Wined Up: No fire extinguisher needed for Flying Embers surprising Pineapple Chili Hard Kombucha

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      We lovingly decant wines from the West Coast to Western Samoa and beyond, and then give you a highly opinionated, pocket-sized review.

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      Flying Embers Pineapple Chili Flying Embers

      Their words

      Juicy pineapple with a hint of ginger and a subtle refreshing, chili finish. Brewed with Live Probiotics and our Adaptogen Root Blend of Ginger and Turmeric.

      Suggested perfect pairings

      Not to generalize, but if you’re a dedicated member of the kombucha club—hard or otherwise—chances are pretty good you’re more health conscious than the average bear. Which is to say that Doritos and root beer for breakfast, Oreo cookies and Tahiti Treat for lunch, and Kentucky Fried Chicken with a side of Pop Tarts and a double-salted gravy shake for dinner is something for weekends and holidays only.

      So let’s go the healthy route here and reach for things like Avonlea Clothbound Cheddar cheese, a fermière from the Farm House, or Bosa’s stupidly delicious Parmesan crisps. If January has you ultra-healthy and at the gym six days a week, line up a peppery arugula salad with preserved-lemon-and-ginger vinaigrette or albacore tuna with a jalapeño-lime dipping sauce. Or, you know, say screw it all and break open a family-size bag of Doritos Dinamita Nacho Picoso, because you only live once and those things are delicious. 

      Duly noted

      Okay let’s deal with admittedly pint-sized elephant in the room. Right now you’re sitting there going “since when is kombucha considered a wine?” As perfectly valid a question as that is, some quick internet sleuthing suggests the favourite beverage of new-age crystal gazers is certainly not under the beer or hard liquor umbrella. For reasons that start with its forward-carbonation, it's usually filed beside sparkling wine or champagne—especially if you’ve added a splash of orange juice or tamarind-ginger syrup to your bubbly.

      That out of the way, Flying Embers Pineapple Chili Hard Kombucha makes for a welcome changeup from the well-worn beer-wine-cocktail treadmill. While more-green-than-ripe pineapple lurks in the background, it’s a refreshing rush of coconut that surprisingly leads the party. Close your eyes and you’re under an umbrella on a white sand beach in Fiji. The chili meanwhile has a pleasant and lingering afternburn, no doubt aided and abetted by the ginger.

      As for the Flying Embers part of the equation, no need to have a fire extinguisher at the ready upon popping a top. The name is a reference to a massive wildfire that threatened the brewery while it was just getting up and running in perpetually-under-seige California. And, in recognition of those on the frontlines who stepped up at a dangerous time, a portion of sales from every Flying Embers product goes to firefighters and first responders. When you consider this hard kombucha is low calorie, gluten free, and has probiotic benefits, that gives you one more reason to feel extra-good about what you’re drinking.

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