” taste but with the supposed health benefits, I could see grabbing one about once a week.
I even saw a few varieties of the Synergy brand that had a load of chia seeds inside! Not sure I am ready for that just yet 
If there are any brands of kombucha that you like, please leave a comment – would appreciate any feedback!
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I LOVE LOVE LOVE Kombucha! Although, I for first timers I wouldn’t recommend Gingerade. I think the Synergy Passionberry tastes like Kool-aid. Mango is great and Trilogy is my FAVORITE! Every time I drink it I imagine little scrubbing bubbles for my insides
You must live in Texas, I just moved here!
Hi Allen! This is my first visit to your blog, and I’m so happy that I found it. I’m on an ever-healthier lifestyle kind of journey myself, so it’s cool to see someone else discovering all of this stuff “out loud”. Anyway, kombucha rocks! Since you are in Austin, you should definitely check out Wunder-Pilz. (http://www.wunder-pilz.com/) This stuff is locally brewed in small batches, and available on tap at a lot of places in town, including farmers markets. It doesn’t have added sugar, so it’s a little less sweet than Bhudda’s Brew and some others, but I really like it’s crispy taste. Nice to meet you, Allen!
Nice to meet another Austin resident Mary – your blog looks great and thanks for the recommendation! We should meet sometime