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TEAZEN and OSULLOC both sell Korean kombucha as instant sticks, but they are different drinks. TEAZEN's sticks are fruit-flavored, built on a black-tea kombucha powder with added probiotics, zero sugar and a sweet, fizzy taste, in eleven flavors. OSULLOC's Kombucha Calamango is a honey-fermented kombucha made with a culture derived from Jeju green tea, with no sugar added, in one flavor. Choose TEAZEN for variety and sweetness, OSULLOC for a tea-forward, less sweet cup.
Two of Korea's best-known tea companies make kombucha sticks, and people reasonably ask which one to buy. The answer depends on what you want kombucha to taste like. This is a side-by-side comparison from the product pages and from the brands' own backgrounds, written at Daebak, a Seoul-based Korean culture and product company. We sell both; neither brand pays us to prefer it, and both are shipped by the brands.
There is a small piece of history connecting them. According to the Korea Economic Daily, TEAZEN was founded in 2001 by Kim Jong-tae, who had earlier led the launch of OSULLOC while working at Amorepacific. OSULLOC itself dates its Jeju tea fields to 1979 and, per Amorepacific's 2019 announcement, became a separate company wholly owned by Amorepacific Group that year. So the two kombuchas come from two companies with one person in both stories.
Side by side
| TEAZEN Kombucha sticks | OSULLOC Kombucha Calamango | |
|---|---|---|
| Base, per the brand | Kombucha powder fermented from black tea (Uva, Darjeeling), rooibos, chamomile, green tea, peppermint and brown rice | Honey-fermented kombucha made with a culture (SCOBY) the brand developed from green tea extract |
| Flavors | Eleven in our shop: Lemon, Peach, Shine Muscat, Berry, Citron, Korean Plum, Pineapple, Raspberry, Strawberry Kiwi, Mango & Guava, Green Mandarin Lime | One: Calamango (calamansi and mango) |
| Sweetness | Sweet; erythritol and sucralose, 0 g sugar and 15 calories per stick listed | "No sugar added," per the brand; honey fermentation, less sweet |
| Extras | Prebiotic fiber and a twelve-culture probiotic blend | The brand highlights green tea catechins |
| Fizz | Yes; bicarbonate and citric acid in the powder | Yes; described as sparkling |
| Format | 5 g sticks, 10 per box; about 250 ml water | 10 sticks per box; mix in cold water as the pack directs |
| Taste in a sentence | Fruit soda that happens to be tea | Tea that happens to be fizzy |
TEAZEN Kombucha Lemon. See details.
OSULLOC Kombucha Calamango. See details.
What kombucha is supposed to taste like
Both are a long way from a home-brewed jar. Mayo Clinic describes kombucha as "a fermented drink made with tea, sugar, bacteria and yeast," and a brewed version is tangy, faintly vinegary and only lightly sweet. TEAZEN leans toward the fruit and the sweetness, and its citric acid supplies the tang. OSULLOC leans toward the tea: the green-tea culture and honey fermentation give it a rounder, more grown-up taste, closer to a sparkling tea than a soda. If you already like bottled kombucha, OSULLOC will feel more familiar; if you find bottled kombucha sour, TEAZEN is the friendlier one.
Choose TEAZEN if
- You want choice. Eleven flavors against one is the biggest practical difference, and the fruit range runs from sharp (Lemon, Raspberry) to soft (Peach, Mango & Guava). The flavors are sorted in the TEAZEN Kombucha Guide.
- You are replacing soda. The sweetness and fizz are built for that, with no sugar on the label.
- You want the famous one. TEAZEN is the kombucha BTS member Jungkook mentioned on a live stream in 2021; The Korea Times reported the fivefold sales jump that followed.
Choose OSULLOC if
- You drink tea and want kombucha that tastes like it. The culture is derived from green tea extract, and the honey fermentation is the flavor, not fruit syrup.
- You prefer less sweet. The brand's page says "no sugar added" and describes the drink as honey-fermented; the full ingredient list is on the pack.
- You are already buying OSULLOC. It sits in the same cold-brew family as the brand's Honey Pear and Sunshine Muscat sticks, covered in the OSULLOC Tea Guide.
How to mix each
TEAZEN: one stick in about 250 ml of cold or warm water, stir, drink soon after; details and serving ideas in How to Drink TEAZEN Kombucha Sticks. OSULLOC: one stick in cold water as the pack directs, the same way as the brand's other cold brew sticks; brewing for every OSULLOC type is in How to Brew OSULLOC Tea. Both fizz, so pour slowly if you top up with sparkling water.
A note on claims
Both brands market their kombucha as a lighter alternative to sugary drinks, and TEAZEN adds prebiotics and probiotics to its formula. We describe what is in the sticks and leave the benefits to you: Mayo Clinic's position is that "there isn't enough proof that kombucha tea has the health benefits that some claim," and it advises people who are pregnant, breastfeeding or immunocompromised to avoid kombucha. Treat both as drinks, not supplements.
TEAZEN and OSULLOC products in our shop are brand-shipped. For a seasonal mix of Korean snacks, drinks and goods chosen for you, the Daebak Box is a separate, curated option.
FAQ
Is TEAZEN or OSULLOC kombucha better?
Neither is better; they are different. TEAZEN is sweeter, fruitier and comes in eleven flavors; OSULLOC's Calamango is tea-forward, honey-fermented and less sweet, in one flavor.
Which Korean kombucha is less sweet?
OSULLOC Kombucha Calamango, which the brand describes as honey-fermented with no sugar added. TEAZEN sticks are sweetened with erythritol and sucralose.
Which kombucha stick is made with green tea?
OSULLOC's, whose culture is derived from green tea extract. TEAZEN's powder is fermented from a blend led by black tea, with green tea among the other ingredients.
Do both have caffeine?
Both are tea-based, so assume some caffeine in each. Neither brand lists an amount on these product pages.
This guide is part of the TEAZEN hub, which lists every Daebak guide on TEAZEN.
Sources
- BTS-loved kombucha brand Teazen up for sale (The Korea Economic Daily, April 2021)
- BTS proves effective in product marketing (The Korea Times, April 2022)
- Osulloc to be launched as an independent company (Amorepacific Group news, August 2019)
- What is kombucha tea? Does it have any health benefits? (Mayo Clinic)
