GTS Aqua Kefir Sparkling Probiotic Drink - Pink Grapefruit and Orange Peach Mango

I enjoy a good GTS kombucha from time to time (guava goddess 4eva <3), but for the average person the vinegariness is usually a turnoff. I also lean lactose-intolerant, so I'm always looking for non-dairy sources of probiotics. Well apparently kefir helps with that. Kefir is a yogurt-like but thinner fermented milk drink with a bacteria/yeast cultures. I haven't had kefir because I always assumed it was a dairy product, but apparently the bacteria found in it aid with lactose digestion. And now apparently there's water - excuse me, *aqua* kefir. So fancy. 

While the name aqua kefir might be a catchy marketing and branding thing, water kefir is an actual thing. Instead of milk, the kefir grains are mixed with sugar water and allowed to ferment for 24-48 hours. And voila, fancy sparkling probiotic beverage! 

Trader Joe's offers two flavors - pink grapefruit and orange peach mango. Both are flavors right up my alley. They seem to be flavors exclusively carried at TJ's. The GTS website does not mention these flavors but has other ones (coconut lime, pomegranate, peach pineapple, and pear ginger). 

Since the base is sugar water, these drinks do have a tad more sugar than kombucha but no vinegar. Looks like sugar water, kefir grains, and juice. So in theory, it should taste like juice.

1) The taste is halfway between seltzer and kombucha. There is a slight fermentedness but it's not nearly as vinegary or tart as a kombucha. However, this did not stop A from disliking it. Honestly, I think if you love fruity-flavored seltzers, you might like this because it's pretty bubbly and fruity. 

2) The fermented-ness is pretty gentle, which reminds me of the fermented-ness of an alcoholic beverage that is sooooo weak on the alcohol that it tastes like juice. 

3) I liked both flavors. Pink grapefruit has a tart grapefruit taste without being too sharp while having some sweetness. The orange peach mango tastes exactly how it sounds - orange-y, peachy, and mango-y. A little toned down compared to the Trader Joe's orange peach mango juice. Both are excellent, but I think more people will like the orange peach mango only because not everyone likes grapefruit. 

4) I've only had this drink twice, so I'm not sure I can comment that ingesting water kefir actually makes any physical difference. But it tastes good, costs the same as a GTS Kombucha at TJ's ($2.99 a pop), and is pretty pleasant to drink during a nightshift. I might treat myself this while guava goddess is out of stock. 

TL;DR: GTS Aqua Kefir Sparkling Probiotic Drink. Sparkling, fruit-flavored probiotic juice. 8 out of 10. Mantou Joe repurchase? Tastes good and makes me think I'm drinking soemthing healthy? Sure.