At Last, Blush

This marks my final review of a NessAlla Kombucha kombucha that comes in a bottle.

I don't know how they determine which flavors are bottled and which ones go into cans. Perhaps ones that have ingredients that degrade more quickly when exposed to light are canned...? Looking at the list of canned kombuchas, most of them incorporate the name of a cocktail or some other blended drink that isn't normally associated with tea, e.g. - "mimosa" and "sangria". Maybe these canned kombuchas are aimed at folks with a more refined palate. Or some such thing.

Onto Peach Blush!

It was a hazy yellow with a slight orange tint that had more than a passing resemblance to my archnemesis in the libation space, the American Hazy IPA. The aroma had a strong vinegar tang to it along with the expected peach and a little somthing floral which, after looking at the ingredients list, I figured was the hibiscus. I surmised that it was these flowers that gave the liquid its orange tint.

Ooh! This stuff was heavier on the fizz than the last few kombuchas I've sampled. It had a nice tang too. A tea-peach combo was at the fore with a hint of hibiscus and just a touch of citrus which proved to be tangerine. A peachy sweetness lasted on the swallow.

I really loved the combination of the tanginess and the fizz. It kept the sweetness in check. There didn't seem to be much in the way of tannins so the sugary taste could have easily gotten out of control.

One thing I've encountered making my way through NessAlla's offerings is that I get a gently cloying sweet tea taste even though there's really not a lot of sugar in these kombuchas. I suspect it's just a bit of gustatory conditioning from having visited my Frau's family in Alabama and being surrounded by sweet tea and it is weird. Some of these kombuchas taste rather sweet but don't have that thick, syrupy mouthfeel. I don't know if my tongue is especially sensitive to sweetness or who. What would my tongue register if there had been more tannins? Only The Shadow knows.

In the end, this was tasty stuff, although I believe there was natural peach flavoring added. Not sure why that would be necessary or what that is exactly. Still, I eagerly lapped this stuff up.