This New Paltz Company is Serving Small-Batch Kombucha On Tap

Look out for Calmbucha at 34 locations throughout the Hudson Valley.

Belly up to the bar and order a tall, frothy glass of… kombucha? That’s the idea, at least according to Calmbucha founders Ami Fixler and Reagan Leonard.

“I didn’t want to be yet another contributor to the huge waste-stream in our country and in our world,” Fixler says. By using refillable kegs and encouraging cheaper refills of reusable glass bottles and growlers, Calmbucha is looking to decrease their material footprint. Even in locations that do serve their products in cups, they are compostable veggie-plastic by Greenware, paired with paper straws.

For the uninitiated, kombucha is a lightly-fizzy beverage brewed by fermenting green or black teas, widely drunk for a variety of believed health benefits. It is also just downright delicious.

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Fixler began brewing kombucha after he grew tired of spending so much money on the drink. Learning he could brew his own at home was incredibly cost effective, especially once the friends he shared it with kept lavishing praise upon it along with the suggestion that he actively sell the brew. In 2015, Calmbucha made its debut at Earthgoods Natural Foods in New Paltz (though they’ve since moved to Hyde Park).

Just a few years later, Calmbucha is now featured on tap at 34 different locations throughout the Hudson Valley, including ten just in New Paltz. Added to the original Chai brew, the lineup now includes eight regular flavors such as elderberry and the jasmine-ginger “All That Jazz,” varieties, as well as seasonal favorites like “Melonade,” raw cacao and strawberry “Valentine’s Day,” and, of course, pumpkin pie. Fixler even teases a new brew about to make a splash: “Seven Chakra-Up,” a delicious blend of lime, pomegranate, and ginger. All of these flavors are brewed up locally.

“The organic teas, organic raw cane sugar, and organic Indian spices must unfortunately come from tropical locations. Flavors like rosemary, pumpkin, watermelon, peach, etc. are sourced from local farms whenever possible.”

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Visit Calmbucha for a full line-up of locations serving their brews. 

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