Zestea

Zestea Kombucha was founded in 2018 by Sharon Li Jialin and Cindy Chen Xindi. The brand originated from home brewing kombucha, and its early production drew on local organic tea leaves and home-brewed fermented probiotic techniques. Fermentation now takes place in Yilan, Taiwan, where the kombucha is made in small batches from selected local ingredients.^[1],[2]

Zestea describes its trajectory as a move from a kombucha brand into a beverage brand combining flavor design, a sense of ritual, and lifestyle aesthetics. The company has established a market foundation in Taiwan and China.^[3]

Sharon Li Jialin and Cindy Chen Xindi founded Zestea Kombucha together and established the brand in 2018.^[1]

Zestea states that authenticity, naturalness, and the absence of added chemical flavorings are the basic principles behind its beverages, and that its kombucha contains no additives. The kombucha is not pasteurized, a choice the company makes in order to preserve live probiotics.^[3],[4]

According to Zestea, more than 95% of the ingredients in its kombucha are sustainably grown, and sourcing supports local small farmers.^[5]

Zestea's core kombucha lineup comprises seven flavors: Original, Roselle (hibiscus), Lemongrass, Lemon Mint, Ginger Turmeric, Raw Oolong, and Raw Tea Hop. Each is built on fermented tea with herbal or botanical seasoning rather than added flavoring.^[6]

Alongside the core range and the Back to Nature series, Zestea has released a collaborative flavor, the Zestea X Simple Kaffa Koffee Kombucha, a coffee kombucha.^[7]

SCOBY fermentation, 20-30 days. Zestea's kombucha is produced by mixing a SCOBY — a symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast — with sweetened tea; the acetic acid bacteria and yeast react with the sweet tea to give a sour, slightly effervescent fermented drink. The company ferments its sweet tea with the culture for 20-30 days, over which the yeast and acetic acid bacteria consume more than 90% of the sugar. Elsewhere Zestea specifies a 25-30 day fermentation, yielding a beverage full of live probiotics, organic acids, and antioxidants. The kombucha is left unpasteurized so the live probiotics survive into the bottle.^[4]

Co-fermentation with coffee. For EMBER, Zestea co-ferments aged Pu'er tea together with coffee beans in the same fermentation tank, using Simple Kaffa's Ethiopian Kurume batch. The result is described as interweaving Simple Kaffa coffee with smoky Pu'er woody notes. The related Zestea X Simple Kaffa Koffee Kombucha uses Ethiopian sun-dried (naturally processed) coffee beans and shows a rich coffee aroma over delicate fermented layers.

Tea selection as flavor architecture. The tea itself is a variable Zestea manipulates across the range. Base and specialty teas are chosen for the aromatic register they contribute after fermentation.^[8]

• Core range — brewed with organic honey-scented black tea sourced from Nantou, Taiwan.
• Raw Oolong Kombucha — raw oolong tea that is not roasted over slow fire, giving a floral aroma, umami character, and a fresh, sweet taste; the producer also describes a roasted aroma and lingering sweetness characteristic of oolong.
• Muscat — Taiwan Premium Oolong tea with Muscat grape.
• EMBER — aged Pu'er tea, contributing smoky, woody tones.

Sourcing — teas, water and sugar. Zestea brews with Taiwanese local honey-scented black tea and water from Yilan, and uses raw cane sugar sourced from Brazil. Fermentation takes place in Yilan in small batches from carefully selected local ingredients.^[4],[5]

Botanical & herbal infusions. Zestea attributes its different flavors to natural herbal plants rather than flavorings.^[4]

• Lemongrass — named by the producer as one of the herbal plants behind its flavors; the Lemongrass Kombucha carries a fresh herbal aroma with bright fruity acidity.
• Hibiscus (roselle) — named as a flavor botanical; the Hibiscus Kombucha shows layered floral and fruity aromatics, a sweet-and-tart balance, and berry character.
• Ginger and turmeric — the Ginger & Turmeric Kombucha shows warm spice and a deep, layered flavor.
• Lemon and mint — the Lemon & Mint Kombucha shows bright citrus aroma with cooling mint.
• Hops — the Raw Tea & Hops Kombucha carries herbal and citrus hop aroma over natural tea aroma.

Fruit & floral components in the Back to Nature series. The Back to Nature bottlings extend the tea base with fruit and floral character, and Zestea says the fermentation used for the series preserves rich fruity and tea aromas along with beneficial probiotics.

• Muscat — Muscat grape with Taiwan Premium Oolong tea.
• Bloom — osmanthus and plum notes over a golden hue.
• EMBER — specialty coffee processed by an anaerobic sun-dried method, giving aromas of dried coffee cherry, grape, rum, and single-origin chocolate with clean, bright acidity.

Production standards. Zestea is produced in a facility holding both HACCP and ISO22000 certifications, in small batches, with no additives and no pasteurization.^[4]

House character. Zestea describes its kombucha as offering a smooth, rich sweet-and-sour taste with slight effervescence from first sip to last. The Original bottling is the clearest expression of that base, preserving the pure essence of tea and fermentation with delicate bubbles and natural acidity.^[5],[9]

Back to Nature series. The Back to Nature bottlings are presented in a more wine-adjacent register. Bloom shows a golden hue with subtle rhythmic bubbles, sweet osmanthus fragrance, gentle acidity, and a rich, refreshing mouthfeel balancing osmanthus and plum. Muscat shows a pale green hue with fine, rhythmic bubbles, gentle acidity, and a rich, fresh mouthfeel balancing grape, lychee, and berry flavors. EMBER shows a deep amber color with fine, structured bubbles and a dark-berry, wine-like aroma, interweaving coffee and smoky Pu'er woody notes with smoky, cocoa, and woody depth.

Pairing. Zestea publishes a food pairing for each bottling across the core range, spanning breakfast, regional Taiwanese and Southeast Asian cooking, fried foods, and pastry.

• Original — yogurt, fresh fruit, French toast, and toasted bagels.
• Hibiscus — Basque cheesecake, fruit tarts, and macarons; also traditional Taiwanese meat zongzi.
• Lemongrass — Thai basil pork, green curry, Vietnamese spring rolls, and Thai seafood salad.
• Lemon & Mint — Taiwanese fried chicken, crispy wings, and fries, balancing rich fried foods.
• Ginger & Turmeric — Korean barbecue, grilled chicken, and roasted vegetables.
• Raw Oolong — braised pork rice, beef noodle soup, braised snacks, and scallion oil chicken; also seafood scallop zongzi.
• Raw Tea & Hops — cheese, meat, and rich sauces, the gentle bitterness of hops balancing the richness.
• Koffee Kombucha — cinnamon rolls, tiramisu, and chocolate cake, balancing the richness and sweetness of desserts.
• EMBER — fine cuisine and chocolate desserts.

Zestea collaborated with Simple Kaffa (Xingbo Coffee) to create Koffee Kombucha, a coffee kombucha jointly launched by the two brands and made with Ethiopian sun-dried coffee beans. Zestea describes Simple Kaffa as one of Asia's most representative specialty coffee brands and roasters. The same partnership produced EMBER, created to interpret coffee's flavor within an alcohol-free micro-sparkling drink, with Simple Kaffa's Ethiopian Kurume batch co-fermented alongside aged Pu'er tea.^{[7],[10],[11],[12]}

EMBER (Wēijìn) won the Gold Award at the 2026 World Alcohol-Free Awards, from a field of nearly 600 entries submitted by over 30 countries. Bloom was recommended by the 2024 World Alcohol-Free Awards.