First off let me say that my review is biased due to the fact that ownership is family.
Not so many years ago before all of this started it were my sibling and her hubby which introduced me to Kombucha. What I knew of it was some funky Chinese tea like stuff made from a fermented spore and into a drink which supposedly offered greatening feeling of vitality and more. Not like something out of a video game, like invincibility, but a good something you could get from it for the everyday. You can check out Wikipedia for more information about kombucha. During the fermentation process of "buch" there are a great many healthy benefits. Stuff which is naturally created and works to benefit us such as: Probiotics which is good for healthy digestion, boosting metabolism and strengthening immunity. These work with acids to support these functions of digestion and circulation. There are statistics that can be found on the Internet of added benefits folks have experienced from its continued consumption. In regards to myself, I've found that it reduces my craving for sugar, drinking a beer or snacking. Due to fermentation, it's got less than .5 percent of alcohol. Different to a beer, I feel spirited enough to still do stuff but with enough consumption I work to help myself and get a slight buzz during. Good stuff. It's taste and effervescence keep me spirited for those long mornings of work, laying out with people or the occasional long night of writing reviews on Yelp!
From the time I first tasted it, I continued to sample different brands found at the likes of Whole Foods, Trader Joes and stuff found at farmers markets. You'd be surprised the number of folks that make it in their homes. On the West coast, kombucha is a big deal. So big in fact that folks prefer to have it (some are offered with higher alcohol contents) instead of their usual pint of beer. Drinking something which is good for you and giving you a slight buzz, nice! Plus it's got a lot of good shit inside as I stated above. Revive is made with organic fair trade ingredients, its gluten free and vegan, also has low sugar and low caffeine. Those on special diets like GFCF, know there aren't many drink options for you that contain effervescence. Due to Revive's good stuff approach, this is an option. I mean.. yeah you could drink other brands of kombucha also.. But why?
Now I've tasted many of the brands most have seen in stores today. There are two favorites of mine, Revive and the ever popular GTS. (GTS is the easiest to find in Chicago and hopefully soon we may see Revive available there as well, that is as long as people that have tried it are willing to share their thoughts with store management.) After having to serve a day long sentence of juicing lemons at the Revive plant, I like Revive that much more. Couple reasons; which mainly are for taste. Forget that I'm biased and I know the owners. Trust me; I don't get as much free shtuff as you might think. I know, its bogus right? My apologies for wandering off topic, but maybe management will see this review and remedy this for me. Not.
Many purists would say that kombucha should taste alike other kombucha product, which depending on which flavor you try can be kind of "mediciny" or "vinegary". While all kombucha shares that aspect, Revive has a flavor all to their own. A flavor that competitors may try to mimic, but fail in comparison. Which all starts with a black tea which to me is much different than the rest.
Since my short lived stint juicing lemons, I got to try a few other kombucha "flavors" not yet released to the public. Since Kombucha is made in small batches, you know that the people behind its creation process are doing their best to ensure the very best product. Boy, how I wish these other batches were available for everyone, but they are still in the testing phases. What fun is had at the Revive labs, indeed. Maybe one of these days Sean will start allowing people to stop by for tastings but for now, you can get a taste at many Whole Foods locations in and around Santa Rosa / Sonoma county, as well as a few known gourmet markets. I've heard that there is a winery and a restaurant that plan to offer it for their customers as well, so look for it on tap. For more information check them out on Facebook or http://www.revivedrinks.com/ and make sure you click the Like button, but only if you "like" it. Clicking the like button would give you the ability to know about future events, farmers markets and more places Revive would be pouring at. Which are the best places to get in on the fun of sampling. Shameless plug you say and why not. It's hella good shit. Now go get you some and live well.
If you happen to see this review, make sure to check them out at Yelp's Sunset showdown this Sunday June 26th in Richmond, Ca. read more