opinionated alchemist

First of all for all people who are confused about soda versus lemonade a simple bullet point characterization: Soda Quite sweet Can have basically any flavor Carbonated Usually clear The overall characterizing aroma comes from the original "flavor" which is augmented from the sugar and balanced by citric acid or another flavorless acid. Lemonade Medium sweetness - more on the tart side Basic flavor is... lemon (because of LEMONade) Normally not carbonated Cloudy The overall characteristic comes from the lemons (and sometimes other fruits) which are balanced with sugar. Acid comes part or mainly from the lemon. I quite enjoy both - more often soda, but lemonade is also refreshing. But then there are drinks like Pellegrino Limonata, which has the refreshing fizz of soda, but also includes lemon juice, which taste more natural. Off course, all commercial products taste a bit off, due to the fact, that most juices are degrading (that's why sod...

At times it is good - but at times it is also bad to be quite self-critical. See water-kefir - despite the people who promote this beverage and say, that it is delicious, I had pretty mixed results. When following the mantra of so many people online (using raw sugar or at least less refined sugars plus some dehydrated fruits, the drink taste IMHO just plain awful (as well as become more awful with fermenting longer). I found a workaround with Darcy O'Neal's "spring water minerals" - suddenly the tibicos culture is multiplying and very happy even with plain white sugar - and the ferment taste light and nice. However the second ferment is very unpredictable: The time of the fermentation (even in the fridge) changes dramatically the taste. It ranges from slightly funky (which is great) to awful and kinda off.  The fermented fruit also makes a huge difference: cantaloup melon tasted very natural like a natural melon gatorade, similar to kiwi. Watermelon tas...