GT's Kombucha Synergy Organic & Raw

 I drink one or two Kombuchas every day when I visit Florida during the winter. It's hard to find a healthy drink other than pure water and this was a welcome discovery. Being a health fanatic I know about the benefits claimed - simply put, fermented foods and drinks have many natural health advantages you won't find elsewhere, though some health gurus advise against fermentation.

 

Either way, the drinks taste like flavored champagne to a degree - never too sweet but with a real zing. The cost is high but you are getting two 8 ounce servings. We have all been spoiled price wise by large soft drinks at low prices - but it's never a bargain when you are poisoning yourself. I'll say it again, it's hard to find a real healthy drink other than pure clean water, and yet, here it is. Fun to drink, easy to digest and more helpful to the human body than any coffee, sport drink, fruit juice (you could argue some juiced vegetables and fruits are more healthy but there is WORK involved) and especially soft drink, this is a find that will take over a segment of the population with what is just a better idea.

So, I got lucky yesterday. And by that I mean I happened to be wandering around Whole Foods during a period of taste-testing. Woohoo!! I quickly found the Kombucha Synergy table (out of recent curiosity and a not so favorable experience) and decided to give it a whirl.

 

My mom and stepdad have been drinking this stuff for a long time now. I think they get a whole case of it from Costco and they really do drink it almost daily. I keep seeing it around and hearing about it here and there and so I asked to try a sip of my mom's one night that I was visiting - the Mango flavor.

 

YUCK! BLEH! PLEGH! (<< It didn't go so well.)

 

I think this initial response was due to some preconceptions on my part and a lack of warning on her part. I really had no idea what this stuff was... and in all its colorful glory, I had anticipated something juice-like. Read: sweet(*ish). Not in the least. Oh, and she didn't really warn on the vinegar aroma. Holy super surprise! Why would anyone want to drink this stuff???

 

There are many acquired tastes in life... coffee, alcohol, etc. and my mom claimed this was just another to add to the list. I, however, could not fathom the day that I would *enjoy* drinking something like this.

 

Yesterday was that day. The woman at the tasting table encouraged me to reuse my little cup and taste a variety of the flavors. She was certain I would like it by the time I finished my sampling. I was still skeptical, but really wanting to join the Kombucha club. So, I tried a few (citrus, strawberry, guava, passionberry and the trilogy one) and MAN! She was right. I listened to all the health benefits and ph-balancing properties of the drink and immediately walked over and returned my Honest Tea (which I LOVE LOVE LOVE) for a Strawberry Kombucha Synergy. No joke.

 

I'm looking forward to trying out some other brands of Kombucha, but I am pretty happy with the Synergy variety right now. I'm also interested to see if I notice a difference in my skin, hair, immune system, appetite, etc.

 

Moral of the story: Be patient with yourself and your taste buds. You'll come around.

The bottle is pretty and I enjoy guava, so I thought I'd give this drink a try with my lunch today.  My lunch today cost more than any other lunch I've had at that particular deli, and when I asked why the cashier told me that Synergy drink was $3 a pop.  Dang!  I expected great things.  So imagine my delight when I opened the bottle that I was hoping to pair nicely with a chicken curry na'anwich, and encountered the strong aroma of vinegar.  YUM!  Not.

Tastes like vinegar too.  I suppose there was a slight aftertaste of guava... I thought maybe my bottle had gone bad, so I googled, "Synergy organic and raw tastes like vinegar" and saw that I was not the only one.  Is it the Kombucha that gives it that strong vinegar odor and flavor?  No idea.  I just know that I wasted $3 today on a drink I cannot drink.

Disgusting.

I am a avid kombucha drinker and do think GT Dave has good intentions.  I do have a bone to pick with the labeling on these bottles.  I'm not sure what is being told is legal.  If it actual cured cancer it should cost a heck of a lot more than three dollars.  I do know that pure love is not an ingredient but must be his idea of black tea and sugar.  The product is decent but if you want to ensure quality you may want to try an other kombucha tea this is more straight forward with their claims.