* Please note that this blog remains up as a resource. However, this blog is currently on hiatus until further notice. For more information, please read this blog post. Thank you and happy kombucha brewing, drinking, and SCOBY trading! Lots of love. ~Annabelle *

Monday, March 2, 2009

Where to Buy Kombucha in the Boston Area

So you live around the Boston area, and you don't have time to deal with the weekly SCOBY cycles, you don't have a kombucha mushroom, you are waiting for your brew to finish, or for whatever reason you need your Kombucha tea fix NOW. Where do you go? Here are all the places that I know of in the area that sell Kombucha tea. If you can think of any another places that I've left out, please let me know!


My all-time favorite place to buy KT:
  • Harvest Co-Op in Cambridge (Central Sq.). They also have another location in Jamaica Plain.
    -it's AMAZING: they sell GT's (from California), High Country Kombucha (from Colorado), Katalyst Kombucha (local- from Greenfield, MA!!!), and Kombucha Wonder Drink (from Oregan)!
    -they even sell Katalyst Kombucha in a 1/2 gallon jug!
If you can't make it out to the Harvest Co-Op, here are your other options:
  • Whole Foods, various locations
    -sells GT's and more
  • *Cambridge Naturals!*
    -in Cambridge (Porter Sq.)
    -sells Katalyst Kombucha, GT's, Kombucha Wonder Drink, and High Country Kombucha (as of 5/15/09!)
  • Oh Naturale (small health foods store in Boston's North End, 28 Parmenter St.)
    -sells GT's and High Country Kombucha
  • Rawbert's Organic Café
    -a little far in Beverly, MA
    -this café features vegan and raw foods
    -? brand
Addendum Oct. 1, 2011:
I have now created this Google map which has the most current updates: Where to Buy Kombucha Around the Boston Area. If I'm missing any locations on the map, please let me know!

5 comments:

Ecclenser said...

Wow, you have access to many style/brands.

In what order would you rate them as far as delicious/quality characteristics? Pros, cons?

Annabelle Ho said...

The brand I end up buying will vary under the circumstances. Also, because I brew my own, I tend not to buy KT. But here are my pros/cons:

-Katalyst:
-Pros- it's local, fair trade, and generally the cheapest. I also want to buy their half gallon jug! I think the jug would be useful for making some kombucha wine or hard cider.
-GT's:
-I like how they have Kombucha made from unrefined/fruit sugars (vs. cane juice, as in the other brands). It's the most easily accessible and has the most variety of flavors. From the taste, I feel that this brand has the highest quality of the 4. However, GT's is definitely strong and it's taste is distinct from the other 3.
-Con: Their bottles would be great if their caps didn't rust!!
-High Country-
-Pros: It's fair trade. Their bottles are reusable since their caps are plastic!
-Kombucha Wonder Drink-
-Con: it's pasteurized.

All of these brands are organic. All of them taste good, but GT's definitely tastes the most different, while the other 3 taste like something I could brew on my own.

Personally, I usually go for Katalyst Kombucha or GT's Synergy, which are the two most easily accessible brands in my area. Katalyst Kombucha because it's local and for it's price, and GT's for it's quality and unrefined sugars.

What brands are available in your area??

Ecclenser said...

Thanks.

I've only ever seen GT's lineup around town. Tasty, but pricey... Hopefully I can harness the power of home brewing to quench my kombucha thirst.

Annabelle Ho said...

*PLEASE NOTE* that GT's Kombucha actually IS made with sugar although it is not listed!!! I have only discovered this recently and I apologize for the mistake!

Annabelle Ho said...

Update! Please read my more recent post "Where to Buy Kombucha Around Boston, MA - Part II" (with a Google Map!) here: http://kombuchafuel.blogspot.com/2009/08/where-to-buy-kombucha-around-boston-ma.html