I live for the summer, but I also adore Halloween, so I find myself feeling very conflicted when the season starts to change, and it's hitting me harder this year than ever before. On one hand, the days get shorter, and the temperature drops, so no more sun and tank tops, but there's Halloween candy and spooky decor to look forward to, which warms my black little heart.
Why can't there be a real Summerween, like in Gravity Falls? It's like it was custom made for me!
Anyway, I spotted these watermelon themed kombucha flavors at Lidl and thought they would be a fun foodie send off for the dumpster-fire that was summer 2020.
Right off the bat, there are quite a few differences between these two summery watermelon-themed kombucha flavors. First of all the color, GT is a dark watermelon-red, while the Lidl is a light grapefruit-y color. The GT version contains 5% juice, while Lidl contains 12%, and there is a 20 calorie difference between the two bottles (likely due to the higher juice content.) Normally I don't pay too much attention to that stuff, but since both items seemed so similar in concept, I thought it would be interesting to see how much they truly differ in execution.
GT Watermelon Wonder: smells like watermelon and pickle brine, a combination that smells a lot more appealing than you'd expect. I took a sip, and it tastes sweet, tangy, refreshing, and oddly spicy? I can taste watermelon, but it's a tangy unripened watermelon flavoring, and a hint of ginger or almost cinnamon. It's summery, without being overly so, and it kind of gives me fancy fruity vinaigrette dressing vibes. The fermentation is fairly pronounced here, so it comes off as very beer or vinegar-like. I looked at the ingredients, and it lists kiwi and lime juices, which are the likely cause of the unripe sour flavoring, but there is no mention of ginger or cinnamon or anything giving me this slight spicy flavoring. Maybe it's the "100% pure love?" Either way, this is a bolder flavor with a refreshing fruity after-taste. Probably best suited to more experienced kombucha drinkers.
Lidl Spring Fling: Ooh! This smells light and citrus-y, almost like the Leinenkugel's Summer Shady I tried last summer. (One of the few beers I could tolerate.) I can slightly smell the watermelon, which is more of a light an refreshing cucumber-ish aroma than a sweet and fruity one, but it's still in there. By comparison, this tastes so much lighter! I can taste lemon, lime, and watermelon rind. Saying "rind" sounds unappealing, but I promise you, it works. Kind of like fancy spa water. Overall, this is bright and teeters on being sour, almost lemonade-like, while still being kombucha. There is a slight vinegar-y twang towards the end, but it's less salad-dressing-like than the GT flavor, and I might be crazy, but the Lidl one also seems more carbonated thanks to the fermentation process although it looks far less bubbly in the glass when poured.
Of the two, Lidl Spring Fling is my favorite, but both flavors are lovely, and I will have no problem finishing either bottle. I found myself drawn to the more sour flavoring of the citrus-intense Spring Fling, and it flavoring also read more "summer," which I really apreciated.
If you don't like kombucha, these are probably going to taste like salad dressing to you, but for me? These taste like summer. I might have to run to Lidl tomorrow and get another bottle or two of their Spring Fling before it disappears, and if you like kombucha, I suggest you do the same.
Fans of these would also like: Asian Pear & Ginger Kombucha or Cherry Cassis Kombucha
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