High Country Kombucha Live Kombucha Tea

Product Type:Tea: Kombucha; Container: 16 oz bottle
BevNET Review: As far as kombucha tea drinks go, chai is certainly one of the better flavor pairings that we've seen. The chai spice flavoring adds a familiar and complex level of flavor to the drink, while also helping to cut the bitterness of the fermentation. There's minimal sweetness to the drink, which takes some getting used to, but this product is able to stand on its own with the different layers of flavor, so we can deal with the lack of sweetness. Really, this is their best and most unique flavor yet -- and we'd like to see the other flavors follow in the footsteps of this one. Packaging, which has been crafted with a clear emphasis on function over form, definitely stands out, although we're not sure that it's in a good way. Specifically, a dark brown bottle isn't a common package for a non alcoholic drink, and it's not an overly appealing one either. However, of all the flavors in the lineup, the center graphics seem to make the most sense for the flavor. Our only suggesting is that they bump the "Chai Spice" text so it stands out a bit more. Overall, the best flavor of the lineup.

Product Type:Tea: Kombucha; Container: 16 oz bottle
BevNET Review: This was definitely one of our favorite flavors of the High Country Kombucha lineup. Again, they've done a great job pairing complex flavors that help offset the bitterness of the kombucha tea, while managing to keep the sweetness and calorie count to modest levels. In this variety, the addition of elderberry and hibiscus give the product an enjoyable floral flavor. This product is not for the faint of heart, however: the bitter kombucha flavor is definitely out in force. On the flip side, it has definite quality as far as kombucha drinks go, offering a potent flavor that's clearly raw and unprocessed. Marketability is our biggest question for this product. The dark bottle and exclusive use of herbal flavorings to complement the kombucha create a situation where very little will be familiar to the potential consumer scanning the cooler. A more inviting package would be the easiest place to start.

Product Type:Tea: Kombucha; Container: 16 oz bottle
BevNET Review: The Honeysuckle variety of High Country Kombucha is big on raw kombucha flavor with minimal secondary flavors. There's a very subtle herbal flavor to the organic mix, but we honestly found it difficult to identify these behind the potent taste of fermented tea. The product is naturally effervescent and has a light level of sweetness, both of which help offset the fermented flavor. Still, we'll bet that many consumers will see honeysuckle and think "honey," which certainly would have made the drink taste better. Plus, the light level of sweetness is geared towards the hardcore kombucha drinker rather than the mainstream. Packaging is earthy and hippie, with a dark amber bottle that is designed to keep light from impacting the live probiotic flora contained in the drink. On the other hand, if you are going to use a dark brown bottle, which isn't the most naturally attractive look, we think that you've got to do more with the design of the label.

Product Type:Tea: Kombucha; Container: 16 oz bottle
BevNET Review: A lemon flavored kombucha drink actually sounds quite appealing, although that's not what Lemon Myrtle really is. Instead, this drink is flavored with a variety of herbal extracts, including hibiscus, hyssop, chamomile, meadow sweet flower, and lemon myrtle. The lemon myrtle, which is typically known for a "lemon" flavor that's of the same style as lemongrass, seems buried in this flavor, which has a heavy bitterness. This was our least favorite flavor of the lineup. From a branding point of view, we think this drink could use a makeover, starting with the turtle that's on the front of the label. The product simply lacks appeal, especially when considering it against other kombucha products on the market. Yes, we understand that brown glass helps block light which can kill the probiotic organisms, but they could certainly do better with the label design that they've decided to use. Overall, we're not fans of the flavor on this one -- and there isn't much on the outside that we're fans of either.

Product Type:Tea: Kombucha; Container: 16 oz bottle
BevNET Review: Again, this variety of High Country Kombucha is flavored with herbal extracts, this time it's passion flower, hibiscus, bilberry, chrysanthemum, privet, garcinia fruit, and schizandra berry. Really, this one is about on par with the other herbal flavors (Lemon Myrtle, Elderberry Hibiscus, and Honeysuckle), with the kombucha flavor overpowering the subtle herbal flavors. That being said, we'd love to see High Country pare down these flavors and branch out a bit more. Otherwise, we think they've got four SKUs that are going to appeal to the same drinker -- and we think it's a small niche of the market who is going to appreciate a drink like this anyway. Same goes for the package design, with a cluttered front panel that makes it difficult to spot and read the flavor name (since it runs over the graphics in the middle). Overall, there is certainly a technical quality to this kombucha flavor, but technical superiority has clearly come at the price of diminished marketability.