A Review of Zukay Kvass

I met Scott Grzybek, founder of Zukay Live Foods, several years ago at a conference. I was so impressed by Zukay’s resolve to sourcing local, organic foods and their commitment to utilizing ancient and traditional preparation methods to create quality foods!

I recently got the opportunity to try several of Zukay’s organic, live, raw, traditionally prepared, probiotic rich beverages called kvass.

What’s kvass, you ask?

Kvass is a fermented (cultured) beverage teeming with vitamins, minerals, enzymes and probiotics. Probiotics are beneficial bacteria and other micro-organisms that are critical for a healthy gut (and therefore, a healthy body!) Kvass is also a gentle detoxifier- and it tastes great!

Zukay makes several varieties of kvass:

• Beet Kvass
• Super Root Kvass
• Vegetable Medley Kvass
• Super Green Kvass
• Beet Ginger Kvass
• Carrot Ginger Kvass
• Super Gold Kvass

Here are the ones we tried:

Super Root
It was tart, earthy, refreshing, not overpowering and quite smooth. The sarsaparilla flavor comes through.

Super Green
This one was fresh tasting, tart, tasted of greens with a lemony brightness and a slight vegetal/herbal finish.

Beet
This was fresh, earthy and slightly sweet- definitely the sweetest of the bunch. This clean flavor is easy to drink, isn’t very sour and is a little bit salty. It’s a toss-up if I like the Beet or the Super Root the best!

Veggie Medley
I really picked up on a fresh cucumber/pickle-type flavor in this one. It was kind of sweet and had a vegetal flavor, but wasn’t overpowering. I didn’t specifically pick up on the cabbage or tomato, which I appreciated.

While you can make your own kvass at home, I really enjoy the convenience of being able to purchase it ready to drink, especially since I know it’s prepared the correct, traditional way. I love being able to save time in my home kitchen, so real food done for me, is a-ok by me!

Have you tried kvass? Which flavor would be your favorite?