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What does Kombucha taste like? For a first timer, is it better to buy or make your own? If it's better to buy, what brands do you recommend?

I've been reading a lot about Kombucha and it's amazing health benefits. I am very curious to try it, however, the yeasty hockey puck makes it look quite unappetizing.

My first inclination is I will dislike it because I don't like beer. Any thoughts?

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 a lot of people (haters) say it tastes like fizzy vinegar. they might be right, but i love it. i like GT's. save the empties for when you start making your own. :) – g. Dec 18 2011 at 0:04
@grenadine, that's what they say about my water kefir too! I guess you have to be off sugar to like such drinks. – Nance Dec 18 2011 at 0:11
I was afraid to try it too and I don't know if homemade tastes the same as commercial but I did buy a bottle at fresh market one day to see what it was like. I cannot remember the brand but it was flavored with quince and I thought it was delicious. It was fizzy with a very mild flavor, only slightly sweet and very refreshing. – HeatherC Dec 18 2011 at 0:56

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I buy the Synergy Enlightened Kombucha, and the sweet fruity flavors make it taste a lot better (and it only adds about 2 g sugar). My favorite is Strawberry Serenity and Passionberry Bliss. It usually has a vinegar-like taste (like if you get the raw unsweetened kind), but I don't mind this so much because I drink apple cider vinegar on a regular basis. It's carbonated, so don't shake it around and then open it. It does have very low alcohol content and people have actually experienced a buzz similar to a glass of wine when drinking a bottle. However, it does not taste like beer at all. I hate beer but I love the Synergy Kombucha. It's ridiculously expensive though at $3 a bottle at Whole Foods. Although, I did some research before buying a bottle and if this is the first time you're drinking kombucha, start out with 4 oz of the stuff for about 3-4 days. Then increase to 4 oz twice a day then up to 8 oz twice a day. I even asked the Synergy company about this and it is also what they suggest as there have been cases of "detox illness" where your body just can't handle that much detoxification (cold-like symptoms, fatigue, headaches, etc.). Drinking it with water afterwards may also help. I drink mine prior to breakfast in the morning.
I haven't tried making my own but I think it would be good to try it out if you have the necessary supplies.

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 some of the synergy ones have 15g of sugar per serving, and for 2 servings per bottle thats 30g of sugar. Thats close to a can of coke – Payam Dec 18 2011 at 0:42
Good point, Payam. This is why I think I'm going to have to make my own. All the store-bought brands that I can find still have way too much sugar in them. – PaleoDel Dec 18 2011 at 1:36
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 Why would you buy the ones with 15g of sugar...? My favorite one, Strawberry Serenity, has 4 g sugar per serving. The raw organic one has only 2 g sugar per serving. – April S.♦ Dec 18 2011 at 1:52
Thank you. Until I get used to the flavor, I'll try the store brands. As I get used to it, I'll toy anround with making my own. Has anyone made a spoiled batch? How do you tell if it's spoiled? – bc4work Dec 18 2011 at 3:08
the only thing I've ever seen that indicated a bad batch was obvious fuzzy mold on the top. short of that it's pretty safe. – Moonablaze Aug 28 at 2:01
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Alrighty! Just tried Kombucha for the first time. I ended up buying the recommended gingerale flavor at the local health food store, and I must say it ain't too bad.

It smells worse than it tastes. I was expecting a strong-vinegar-pee-pee-flavor by the smell of things, but it is really very mild.

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It's a little tart and mildly effervescent. Do you like, say, gingerale? You can get gingerade kombucha (GTS maybe? I forget which brand it is) that's good. There is also a citrus one that tastes a little like tart lemonade. I would try storebought before you start the process of making your own, but if you like it making your own is way, WAY less expensive.

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I do like gingerale! Thank you, I'll have to watch out for that at the store. – bc4work Dec 18 2011 at 3:04
It's WAY less expensive to make your own, and you can flavor yours with things like fresh ginger juice to mimic GT's gingerade. It's really easy to make once you have the set up... – Gazelle Dec 18 2011 at 12:49
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I buy the Yogi Kombucha Decaf from Amazon, and it tastes like having added lemon-honey in it. It requires no sweetener, it's the only tea I can drink as-is. I love it personally.

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I drank an entire synergy drink today. It was the grape flavored one with chai in it. I tried eating shortly after. I had 2 stalks of broccoli and began vomiting uncontrolably. Three hours later after a trip to the ER, I am back to normal. It was a scary experience. I'm not sure if it was directly related to the drink or not. The doctors said they weren't sure either. In case it was I would be careful with this stuff. Start out with small doses.

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