(Sparkling & NON) Teas & Fermented Expressions Worth Discovering

Lorela Lohan
3 hours ago
4 min read

As Tea Professional & Taster

Sparkling tea is often described as a trend. For tea lovers, it should be approached differently.

Not as a substitute for wine. Not as a soft drink with bubbles. But as an expansion of tea’s vocabulary. Over the past months, I have revisited several references that, in my view, genuinely respect the leaf — each expressing a distinct philosophy of origin, fermentation, structure, or aromatic precision.

Here is my current selection.

1. Pettersson & Munthe, Sweden

Bergamot Oolong Sparkling Tea

This cuvée leans toward brightness and lift.

An oolong base layered with bergamot, timut pepper, lemon balm, and a gentle rounding from apple juice. The citrus unfolds gradually. The spice remains subtle. The sweetness supports rather than dominates.

The effervescence is refined, carrying the aromatics without overwhelming them.

For tea lovers who appreciate citrus-driven oolongs or elegant Earl Grey profiles, this bottle demonstrates how aromatic tea can move confidently into sparkling form while maintaining balance.

2. AMA Brewery, Spain

AMA® No. 5 – Jasmine Silver Needle (1.5% Vol.)

Inspired by the ancestral pétillant naturel method, AMA No. 5 is naturally fermented and bottle-aged. The base: Jasmine Silver Needle from Fuding, Fujian — harvested from tender spring shoots and traditionally scented over multiple nights with fresh jasmine blossoms.

The colour is pale sage. The nose reveals honey, acacia, and white flowers. The bubbles are elegant and integrated. At 1.5% alcohol, it behaves like a living bottle — evolving, refining, gaining nuance over time.

For tea lovers, this is not merely sparkling tea — it is a conversation between classical craftsmanship and fermentation.

3. ACALA, Lithuania

Red Wine Style

Here, sparkling tea moves into darker territory.

Built on ripe pu-erh and Assam, layered with blueberry, blackcurrant, chokeberry, hibiscus and fireweed, the profile leans ruby in colour and depth.

On the nose: dark berries and earthiness. On the palate: tannic grip from Assam black tea provides backbone, while acidity keeps the fruit lifted and precise.

For tea lovers who appreciate aged pu-erh or robust Assam, this cuvée demonstrates how depth and complexity can translate into sparkling form while retaining elegance.

Want to learn more about ACALA? Check out our interview with Martynas and our collaboration.

4. Sparkteez, France

Cuvée Prestige

Cuvée Prestige is built on clarity and approachability. Its base is an infusion composed of 93% Darjeeling and Chinese white tea, lightly rounded with fructose and preserved with lemon juice. The result is clean, gently aromatic, and convivial. Darjeeling contributes subtle muscatel notes and structure. The white tea adds softness and a delicate floral lift.

The effervescence is lively but uncomplicated — designed for ease rather than intensity.

Certified organic and FairTrade, with minimal ingredients and no alcohol, it offers a lighter entry point into the category.

It may not seek complexity, but it fulfils another important role: Celebration without heaviness. Elegance without effort.

5. Grands Jardins, France (Still — not sparkling)

Satemwa – Thé Noir Fumé Malawite, Shire Highlands 2023

Let us begin without effervescence. This Satemwa is simply tea — black tea smoked over guava leaves from the Shire Highlands of Malawi — blended with osmosed water. No sugar. No preservatives. No alcohol. The robe is deep topaz. The nose reveals leather, peat, and a restrained whisky-like warmth. On the palate: dry, firm, persistent.

The smoke is integrated rather than theatrical. It carries structure and depth, making it remarkably gastronomic.

For lovers of Lapsang Souchong or heavily oxidised black teas, this expression reminds us that tea alone — when treated with precision — can command the table.

Don't miss out on our company profile HERE

6. TEALURE, Lithuania

Single Tea Kombucha Series

I think that I can assert that I recognise quality and craft when it comes to tea and kombuchas. Ernestas, the founder, has stepped up the game with these-single tea kombucha series. I discovered this edition in Lithuania this summer, and it has been just a series of yessses.

Just tea — amplified.

Each kombucha is fermented first in glass vessels, then in champagne bottles, allowing controlled ageing and fine bubble development. Unpasteurized and unfiltered, they remain alive and must be refrigerated.

Bao Hong Dragonwell

A premium green tea from Zhejiang, pan-fired to preserve sweetness.

The kombucha expresses roasted chestnut notes, gentle nuttiness, and a pale emerald clarity. The texture is velvety, the finish clean and persistent. It is crisp, refined, and almost meditative.

Golden Lotus (Oriental Beauty style)

Grown at 1000–1200 m in Lai Chau, Vietnam.

Honeyed aromatics, delicate florals, and the subtle “bug-bitten” fruit nuance characteristic of Oriental Beauty.

Fermentation amplifies these notes rather than obscuring them. The result is soft, layered, and without bitterness.

Black Ruby (High-Mountain Nepal)

Slow oxidation and cool climate give this tea its depth.

In kombucha form, it becomes expressive and rich — sweet spice, subtle caramel, structured maturity. The longer it ages, the more nuanced it becomes.

Tealure releases these as limited editions, rotating seasonally — a reminder that terroir, harvest, and farming methods matter even more once fermentation begins.

For tea lovers, this is perhaps the purest dialogue of fermentation in the category.

An interview with Ernestas, founder of Tealure, can be found here.

7. Figa, Belgium

Milky Oolong Kombucha

Fermenting Milky Oolong requires restraint.

Here, the cultivar's creamy, floral character remains intact. The fermentation introduces acidity and lift without masking the leaf’s identity.

The texture feels alive — slightly untamed compared to sparkling tea, yet expressive and layered.

For lovers of Taiwanese Jin Xuan, this is a compelling reinterpretation: familiar aromatics, new structure.

If you want to learn more about Figa Kombucha, you can consult our interview with Yassine

Interview with Yassine

Final Reflection

What interested me most is not the bubbles. It is whether the leaf still speaks.

In each of these expressions — still, floral, fermented, celebratory, or dark and structured — tea remains the protagonist.

The format evolves. The structure expands. But the origin, the cultivar, the craft — remain central.

For tea lovers, this is not a departure from tradition. It is an expansion of it.