Synergy: Trilogy Kombucha Tea

So, faced with reviewing either a well-tasted ginger beer, an almost mainstream pomegranate soda or Synergy Trilogy Kombucha Tea, I decided to take my life into my own hands and drink the tea. I'm pretty sure I'm going to sorely regret not jumping into the soda.

Kombucha tea (pronounced kom-BOO-cha) is the latest "miracle cure". According to the Wikipedia website, the chef at the Google cafeterias prepares it from scratch for the employees and over 100 glasses are consumed. The packaging of Synergy: Trilogy indicates that Kombucha supports digestion, metabolism, immune system, appetite control, weight control, liver function, body alkalinity, anti-aging, cell integrity and healthy skin and hair. Also mentioned is the fact that the creator, G.T. Dave, began bottling this tea after his mother's success from drinking it during a battle with breast cancer.

Kombucha is inappropriately referred to as a mushroom. Actually it is the symbiosis of a live culture, much like what is found in yogurt, when mixed with yeast and fed a diet of sweetened black or green tea. The result is a filtered sparkling beverage, Kombucha tea, that holds the health properties of the cultures, as well as a slight alcohol content (less than 0.5%) from the fermentation. Essential nutrients are then present after fermentation such as active enzymes, viable probiotics, amino acids, antioxidants and polyphenols.

Bottom line: drink this and all will be well again... sort of.

First of all, there is no proven documentation on the health benefits of Kombucha, despite the fact that it has been around for centuries. No matter, the company's website boldly proclaims, "Feel the healing power of Kombucha."

Second, it is expensive. A 16 oz. bottle of the stuff cost $3.50.

Thirdly, Synergy: Trilogy Kombucha Tea tastes awful. It smells like yeasty ginger bread and tastes like sparkling raw lemon juice. There is nothing sweet about this. And thanks to the bits of yeast floating around, I stupidly shook the damn bottle, which caused it to explode upon opening and now my kitchen smells like bread dough.

Do I feel better? Not completely, although I do feel oddly wide awake, and I'm guessing I'm going to have to choke down more than 2 sips to find out the full story. The best part? Because of the unstable nature of the contents within, it has been known to create intestinal problems and in one case death. (It only has a 160 day shelf life.) It cannot be left improperly stored, which means I have to figure out a way to consume all 16 oz. this evening.

But by tomorrow my intestines should be glowing and my body balanced and ready to attack the day. I'll have to let you know.

(By the end of this article and 2/3 of the bottle of the tea, I was feeling very alert, like a cup of coffee alert without the jitters, despite 2 margaritas earlier in the evening and the taste was growing on me. No pun intended.)

About Millennium Products:

The only pieces of information that I could uncover about the company was that it was started in 1995 after G.T. Dave's mother had success with it, and that he is 27 years old.

Ingredients: 95% G.T.'s organic raw kombucha, raspberry juice, lemon juice, freshed pressed ginger juice, and 100% pure love!!! (as reprinted from the bottle.)

Editors note: Want something way tastier than Synergy Trilogy Kombucha Tea? Check out our review of Ginger Soother.

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Posted by Blogpire Productions at June 13, 2006 9:41 AM

In the mid 90'S We lived in the country and an very spry old man turned me on to a baby, starter and recipe. I used brown sugar the box type from supermarket and black earl grey and lipton green tea bags. Black was for energy and green for health. When I first starting drinking the tea my weight was 295 lbs. and had numerus health conecrns. After about three or four months my weight was 220 lbs. I felt great and had the energy as I had enjoyed as a youth. At that time we had a hot water tank closet with shelves that stayed idea temp for brewing. When skeptics asked if i really beleaved the tea to work my reply was " in my mind Yes, whether it was the the tea or power of suggestion did'nt matter. For the power of the mind is a wondorful thing and i took this upon faith" now living in a big city not having an ideal inviroment to grow i abandoned this which i truly regret. Am presently experimenting with a heated box to grow anew. In conclusion tea, a handful of bones thrown on the ground or religion. Keep the faith!

Posted by: ray at August 1, 2008 9:09 PM

Check with your doctor. There are several sources out there that recommend against drinking Synergy Kombucha tea if you're pregnant, mainly because babies don't have developed immune systems yet and aren't able to filter out toxins.

Posted by: Jess Brooks at November 5, 2006 10:09 AM

I drink it occassionally and I always feel noticably alert and energized afterwards. Its better than drinking apple cider vinegar to get me going, as far as taste goes.

Posted by: Corey at April 24, 2007 10:00 PM

hello. i just wanted to say that i drink the home meade kombucha tea, Have for a couple months now again..i drank it years ago and had a lot more engery and over all good health.felt mgreat for some stupid reason i guess i was just to lazy to fool with making the tea because it does take up to 7 days to fermentate.. now i have many colon problems and started drinking the tea again it helps a lot and in hopes will cure a lot of the problems with the colon!!..i soley belive this..I have many babies to share if you would like and recipe...everyone has their won belife...my boyfirnd and i both drink it he like the taste and has noticed it makes a difference...so get your own culture and start drinking the tea!!........linda

Posted by: linda at April 26, 2007 10:34 AM

I have been drinking G.T. Dave's kombucha for many months now and recently upgraded to buying it in the case(most places will give you 10% off). What kombucha had done for me is unbelievable! It gives you an "alive" energy that will last all day but is still easy to go to sleep on. after drinking one of these kombucha tea's my body feels vibrant with energy and free of toxins. i havent caught a cold since i started drinking them daily. they have also fully cleaned up blemishes and breakouts on my facial skin.

Posted by: Dan Wright at February 23, 2008 7:27 PM

I've been drinking G.T. Dave's Kombucha for awhile now. Because of the cost I only buy it occasionally. I must admit at my first taste of it I was put off. I was actually driving down the road at the time. I kept looking at the bottle. I noticed a urge to taste it again. The more I drank, the more it grew on me too LOL! I've tried several varieties now and while Trilogy is my favorite, when the store is out and I really want a Kombucha fix, I'll drink any of the others. A friend of mine has offered me my own "baby" and is willing to teach me how to care for it. I look forward to making my own.

Posted by: Rachael at July 12, 2008 8:39 PM

I cannot believe all of the misinformation I have read so far on this page. If you want to learn more about kombucha or any other "fermented food" check out the Weston A. Price Foundation website. Kombucha is an ancient drink. No, it will not help your health if you are consuming crap in the first place. If your body is so far out of wack, kombucha can seem like a dangerous food. When you start to consume it, it will try to bring your body's chemistry into ballance, but if your consuming margaritas and other junk, then you are just fighting with the good microbes found in the Kombucha. Kombucha is not a toxin as has been implied in one entry, it's the American diet that is toxic. Whether or not we want to change our ways is up to us. Kombucha can help us on our journey to good health.

Posted by: Ann at August 13, 2008 9:09 AM

i have been drinking Kombucha for about 6 months now, and while it is expensive, I would still say it's worth it. It helps control your appetite, which decreases the cost of overall meals, aside from the Kombucha.. helping to compensate. After I drink a kombucha, I feel healthy and alert. Also, I have noticed a dramatic increase in the growth rate of my nails and hair... which has been the most noticable difference for me. I enjoy the taste, so that is no issue for me. It settles your stomach when it feels uneasy. I think it has also helped the quality of my skin. the drink is expensive, but I would recommend it, at least for a biweekly usage, to help with hair/nail growth, skin quality, digestion, mood, appetite, and weight.

Posted by: claudia at April 8, 2009 10:28 PM

I'm already alive and have too much energy. In fact, I'm over it and sometimes just want to die, so I take a ton of drugs, alcohol and don't eat or sleep for several days...

But then I drink a Kambuchi and everything is back to normal and I go about my normal work day as if nothing happened. Then my friends tell me all the crazy stories about what I did after the show when I was loaded.

Thanks, Kombuchi!

Posted by: count monaco at April 10, 2009 2:17 AM

I tried the cranberry kombucha tea from synergy today and it tasted like crap. Who wants to drink something that tastes like cheap wine turned to vinegar? This was the most disgusting drink I've ever had. I was totally disappointed that I wasted my $3.50 + tax on it. Yuck!

Posted by: TJ at May 12, 2009 8:50 PM

Try Carpe Diem Kombucha, it has all the same properties as synergy BUT it's only $1.99 a bottle. Carpe Diem can be stored with out refrigeration, it taste SO much better and there very little sediment. I was drinking Synergy for a long time but I am so happy ( so is my wallet) that I switched. Try it, you wont be disappointed. Also they are coming out with two new flavors; cranberry and quince.

Posted by: Anonymous at June 19, 2009 12:35 PM