Daltrey's Kombucha Tea & More

I'm not sure what retirement age is on Roger Daltrey's side of the Atlantic, but here in the United States it's 65 and he's closing in on it fast. The Daily Mirror reported recently that the 62-year-old singer for the Who swills kombucha tea to keep himself going at this sort of advanced age.

I have to say that the notion of instant Darjeeling tea is not one that makes me want to jump up and cheer. But we all like what we like. The Hindustan Times reports on the Indian Institute of Technology's progress in devising such a concoction. More here.

Do you take your tea with sugar? According to a poll conducted by teadog.com, 69% of tea-drinking Americans use something to sweeten their tea. For the full lowdown, check out this press release.

tea, green tea, food, food and drink, Darjeeling, Daltrey, Who

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Seize The Kombucha

I haven't had much experience with kombucha. What little exposure I have had is to Kombucha Wonder Drink, bottled flavored kombucha drinks that I found to be quite tasty. For more information, check out my reviews here, here, here, here and here.

There's a new kid on the bottled kombucha block these days - or at least I'm assuming it's new. That would be Carpe Diem Kombucha. It's available in two sizes, but as for availability on these shores (they appear to be a German company) I'm not sure about that. Anyway, you can check out their Web site here.

For more on kombucha, you might want to give the Kombucha Journal a try.

tea, food, food and drink, kombucha

Tea Review 46 - Kombucha Wonder Drink Jasmine Niagra Grape

Kombucha Wonder Drink Jasmine Niagra Grape
Kombucha Wonder Drink

The last of the five Kombucha Wonder Drink flavors I've had a chance to try - Jasmine Niagra Grape - was probably the most offbeat blend, but, as with the others, it did not disappoint.

One of KWD's two newest flavors, Jasmine Niagra Grape contains kombucha made from organic jasmine tea, organic cane sugar and organic Niagra grape juice concentrate.

Of these ingredients it was the grape that stood out the most. I didn't really detect any jasmine tea flavor at all, but perhaps that's just a shortcoming of my tasting apparatus.

I'm not sure exactly what Niagra grape is all about but I will say that this KWD flavor is a nice blend of sweet and sour. It was also lower in fizz that most other KWD flavors - unless I just happened to run across a relatively flat bottle.

Another winner for Kombucha Wonder Drink. Like all of their blends, the worst thing about it is that there's only 8.5 ounces per bottle. When they come up with the handy two liter size I'll be in line.

Tea Review 43 - Kombucha Wonder Drink Rooibos Red Peach

Kombucha Wonder Drink Rooibos Red Peach
Kombucha Wonder Drink

I was hanging around my humble tea house (tea apartment, actually) the other day, minding my own business, when who should arrive but a jolly portly old guy in a red suit bearing the two newest flavors from Kombucha Wonder Drink.

Okay, it was actually a brown suit and the guy wasn't particularly jolly or portly. He was actually rather young, now that you mention it, and isn't it a bitch trying to sign your name on that big clunky electronic clipboard thingy with that little fake pen?

But I was happy to take a crack at sampling the latest KWD flavors, no matter how they arrived, and the Rooibos Red Peach was certainly no disappointment. The ingredients in this one are kombucha from Rooibos, organic cane sugar and natural red peach essence.

I was expecting the kombucha to overpower the other flavors, especially when I caught a big whiff of that distinctive sour aroma while pouring the goods into a glass.

But the taste is actually rather mild and the Rooibos surprisingly prominent. As for the peach, I think it was there but maybe I was just succumbing to the power of suggestion.

Anyway, here's another winner from Kombucha Wonder Drink.

Recommended.

Tea Review 30 - Kombucha Wonder Drink Himalayan

Himalayan
Kombucha Wonder Drink

I'm growing very fond of this Kombucha Wonder Drink stuff. So far I've tried three of their five flavors and look forward to checking out Jasmine Niagara Grape and Rooibos Red Peach as soon as I can track them down.

KWD Himalayan is made with organic green tea, organic cane sugar and organic lemon flavor. That telltale sour taste of kombucha is not as pronounced in this blend, but I'm actually getting to like that aspect of the drink.

I wasn't quite as fond of Himalayan as I was of the other two flavors. If I were to rank them, I'd put Asian Pear Ginger at the top of the heap, followed by Orient Blend and then Himalayan.

Which is not to say that there's anything wrong with Himalayan or that I don't recommend it because I do. So take that.

Contents: 8.5 ounce bottle
I paid: na

Tea Review 27 - Kombucha Orient Blend

Orient Blend
Kombucha Wonder Drink

My first experience with Kombucha Wonder Drink was with their Asian Pear Ginger variety, which I liked quite a bit. Now that I've had a chance to sample another of their blends I realize that kombucha, in it's "purer" form is something of an acquired taste.

I gather that Kombucha Wonder Drink's Orient Blend is their version of "plain" kombucha. It consists of kombucha brewed with oolong tea, organic cane sugar and nothing else. When I tried the Asian Pear Ginger, I wondered if perhaps the tartness might come from the asian pear component, but now I know that's not the case.

Orient Blend is quite a tart one, now that you mention it, with a flavor best compared to cider made from really overripe apples. I didn't really detect much cane sugar flavor, so I can only imagine what "straight" kombucha must taste like.

But once again, after the initial shock, I began to adjust, though a little more slowly than the last time around. I can see myself getting used to Orient Blend, but for now I'll probably stick with the flavored varieties of KWD.

Contents: 8.5 ounce bottle
I paid: $1.99

Tea Review 25 - Kombucha Asian Pear Ginger

Asian Pear Ginger
Kombucha Wonder Drink

After writing about Kombucha Wonder Drink the other day, I decided I'd like to give it a try. One trip to my local Wild Oats store later and I was in possession of a bottle of the Asian Pear Ginger variety.

The full ingredients list is kombucha from organic oolong tea, organic cane sugar, natural pear flavoring and organic raw ginger juice. Though it purports to be "subtly carbonated" it pours up with a color and head on it that looks just like beer.

The flavor was quite tart, almost sour - kind of like grapefruit juice mixed with apple cider - but after the initial shock it grew on me rather quickly.

Though it's a little on the pricey side, I could see myself getting into a regular KWD routine. I think I'll make my way back to Wild Oats and try out the other flavors, which include Himalayan Blend, Orient Blend and two new additions - Jasmine Niagara Grape and Rooibos Red Peach.

Recommended.

Contents: 8.5 ounce bottle
I paid: $1.99

Kombucha Wonder Drink

The Portland Tribune recently reported on the exploits of Steve Lee, who was involved with the founding of Stash Tea and later Tazo Tea. Lee's current project is Kombucha Wonder Drink.

KWD's Web site describes it as "a refreshing organic sparkling fermented tea". For those of you who are not familiar with kombucha, there is also an FAQ at the Web site that should help bring you up to speed.

I actually had an experience with kombucha some years back, courtesy of a coworker who was quite fond of the stuff. He convinced me to take a crack at making it, a process that basically consists of using a bit of starter culture to ferment and make your own.

Memory's a tricky thing and I have to confess that I don't recall the result of this adventure. Something tells me that the brew-in-progress got tossed after while because my better half felt that it was thoroughly nasty. Or maybe it was me who felt it was thoroughly nasty. But to tell you the truth, I don't recall. I guess I'll have to give it another try sometime.