Revive Kombucha (Discontinued)

Announced earlier this year, Revive’s Sparkling Kombucha is both the brand’s first canned, shelf-stable offering. The products are USDA Organic certified and contain only 20 calories and 5 grams of sugar per 12 oz. can.

There are four initial flavors: Mango Orange, Strawberry Lemon, Cherry Hibiscus and Citrus Ginger, with the latter two being caffeine free. 

As for the taste, all four varieties are light, crisp and refreshing. Compared to Revive’s flagship raw kombucha, they are significantly lighter, to the point where they are probably better compared with flavored sparkling water than full strength kombucha.

That being said, this isn’t a direct replacement for Revive’s flagship line. Instead, this seems like the type of product that a consumer could drink in place of sparkling water for a bit more flavor and for the probiotic benefits.

Speaking of probiotics, this is another difference from the raw line. Given that it’s shelf stable and pasteurized, Revive had to take a different approach here through the use of DE111, a probiotic strain that the company claims becomes active after digestion with the goal of delivering a level of functionality that’s similar to the brand’s raw kombucha.

This new process, which is a departure from the way that raw kombucha is traditionally made, might ruffle some feathers within the category (since the category has hung its hat on being raw and perishable), but the taste and quality of the liquid seem like something that overall pushes the category forward without compromise.

On the outside, the product uses a white sleeve label that has a stripe of color across the middle (each flavor has a different two-tone stripe) that serves as the backdrop for a white Revive logo and the words “sparkling kombucha.” They’ve done a great job of keeping the front panel clean with callouts for the flavor name, probiotic content, caloric content and the USDA Organic seal. The design makes for a nice counterpart to their raw product and it does a great job of maintaining the clean retro vibe that Revive stands for.

Overall, Revive’s Sparkling Kombucha is a well-executed and enjoyable kombucha product that feels like one of the most mainstream kombucha products that we’ve tried to date -- and, thanks to its light profile, it’s one of the few that we could see ourselves drinking several of every day.

Last year, Revive Kombucha undertook their first major packaging change as they added an 11 oz. stubby bottle as their default packaging (the original swing-top bottle is still available, but only in their home market). This year, they’re back at it with another bottle and label update.

This time around, the product is getting slightly bigger, going from an 11 oz. to a 12 oz. size. The bottle shape is taller and feels like something out of the craft beer space (Green Flash Brewing, Co., in particular, comes to mind). Despite being only one ounce larger, the product feels much more substantial than the prior bottle.

While the size update is definitely a step forward for the brand, it’s the label update that we’re most excited about. One of our big criticisms of Revive’s label design has always been the visual treatment of their logo. With this update, we’re pleased to say that those criticisms are gone. “Revive Kombucha” is now front and center in a consistent place on all of the labels. It not only makes it easier to quickly catch the eye, but we feel as though it enhances the funky 1970’s style artwork.

As for the actual flavors, not a whole lot has changed. In fact, the only thing that has changed is the flavor lineup, with certain flavors, specifically those that were part of their “Open ‘Mic” series, going away. What they’ve kept are nine flavors, including Boogie Down (formerly “The O.G.”, their original offering), Wild Ginger, Free Ride Hibiscus Brew, Up Beat Coffee Brew, Solar Yerba Mate Brew, Campfire Genmaicha Brew, Ascend White Tea Brew, Tropic Wonder, and Spring Fling.

Their approach to the flavors, which blends their kombucha culture with a different base ingredient for each variety, such as a certain type of tea or coffee, is one of their key points of differentiation. And we’re big fans of it. While the fermented flavor that’s at the core of each flavor is the same, their ability to create products that are totally unique and memorable is quite impressive.

We’re especially fond of Boogie Down, their original brew, Up Beat, which is coffee based, and Wild Ginger, which is fermented with ginger only. But you really can’t go wrong with any flavors in their line as Revive has done a great job of creating products that are top notch and consistent.

Being completely honest, the only thing that we’re not sold on is the switch from “The O.G.” to “Boogie Down,” which they’ve given a tagline of “Craft Cola Redux.” Maybe it’s just us, but what’s inside this bottle is pretty much the anti-cola, so we question how this, or, for that matter, “Boogie Down,” is better than “The O.G.” For us, Revive’s original kombucha is one of the best out there, so we’d love to see it embraced a bit more directly.

Does the concept of a ginger-flavored kombucha catch our eye? Definitely not. In fact, it’s probably the most ubiquitous flavor for a kombucha at this present moment. Fortunately for Revive, what they’ve created is not a ginger-flavored kombucha, but rather a kombucha that’s made from ginger.

What that means is that this product doesn’t contain cultured tea, which is the traditional ingredient used to make kombucha. Instead, Revive has brewed ginger with kombucha culture, which is a similar approach that they’ve taken with their other offerings, such as coffee or yerba mate. In this case the product is made with raw ginger, cane sugar, their own kombucha culture, raw lime juice, and raw ginger juice. With only 60 calories and 10g of sugar per 11 oz bottle, the formulation is something that you can definitely feel good about.

The resulting flavor is really something special, effectively bridging the gap between what you’d expect from a kombucha and a soda. In this case, the product is almost a dead-on clone of a slightly spicy ginger ale. It’s light and spicy, with a touch of sweetness and a hefty dose of carbonation that gives the product a perfectly crisp finish. Thinking back to the days when all kombucha tasted as though it were one step removed from vinegar, this product is a great showcase of just how far the category has evolved.

When it comes to kombucha, it’s often a tale of two extremes. On one end of the spectrum are kombuchas that have a heavy vinegar flavor and parts of the scoby floating in the bottle. On the other end are smoother, crisper Kombuchas that have little more than a slight tang from the fermentation. While there’s certainly merit to both approaches, the latter has a higher quality and seems like something that has mainstream potential. And that’s exactly where Revive Kombucha stands.

From a taste and quality perspective, Revive is one of the few brands that we consider to be at the top of the category. The brand, which currently has a total of eight flavors, including seasonal offerings, doesn’t have any variety that we’d say needs work. Revive is able to brew tasty kombucha, regardless of the flavor combination or base, which can include tea, coffee, or even yerba mate. While each of the eight flavors has its own unique flavor profile, it’s consistency that really makes Revive shine: all of the flavors, regardless of what they are made with, have consistent levels of sweetness, carbonation, and kombucha flavor.

And while we’re fans of all of their flavors, here are our favorites:

• The O.G. - The “Original Brew,” this is Revive’s flagship flavor and features raw lemon juice, vanilla extract, and almond extract. It’s unique tasting and one of our favorites across the entire kombucha category.

• Solar - Made with a yerba mate kombucha culture as well as raw ginger, this variety’s strength is definitely in the notes of sweet and spice that hit your tongue at the finish.

• Up Beat - This is a coffee-based kombucha (it doesn’t contain tea) and is definitely the most unique tasting of the bunch. From a taste perspective, it is, as you might guess, like iced coffee married with kombucha.

• Campfire - Made with genmaicha (aka toasted rice or popcorn tea), this variety is all about tea and has no added flavorings (it is, however, sweetened with sugar, which is added as part of the fermentation process). It’s a great showcase of the toasted rice flavor of genmaicha, and has a slightly fermented note from the kombucha.

Packaging, which was previously either a swing top heavy glass bottle or a growler, was always the part of Revive that needed the most improvement. The new 11 oz. bottles, which are what we’re reviewing today, are a huge step forward for the brand. It’s a nice portion size (think 12 ounce can of soda, but just a hair smaller), probably just right for consumers who are new to kombucha. Plus, they’ve done a superb job of designing labels that are colorful and attractive, although somewhat kitschy. In the case of kombucha, this sort of works, with the category’s homespun origins, as well as for Revive, which got its start at farmers markets.

However, if there’s anything that can still be improved upon, it’s the prominence of the Revive logo on the label. Aside from on The O.G., which has the logo in a larger format, the logo is too small and gets lost in their colorful designs.