These Weird New Kombucha Flavors Are Also Surprisingly Delicious

Kombucha companies are producing the beverages in unique new flavors. (Photo: Emily Sundberg for Yahoo Health)

As far as trendy health drinks go, kombucha’s pretty high up there when it comes to popularity (right next to coconut water and green juice).

Kombucha is made with tea, sugar, and what’s known as a SCOBY (a symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast). While the fermented drink, on its own, tastes slightly sweet and tart and has a vinegar smell, you can also buy the beverage with juice added (to make the taste more palatable). Health experts also recommend buying the drink instead of making it on your own, because home brewing is often done in nonsterile conditions (making contamination and subsequent health issues possible). You can buy pasteurized and unpasteurized versions of kombucha.

Even though science has yet to back up all of the purported health benefits of kombucha — such as cancer prevention, improved liver functioning and stimulated immune system — the beverage does have B vitamins and antioxidants, points out registered dietician Ellie Krieger in a Washington Post column. And raw and unpasteurized kombucha is high in probiotics, which are good for gut health.

Related: Why the Kombucha Craze Is Here to Stay

Now that kombucha has hit a fever pitch, supermarket shelves are exploding with new brands, many of which are producing some interesting flavors. But how do they taste? The Yahoo Health team tried out five, running the gamut from super sweet to surprisingly floral. Check out our thoughts below.

búcha Verbena Rose Kombucha (organic, flash-pasteurized)

búcha is a California-based company producing unique flavors of kombucha, with an emphasis on teas and herbs (think Grapefruit Sage and Masala Chai.) In this verbena rose kombucha (which had juice added), the overriding flavors distinguished by our tasters were floral, herby, and bright. With 24 grams of sugar in a bottle, it was sweet, yet the rose petal and lemon verbena flavors helped mitigate that. One taster even described it as “light and fresh.”

Health-Ade Beet (organic, raw)

Brewed in Los Angeles, Health Ade Kombucha is distinguished by its dark tinted packaging. The company says it ferments in super-small batches (2.5 gallons!) to allow for premium control over quality, and flavor only with raw cold-pressed juice from organic produce.” Flavors include Cayenne Cleanse, Carrot, and California Grape, but we tried an interesting bright pink Beet flavor. The impact on our tastebuds was a combination of vinegar-y, bright, savory, and fizzy. This is a less-sweet earthier option, with 5 grams of sugar per bottle.

Related: 7 Kombucha Cocktail and Juice Recipes Just in Time for Summer

O Organics Mango Mint (organic, raw)

Safeway’s line O Organics just recently launched kombucha in six flavors. Heavier and sweeter than the other flavors we tasted, the Mango Mint flavor (kombucha with juice) was compared to “fruity toothpaste” by one of our tasters. Fruity, minty, and sweet were the top words associated with this drink. There are 20 grams of sugar in a bottle.

G.T.’s Kombucha Passionberry Bliss (organic, raw)

Known for the positive quotes on its labels, G.T.’s Kombucha is already familiar to many in the wellness sphere. The variety of flavors (and alcohol contents) make it an accessible and un-intimidating way to enter the kombucha world. The fruity, vinegar-y, and slightly sour flavor we tried (which was kombucha with juice added) was a refreshing blend of passionfruit and blackberries, with 8 grams of sugar per bottle.

Kombucha Dog Just Kombucha (raw, organic)

The moment we got a delivery of these Kombucha Dog flavors in our office, we could not stop obsessing over the adorable labels — and the awesome mission of the company. Each dog featured on the label is in need of an adoptive home, and you can learn more about adopting by going to the Kombucha Dog website. (Sixty-five dogs have found homes in the Los Angeles area, so far!)

But back to the kombucha — we got some clean, fizzy, and vinergar-y vibes from these drinks with 11 grams of sugar.

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