Lion Heart Kombucha is a Portland, Oregon kombucha brewery founded in 2010 by Jared, who had been teaching kombucha classes since 2008 and first brewed at night after work.
It aims for low-sugar kombucha in familiar flavors, printing 3 to 4 grams of sugar per 8 ounce serving, and moved to 16 ounce cans in 2020.
Lion Heart Kombucha began in a classroom. Its founder, Jared, started teaching kombucha classes in 2008 and founded Lion Heart in Portland in 2010, brewing at night after his day job, as the company's About page tells it. The brewery's stated aim is the best low-sugar kombucha in beloved flavors, and it moved to 16 ounce cans in 2020, which it says made it more sustainable and efficient. Everything here is from Lion Heart's own pages.
| Flavor | What goes in, per Lion Heart |
|---|---|
| Wildberry | Oregon blueberries lead, blackberries deepen, elderberry ties it together |
| Pomegranate Love | Real pomegranate juice, rose petals, tart rose hips |
| Mango Kick | Bright mango, zesty lime, a subtle chili heat |
| Wild Blueberry | Blueberries with a splash of ginger |
| Hero's Blend | A hibiscus kombucha with added herbs |
| Spiced Pear | A fall seasonal |
Lion Heart prints 3 to 4 grams of sugar per 8 ounce serving, which is 6 to 8 grams in a full 16 ounce can.
Familiar flavors, kept low in sugar
Where some small brewers chase unusual botanicals, Lion Heart goes for flavors people already know, from cherry cola to green apple, and works to keep the sugar down. Its FAQ puts the figure at 3 to 4 grams per 8 ounce serving, and two of its flavor posts cite 4 grams per serving. The fruit carries most of the flavor, so the regional sourcing matters: the Wildberry description leads with Oregon blueberries.
Pomegranate Love and Hero's Blend sit at the ruby end of the range, colored by pomegranate and hibiscus. Mango Kick is the outlier, with chili heat under the fruit, a combination more common in Mexican fruit stands than in kombucha.
A teacher's brewery
Few commercial brewers started out teaching. Lion Heart still links a download of brewing instructions from its About page, and the habit shows in how plainly it talks about what goes into the cans. Home brewers who learned from the same kind of class will recognise the method in the trade's Code of Practice: sweet tea, a generous share of starter from the last batch, an open first ferment, then fruit and a seal for the fizz.
Lion Heart delivers directly around Portland and reaches further afield through partners, as its contact page explains.
Questions
When did Lion Heart Kombucha start?
In 2010. Its founder Jared began teaching kombucha classes in 2008, according to the company's About page.
How much sugar is in Lion Heart Kombucha?
The brewery's FAQ says 3 to 4 grams per 8 ounce serving.
What size are Lion Heart cans?
16 ounces. The cans launched in 2020.
What flavors does Lion Heart make?
Its lineup includes Wildberry, Pomegranate Love, Mango Kick, Wild Blueberry, Blood Orange, Green Apple, Cherry Cola, a seasonal Spiced Pear and a hibiscus kombucha called Hero's Blend.
