LIVE Kombucha: Sparkling Ginger (2015)

Blending kombucha with what is essentially ginger ale, Live Kombucha Soda’s Ginger flavor is arguably the company's best effort to date. For starters, ginger is a flavor that is used extensively in the kombucha category, so this product is definitely something that will be familiar to both kombucha drinkers and soda drinkers alike. It’s moderately sweetened with evaporated cane juice and stevia, while some moderate carbonation gives the product its crisp flavor. The kombucha doesn’t really have a fermented flavor to it, but instead it adds a light tea flavor to the backdrop. However, you still get the benefit of live probiotic cultures (you can read about them on the back of the label). Otherwise, the USDA Organic product has 60 calories and about 13.5 grams of sugar per bottle. All in all, it’s a very well-executed and enjoyable formulation. Packaging is a 12 oz. custom-shaped glass bottle. Moving out of the brand's old long-neck soda bottle will definitely help Live, and having its own custom bottle will help the product have a distinct visual appearance. To that end, the positioning of this product finally seems to be fully realized as it now visually feels like a soda kombucha hybrid (it used to feel a bit too much like a soda, in our opinion). Overall, a tremendous upgrade for this product.