Kombucha and Chobani – a brutally honest review

Hola bloggies!

So in recent times I’ve had the opportunity to taste test some blogger favourites. These particular samples weren’t sent to me by any manufacturers. Rather, they were purchased with my hard earned money. Not that how I obtained the samples ever affects my judgments. When I say I love something I really do. Likewise, when I give something a thumbs down you can trust I’m being totally honest.

 

Kombucha

Kombucha is one of those products that live on in food blogger lore. Those who love it – LOVE IT! But there is also an equally large portion of bloggers that think it’s absolutely horrible!

Since I can’t get any in my corner of Canada I had to wait until I went South of the Border to pick up a bottle. When I saw it in the grocery store I squealed with delight! lol I wish I were joking!

The maker of Kombucha claims that the juice helped his mother successfully battle cancer. The bottle also boasts a myriad of different health benefits. Truth be told when I picked up the bottle I had no idea it was that good for you – I was just curious.

A search online revealed that Kombucha is a fermented tea used for medicinal purposes. In fact it’s actually made using a culture (similar to yogurt really). Now before purchasing this product I thought it was made with a mushroom – turns out mushroom is just the term to describe the fact that the ingredients have created a symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast.

I popped the bottle open and took my first gulp. Immediately I felt the gas of the fermentation on my tongue. It threw me off! Usually I associate that taste with fruit (at a restaurant for example) that is past its prime. And then there was the taste. Hard to describe. It wasn’t really sweet and it wasn’t particularly bitter. But it did taste slightly sour and wrong. Like you should be checking the best before date and considering chucking the whole thing.

Unfortunately I only managed a couple of gulps of Kombucha until I called it a day. The Fiancé then finished the rest but admitted it tasted like the stuff that comes up when you throw up a little in your mouth. Gross.

Bottom Line: I would never have Kombucha again! Maybe if I were dying of thirst in a desert but even then I’d hesitate a little. Surely, there are other ways to get the same nutritional benefits. Dear God, please tell me there are other ways!!!

Chobani

The next product I tried was Chobani – thus far I have tried both Fage and Oikos and loved them both! But there was always one more brand missing my Greek yogurt triumvirate!

In general I love Greek yogurt because it’s ridiculously high in protein! Basically it’s akin to a strained non-fat (or low-fat) yogurt. The straining concentrates the protein count and makes the yogurt very rich. So much so that it can often be used as a substitute for sour cream in recipes.

In the past I have had both plain and honey Greek yogurts. This was my first time having a fruit in the bottom kind.

Overall I have to say I was really disappointed in this yogurt. Usually when I open up other Greek Yogurt containers I find them filled to the brim; that makes me feel like I’m getting great bang for my buck. When I opened up this container I found it about 3/4 of the way full. Not impressed.

Then came the texture – to be perfectly frank it was watery. I also found the flavour to be slightly too sweet for my taste. On the whole I felt I might as well have been eating your standard supermarket yogurt.

Bottom Line: I would stick with Fage or Oikos instead of this particular kind of Greek Yogurt. I would however be willing to try the plain flavour of Chobani, in hopes that I would like it better than the strawberry flavoured version.

Ooooo…….kind of harsh today, eh!? That’s okay though. I think I owe it to my readers to be honest.

Catch you later bloggies!