Fro-yo girl here. I wasn’t a fan of coffee kombucha when I made my own in 2018. At that time, I hadn’t seen coffee kombucha at a café/coffeehouse or sold in retail stores. Well, coffee kombucha is now available at Erewhon and Caffe Luxxe locations. It can also be purchased online from the Caffe Luxxe website. At Erewhon, it’s $5.99/bottle.
Caffe Luxxe's coffee kombucha is made with Montenero coffee. It is a healthy, living probiotic effervescent beverage with the same amount of caffeine as brewed coffee. Caffe Luxxe launched bottled Coffee Kombucha in March 2021. It’s said to be the first coffee kombucha on the market.
Available flavors: Originale, Vanilla, Black Cherry, Cola
Originale: According to Caffe Luxxe, Originale has hints of dark chocolate, caramel, orange peel and a balanced, smooth tart finish. It’s made with three ingredients: coffee, organic kombucha culture, and organic brown sugar. One bottle is 16 fl oz, 90 calories, 14g total sugars, and 1g protein. It smelled fine – like alcoholic coffee vinegar. I had a few sips and did not like the flavor. The fermentation seemed to enhance the acidity and the bitterness of the coffee. The aftertaste was acidic though the acidity wears away and you can taste more of the coffee afterwards. Mr. Froyo likes it but I found it too harsh – and I like vinegar! But bitter vinegar is a different story.
Caffe Luxxe has seven locations in Southern California. They roast their own coffee beans.
You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.
Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.
Booch Pops are gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, organic, and lower in sugar than your typical sugary frozen pops. Available flavors: raspberry lime watermelon, strawberry ginger, lemon turmeric pepper, and pineapple mango. One pop is 2.5 fl oz and is made with fresh fruit and kombucha tea. The pops are all-natural and contain live kombucha cultures.
I’m glad that I found the Lemon Turmeric Pepper flavor because it has the least amount of sugar. It was firm and icy, but packed with flavor. It tasted like a tart lemonade but more intense, and slightly spicy because of the ginger. I couldn’t tell that it was kombucha and I couldn’t detect the black pepper. One pop is 20 calories, 0g fat, 5g total carbs, 4g sugars, and 0g protein. I enjoyed how flavorful the pop was.
4 out of 5 stars.
You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.
Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.
Fro-yo girl here. It’s been awhile since I’ve run into a new, innovative froyo shop to tell you about, so it’s with great pleasure that I share my experience at the new Live Culture Café in Leucadia, a beachside community within Encinitas, CA (greater San Diego). To understand the charm of Live Culture Café, it helps to describe the sleepy, beach town feel of downtown Leucadia. The vibe and the offerings of Live Culture Café fit the community.
Live Culture Café was opened in February 2019 by the people behind Bambucha Kombucha, chef crafted kombucha brewed with fresh, organic ingredients in San Diego. The café serves “delicious, probiotic rich, living foods,” including kombucha on tap, froyo, vegan soft serve, acai, toasted sourdough sandwiches, gluten free baked goods, energy bars, shakes, and locally roasted coffee.
For kombucha fans, they have kombucha tasting flights, lunch specials (sandwich plus kombucha), and kombucha happy hour from 4 PM -6 PM weekdays. I love the idea of a kombucha happy hour!!! Love froyo and kombucha? They have kombucha froyo floats with your choice of soft serve and choice of kombucha.
The froyo is not self-serve but they make whatever you order look nice. The toppings are healthier and include fresh fruit, sauces (peanut butter, chocolate, honey, agave), dates, crystallized ginger, flax, almonds, goji berries, sunflower seeds, coconut, chia seeds, hemp granola, etc.
Froyo/soft serve flavors:
- Vanilla froyo
- Chocolate froyo
- Culltured coconut (vegan
- Acai sorbet
* Vanilla froyo float with blueberry tart kombucha: My first kombucha float! The blueberry kombucha was light, fruity, and refreshing. The vanilla yogurt was thick and creamy without seeming too heavy or too sweet. The froyo and kombucha went well together. There were a few blueberries on top. There was much more froyo than kombucha.
* Thai ginger kombucha (ginger, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaf): a light kombucha that’s slightly tangy, slightly sweet, and refreshing. As a comparison, GTS’s gingerade kombucha is darker, heavier, and tastes more like vinegar.
The shop is cute and small with plants out front, a palm tree, and an outdoor patio. There are a few window seats inside. It feels like the perfect spot to go after surfing on a hot day.
You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.
* LIVE CULTURE CAFÉ: 1076 N Coast Hwy 101, Encinitas, CA 92024
Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.
Fro-yo girl here. Now that I’m making my own kombucha on a regular basis, I’ve been experimenting with different teas and flavorings. Mr. Froyo loves coffee, so he wondered about coffee kombucha.
There are several ways to make kombucha coffee. The first method starts by making a coffee syrup with brewed coffee, water, and sugar, adding the coffee syrup to your finished kombucha, sealing the bottle and waiting 5-7 days for the second ferment to occur. The second method is to brew a big batch of coffee, dissolve sugar into the coffee, and add your SCOBY. The third method involves adding coffee beans to your homemade kombucha during the 2nd ferment.
Method 1: I had some leftover coffee from a good coffee place (Constellation Coffee in La Canada Flintridge, CA) which I used to make coffee syrup. I added it to my freshly (home) brewed kombucha in a bottle and let the second fermentation happen. After about a week, I tried it. The coffee kombucha liquid smelled like vinegar with coffee. It wasn’t the most appealing scent, but my extra strong homemade kombucha usually smells like vinegar. I could definitely taste the coffee and the kombucha but the kombucha flavor was much stronger than the coffee flavor. I thought I could smell/taste a bit of alcohol too. It wasn’t bad but I think I’d like a stronger coffee flavor. Mr. Froyo seemed to like it. It also seemed less refreshing than regular kombucha.
Method 2: This method seems like it would result in a stronger coffee flavor, since it starts with a pot of freshly brewed coffee. Basically, you brew the coffee, dissolve sugar in it, add your SCOBY and ferment.
I started with half a cup of Trader Joe’s Dark 100% arabica whole coffee beans. After grinding the beans, I added sugar and 4 cups of hot water to a French press, brewed for 4 minutes, and let it cool to room temperature. A few hours later I transferred the contents to a glass jar using a filter, added a SCOBY, covered the top with a dark cloth, and set it aside. The SCOBY turned very dark. After 10 days, I tried it.
The liquid was much darker than the coffee kombucha made with coffee syrup. It smelled more like coffee than kombucha. It was also much more carbonated than the Method 1 product and even my typical homemade kombucha.
In terms of taste, the coffee flavor was dominant but it had a sour, vinegary kick and a bitter aftertaste. Mr. Froyo said it was okay. The coffee I brewed was probably too strong and too bitter. Method 1 resulted in a slightly tastier coffee kombucha.
Method 3: I used whole coffee beans added to homemade kombucha to infuse coffee flavor during the second ferment. I added about a tablespoon of Trader Joe’s Dark coffee beans to a bottle of homemade kombucha during the second ferment. I let it infuse for a few days.
This was my favorite method. The end result tasted more like kombucha than coffee and it was much less bitter than the brew from Method 2. The coffee flavor was dark and smoky, like the flavor of the beans. It wasn't as sweet as Method 1's brew. However, Mr. Froyo wasn't so fond of this batch.
There are other ways to make coffee kombucha, including using different methods to brew the coffee. Apparently, cold brewing the coffee can provide a good result.
SCOBY thrive in tea but not in coffee, so if you plan to make coffeebucha, make sure you have extra SCOBY. Warning, Mr. Froyo did not love coffeebucha.
You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.
Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.
Fro-yo girl here. If you like kombucha, you should consider making your own. It’s easy once you have a few supplies. I took a three hour kombucha making workshop at Culture Club 101 in Pasadena. We learned the ins and outs of kombucha making from the founder/owner, Elaina Luther. Elaina’s been making kombucha for 25 years, so she’s definitely a kombucha and fermentation expert.
The class covered the history of kombucha, health benefits of kombucha, recommended types of teas to use for making kombucha (some work better than others), how to take care of your SCOBY, and kombucha recipes. We enjoyed multiple kombucha and fermented beverages during the workshop and left with a glass jar with a batch of kombucha and SCOBY, tea towel, cheesecloth, and a jar of kombucha raspberry sauce that Elaina made during the class. We basically had a batch of kombucha ready for home fermentation that we prepared during the workshop. The kombucha raspberry sauce was amazing. I love adding it to plain or honey yogurt for extra tang.
Other necessary accessories for home kombucha brewing include a stainless steel pot, strainer, funnel, ladle, resealable glass bottles, distilled or spring water, sugar, and tea. The SCOBY is best kept at 80-85 degrees. You may want to invest in a heating mat as well. I would recommend getting another glass jar to store your extra scobies. Use the extra scobies to experiment or as insurance, in case some of your scobies get sick or die. The mother SCOBY will eventually need to be retired when she gets dark or yeasty.
Culture Club 101’s housemade kombucha is the best we’ve ever had. Commercial brands aren't as potent. Some taste more like juice or soda than kombucha. We like our kombucha strong and potent.
The workshop teaches you exactly how it’s made, but then you can get creative by adding juice, herbs, and spices. To make stronger kombucha, use more tea. I also found a lot of kombucha brewing tips online, on websites like KombuchaKamp.com and Cuturesforhealth.com. You can also buy kombucha brewing supplies from both of those websites.
I've made several very successful batches of kombucha since the workshop. My favorite addition to the kombucha so far is a sprig of fresh rosemary.
* CULTURE CLUB 101: 1392 E. Washington Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91104
You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.
Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.
Fro-yo girl here. We recently visited Culture Club 101 and have become regular customers, because they have the best kombucha around. Culture Club 101 is all about supporting the human microbiome. They do this by producing fermented foods and beverages, teaching others about fermented foods, and offering specialized nutrient-dense groceries and prepared foods. What they make is made in small batches, the traditional way. Their foods are heirloom, sprouted, pasture-raised, humanely raised, organic, non-GMO, soy-free, biodynamic, permaculture, sustainable, bird-friendly, etc. They’re eco-friendly to the extreme.
They carry specialty foods, like farm fresh eggs, bird friendly coffee, cashew cheese, raw dairy products, grass-fed beef, pasture-raised chicken, etc. Then they make a lot of fermented foods – many kinds of kraut, kraut juice, water kefir, kombucha, fermented soda, etc. I haven’t seen some of what they make elsewhere – e.g., water kefir, jun, bird friendly coffee that they roast themselves. The café serves pastries, healthy bowls, salads, toast, paninis, coffee, bone broth, etc. They don’t have frozen yogurt, but they do have an abundance of probiotic foods.
The komucha ($4/bottle, available on tap) is made in small batches on site, the old-fashioned way. It’s stronger and not as sweet as commercial kombucha. It’s got a real bite. It smells like and tastes like vinegar but with a pleasant, sweet, apple cider aftertaste. If you like it stronger or weaker, take the kombucha making class and brew your own.
Culture Club 101 is more than a store but it’s more about a lifestyle. You can become a member if you believe in their mission or donate to their Go Fund Me campaign. If you love fermented foods, want to improve your gut health or want a healthy, nourishing meal, visit them.
* CULTURE CLUB 101: 1392 E. Washington Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91104
You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.
Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.
Fro-yo girl here. Rawberri is a super healthy new shop that specializes in superfruit bowls. It’s very conscious of food allergies. They carry healthy, organic, dairy free, gluten free and soy free acai bowls, superfruit bowls, Cocowhip, Stumptown coffee, kombucha on tap and energy balls.
Bowls don’t interest me but CocoWhip does. Rawberri was the first in the US to carry CocoWhip, an Australian vegan, biofermented, frozen yogurt made with coconut water, organic bio-fermented coconut powder & vegetable sourced stabilizers. It has no added sugar and is 90 calories a serving.
Flavors of the day (CocoWhip):
* Original: airy, light, creamy, lightly sweetened – the texture was nice but the product had very little flavor, it had no tang at all, the aftertaste was clean though. This was too bland.
* Matcha slim: the texture was denser and icier than the original and it had flavor – it tasted like an icier green tea ice cream – imagine green tea sorbet. I liked how it wasn’t too sweet and it tasted clean/simple. It wasn’t tangy.
Toppings are healthy: fresh fruit, granola, nuts, seeds, goji berries, cacao nibs, agave, honey, vegan caramel, vegan chocolate sauce. The toppings are gluten free and I think soy free, dairy free, etc.
Prices: $5.95 for original w/o toppings, add $1 for 3 toppings; $6.95 for matcha slim w/o toppings, add $1 for 3 toppings
I think almond milk or soy froyo has the best flavor – it’s hard to say which is better because almond and soy milk taste different and both are good in frozen yogurt. On the other hand, coconut water doesn’t have much flavor.
The shop is by several gyms and is the perfect post-gym treat.
You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.
Rating: 3.5/5
* RAWBERRI: 8582 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069
Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.
