Tea on Tap

A few years ago, the Twin Cities’ food scene was caught up in the third-wave coffee craze. Then it launched a craft- beer boom. The next thing brewing is kombucha, a fermented tea thought to have originated in ancient Manchuria. The new Verdant Tea shop in Minneapolis serves its housemade kombucha on tap, in a variety of seasonal flavors, from lychee to guava to hibiscus. Some tout the beverage’s (as-yet-unproven) health benefits, while other fans, such as myself, simply enjoy its refreshing, delicate balance of sweetness, effervescence, and acidity. You can sample a flight of kombucha flavors and take your favorite home in a growler. Just don’t ask to see the SCOBY, the Symbiotic Culture of (friendly) Bacteria and Yeast that transforms the plain tea into kombucha—but looks rather like an elephant booger. • Verdant Tea, 2111 E. Franklin Ave., Mpls., 612-223-8907, minneapolis.verdanttea.com