Cultured Beverages
One of the most refreshing sources of active probiotics and herbal nutrition is an artisanal, lactofermented beverage. From slightly sweet and fruity, to salty and slightly sour, our Kombuchas, Kefirs, Juns, Kvasses and Cabbage Tonics offer something for every palate. To support a healthy microbiome, drink at least 4 ounces a day.
Beets are sliced and cultured in water with yogurt whey and Celtic sea salt to make this traditional tonic drink. Sally Fallon Morell describes this drink as being "valuable for its medicinal qualities and as a digestive aid. Beets are just loaded with nutrients. One 4-ounce glass, morning and night, is an excellent blood tonic, promotes regularity, aids digestion, alkalizes the blood, cleanses the liver and is a good treatment for kidney stones and other ailments..." (Nourishing Traditions, page 608)
Ingredients: beets,* yogurt whey,* Celtic sea salt (* = organic)
Recipe is gluten-free.
This delicious seasonal offering of cabbage tonic features anti-inflammatory turmeric and ginger to keep us limber in the cooler seasons.
Ingredients: filtered water, green cabbage*, turmeric root*, ginger root*, Celtic sea salt (* = organic)
Recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free, and GAPS Diet-friendly.
Finally a truly nutritious, real-food sports drink you can trust and enjoy. And it's probiotic! This sports drink uses only raw local honey as a sweetener and fresh squeezed lime juice with yogurt whey from Straus grassfed yogurt for tang. Celtic sea salt, harvested from isolated North Atantic waters and slowly sun-dried, contains a host of trace electrolyte-rich minerals in bioavailable form. Now in larger 750 ml bottles to last through any workout.
Ingredients: filtered water, whey (from Strauss whole milk organic yogurt)*, lime juice*, raw local honey, Celtic sea salt (* = organic)
Recipe is gluten-free, nightshade-free, black pepper-free and contains dairy in the form of whey.
Here's a grownup orange pop, sweetened with carrot and infused with the complex flavors of orange zest. Organic white tea and unrefined sugar are cultured with a SCOBY (symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast), and then flavored carrot juice and orange zest. This lovely, artisanal probiotic drink is less effervescent than many of our kombuchas.
Ingredients: filtered water, green earl grey tea*, carrots*, orange zest*, cane sugar* (* = organic)
This seasonal beverage features Yerba Santa, a California native plant that was valued by the First Peoples, that has historically been used to treat asthma and other respiratory issues. It is also known as Mountain Balm and the Concow people of northeastern California call it wä-sä-got’-o. The plant also has the reputation of clearing and moving grief, and is used in environmental restoration as it can restore damaged lands and overgrazed ranchland. The flavor of our beverage is citrusy and refreshing, with subtle herbal notes.
Ingredients: filtered water, organic white tea,* lime juice,* lemon juice,* lemon zest,* fresh thyme,* foraged yerba santa leaves, organic cane sugar* (* = organic)
Organic white tea and unrefined sugar are cultured with a SCOBY (symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast), and then flavored with fresh ginger and lime to produce a slightly tart and bold flavor. Kombucha is considered by many to have a detoxifying effect on the body.
Ingredients: filtered water, white tea*, cane sugar*, ginger root*, lime juice*, lime zest* (* = organic)
Organic gunpowder green tea and unrefined sugar are cultured with a SCOBY (symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast), and then flavored with organic grape juice for a delicious fermented kombucha drink. Kombucha is considered by many to have a detoxifying effect on the body.
Ingredients: filtered water, gunpowder green tea*, cane sugar*, Concord grape juice* (* = organic)
Organic white tea and unrefined sugar are cultured with a SCOBY (symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast), and then flavored with a cold infusion of hibiscus flowers for a slightly tart, slightly effervescent cultured beverage. Kombucha is considered by many to have a detoxifying effect on the body.
Ingredients: filtered water, white tea*, cane sugar*, hibiscus* (* = organic)
Organic gunpowder green tea and unrefined sugar are cultured with a SCOBY (symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast), and then flavored with an infusion of nettle leaves for an unusual, delicious, and nourishing fermented drink. Kombucha is considered by many to have a detoxifying effect on the body.
Ingredients: filtered water, gunpowder green tea*, cane sugar*, nettle leaves* (* = organic)
Organic yerba mate and unrefined sugar are cultured with a SCOBY (symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast), and then flavored with pomegranate juice from Live Oak Farm in Sonoma. Refreshing and crisp, a bit smoky and herbacious, with just the right level of tartness, this drink has quickly become a staff favorite! Kombucha is considered by many to have a detoxifying effect on the body.
Ingredients: filtered water, yerba mate, organic cane sugar, pomegranate juice, lime zest
Organic rooibos "red bush" tea (no caffeine!) and unrefined sugar are cultured with a SCOBY (symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast), and flavored with a mixture of spices to produce a warm, sweet & spicy, woody vanilla flavor. Kombucha, a traditional probiotic beverage, is considered by many to have a detoxifying effect on the body.
Cherry and Chocolate marry beautifully for this Valentines' Day special beverage! Forgot to buy that box of chocolates? Raise your glasses with that special someone and toast to a healthy microbiome. Nothing says romance like vigorous gut flora! Rich and balanced with a vanilla bean background and a sophisticated cherry finish, you'll both fall in love with this combo.
Ingredients: filtered water, cane sugar, cherry juice, cacao nibs, vanilla bean, molasses, water kefir grains
Recipe is gluten-free and dairy-free.
A very floral and citrusy dairy-free water kefir. Water kefir grains, also called tibicos, are used to ferment a base of filtered water with unrefined cane sugar and just a touch of molasses. The sugars are metabolized by the kefir grains to produce a light but rich effervescent base. The brew is then flavored with hibiscus and rose to produce a bubbly probiotic “soda.”
Ingredients: filtered water, cane sugar*, molasses*, raw unfiltered honey, rose petals*, Meyer lemon zest* (*=organic)
Dairy-free water kefir. Water kefir grains, also called tibicos, are used to ferment a base of filtered water with unrefined cane sugar and just a touch of molasses. The sugars are metabolized by the kefir grains to produce a light but rich effervescent base. This old-timey brew is then flavored with sarsaparilla, sassafras leaf, ginger, turmeric and other herbs and spices to produce a bubbly probiotic “soda.” Vanilla bean lends this fizzy beverage a rich and complex flavor. If you are a root beer lover who is ready to graduate to a real roots beer, this is the drink for you!
Ingredients: filtered water, sarsaparilla, cane sugar*, molasses*, turmeric root*, ginger root*, licorice root, cinnamon*, vanilla bean*, sassafras, black peppercorn*, cardamom pods*, allspice* (* = organic)
Recipe is dairy-free and gluten-free*
Dairy-free water kefir. Water kefir grains, also called tibicos, are used to ferment a base of filtered water with unrefined cane sugar and just a touch of molasses. The sugars are metabolized by the kefir grains to produce a light but rich effervescent base. The brew is then flavored with rose geranium to produce a bubbly probiotic “soda.”
Ingredients: filtered water, locally foraged rose geranium, cane sugar*, raw unfiltered honey, molasses* (* = organic)
Recipe is gluten-free and dairy-free.
This kombucha is brewed almost 3 times as long as our other beverages, resulting in a distinct flavor profile. English Breakfast tea and unrefined sugar are cultured with a SCOBY (symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast), and that probiotic base is balanced by the addition of sweet apple juice and finished with a gentle kick of freshly juiced ginger. Sour apple with a punch!
Ingredients: filtered water, Darjeeling tea*, cane sugar*, apple juice (apples,* ascorbic acid), ginger* (* = organic)
Jun is a unique cultured beverage that is made from honey and green tea. Its origins are clouded in mystery... Some say it comes from Tibet. It uses a culture similar to a kombucha SCOBY or water kefir grains. This is a perfect alternative for those who prefer to avoid all refined sugar, or are on GAPS protocol, as the only sweetener is honey. We have flavored ours with lemon and elderflower infusion for a delightfully ethereal drink that is light and bubbly.
Ingredients: filtered water, gunpowder green tea,* raw honey, elderflowers, lemon juice,* lemon zest* (* = organic)
Recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian, and GAPS Diet-friendly.
For this very special shrub, we infused calcium-rich herbs in vinegar for several weeks to extract their bone-building minerals. A shrub is an old fashioned traditional fruit concentrate, like a syrup, preserved with vinegar and used to make or flavor beverages. A few ounces with bubbly water and a makes a fabulous drink all on its own, and there's no reason you couldn't use it as a cocktail mixer if that's your thing! Shrubs can also add zing to jam or salad dressing, and make a wonderful glaze for grilled meats. We use raw, unfiltered honey and raw apple cider vinegar for an extra-vital cultured beverage!
Ingredients: carrots,* raw unfiltered honey, Bernie's Best raw apple cider vinegar* infused with herbs (horseradish,* foraged nasturiums, nettle,* dandelion,* parsley,* foraged horsetail, foraged cleavers) (*=organic)
Recipe is vegetarian, gluten-free, nightshade-free, black pepper-free, dairy-free and GAPS Diet-friendly.
New in our line of "healthy bones" seasonal shrubs! We infuse calcium-rich dill and other herbs in vinegar for several weeks to extract their bone-building minerals. Then we strain the vinegar and mixed it with freshly juiced, perfectly ripe local watermelon (also a great source of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants) and raw unfiltered local honey. This shrub can be used to make a delicious beverage by diluting it 4:1 with bubbly or still water.
Ingredients: watermelon*, raw Bernie's apple cider vinegar* infused with herbs (dill*, dandelion*, locally foraged horsetail, nettle*, parsley*), raw unfiltered honey (* = organic)
Recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free, and GAPS-diet friendly.
For this seasonal shrub, we infused Bernie's Apple Cider Vinegar with locally foraged yerba santa leaves and fresh thyme, both known for their lung-supporting properties. We added housemade juice from local apples along with raw local honey to balance the traditional tang of the oxymel (vinegar-infused medicinal tonic). This shrub can be used to make a delicious beverage by diluting it 4:1 with bubbly or still water, a sprig of mint or a squeeze of lime (or both) -- or of course adding some of Bernie's Gravenstein Apple Cider.
Ingredients: local apples**, raw wildflower honey, Bernie's Best raw apple cider vinegar* infused with various herbs (locally foraged yerba santa leaves, thyme*) (* = organic) (** = transitioning to organic)
Recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free, and GAPS-diet friendly.
THIS PRODUCT IS ONLY AVAILABLE THROUGH BULK SALES TO BERKELEY AND EL CERRITO NATURAL GROCERY -- IF YOU SEE IT ON OUR WEBSITE, PLEASE DON'T ORDER IT. THANK YOU.