SOMA Kombucha Speakeasy

Soma has a significant reputation in St. Johns as being awful to their employees.
Each of their delivery drivers haven’t lasted more than a month because the owner goes under the table to force drivers to work 16 – 18 hour days (which is illegal, drivers are only allowed to work 14 hour days for safety) and to do all the loading of the trucks themselves.
Have you ever loaded a truck yourself with kombucha bottles and then drove for 16 hours? Not chill, or very kind.
A real disapointment for St. Johns. Mistreatment of employees seems to be the backbone of their capitalism. I will not be frequenting this space.

What a smart idea! Like self serve froyo. this is a self serve speak easy with a therapeutic environment. Music was soothing and I felt like I was in my element… dim lighting, comfy floor seating and local artwork displayed on all four walls. They had fermented cookies, sprout salads and wraps and interesting add ins for the kombucha drinks.
Some of my favorite flavors were the root and cask with resin & coffee!
They also had mulberry and mushroom with lemon
You can also bring your growler or purchased an inflatable pouch
Overall excellent concept, kombucha is less carbonated, acidic than the ones I brew, much sweeter but 5 stars for the experience :)

Love the vibe. Love the kombucha. The self pay aspect is surprising at first and then so appropriate. Very Portland-​y. I’ve been back 3x to fill my own growlers. Word of caution, double check your entry on the iPad at checkout. I filled 3 growlers, and 1 to-​go pint. It charged me for 3 growlers and 3 pints. The system carried forward the quantity. I shall rectify that at next visit. Won’t even need to take it up with the cashier, because hey — I will be the cashier!

I love the atmosphere, its calming. The kombucha is delicious and its awesome that everything is sold by the honors system.
If you come, be respectful. Speak at a lower volume, pay for your drinks, take off your shoes and settle in.
The ghost pepper and maca mulberry are tasty#

LOVED this spot!
I found this place on Unilocal and dragged my kombucha-​virgin friend along.
There are 7 choices of kombucha and it was so yum! This kombucha is less vinegar-​y and pungent than a lot of other brands. It’s very well balanced. My friend also liked it and had a great first time kombucha experience. My favorite was the peach and ghost pepper (not spicy!) and the mulbery and maca. We bought mason jar 4oz glasses to sit and chill for a while.
Like everyone said, it’s self-​serve, self-​pay, no shoes which feels very Portland. The vibe is very chill with music, cushions and floor seating. The music should be a little less loud though.
I also brought my own jug and bought some to take home. The total for my mug plus my small jar was $ 10.50, which I find more reasonable than other kombucha places I’ve been.
This is the perfect zen spot to chill out for a bit and with delicious kombucha to boot!

The Kombucha Bar is super fun and unique. First, you need to know that you need to take your shoes off or wear little booties. That threw me the first time I visited and I didn’t get the point right off the bat. But, Soma has an earthen floor.
The bar is right in front of you when walk in, and you can sample the kombucha that’s on tap. Once you find one you want, you can pick out a size — jar, bottle, growler, growlette, etc.
Then you use the iPad to pick the size you selected and pay either by cash or card.
Then you can either leave, or have a seat in the lounge area. It’s pretty dimly lit, so it creates a really relaxed atmosphere.
The kombucha itself tastes amazing. I especially like the fruit based mixtures.

I am upgrading my review now that I know the place is self-​serve. I was perplexed when this was implemented as I could never find any staff to make a purchase. SOMA’s its the best kombucha I’ve ever had and I love sampling the kombucha on tap.
I make my regular purchase out of the cooler — its easy if you carry cash (which I never do) because the credit card check out process can be confusing for the average person (maybe its just me). I’m also excited that SOMA Kombucha is now at Green Zebra and New Seasons! Don’t forget to bring your bottle back for a deposit refund.

I can’t say enough great things about Soma! The kombucha is excellent, the set up is zen and calming, and you can literally feel the intention of this place.

I heart this place! Self serve, with a variety of kombucha flavor a on tap! a very relaxing atmosphere to ground yourself and relax!

Yes you should really remove your shoes… anyways its amazing ive never been to an on tap kombucha bar but this place is amazing the flavors and deals are superb i wanderd in just wanting to check it out but ended up walking out with 2 growlers and the temptation to buy a 3^rd

Love this place.
Love the environment, love the variety of kombuchas, love the self-​pay option.
Love love love.

This was a new experience with it being self serve. It is in a basement like setting and there aren’t any employees. Also you take off your shoes which is great to do some grounding. Still glad that I went. It has a cool and relaxing lounge area. The kombucha was really amazing. There were several flavors to check out which were unique. As someone who has made kombucha themselves– I really appreciated the flavors. It was very well done. Much better than any of the stuff you buy at Whole Foods. Really a great place to relax. I just wished I lived in the area so I could come by more often. Make sure to check it out. You will feel much better afterwards.

My friends were on a crazy Kombucha kick during our visit to Portland. We came here to get Kombucha and lunch. You walk down stairs to get to the place and there is a sign to remove shoes or wear shoe covers. There was no one who worked there and everything is self-​serve and you pay by using an iPad or placing cash in a box. We tried all the Kombuchas, I ended up getting the Oak-​aged Cask. It was mild and I enjoyed it. I believe my to-​go cup of Kombucha was $ 4. If you want to add other things to your kombucha, it’s $ 1 per addition. The only downfall is that there wasn’t enough instructions. We kind of stood around trying to figure out how we get food and in the end just left.

This is the one and only Kombucha that I have had! I visited this place for the first time in January ’15 and again in August. I really cannot wait to go back. I have not and will not try other Kombucha because I just know I will be let down. The place is truly a peaceful and transformative experience. Soothing to the soul. One removes their shoes out of reverence prior to entering. The Kombucha bar is self-​service and open. Payment is easy and hassle-​free. I feel rejuvenated each time I come here. I hope I can figure out a way to possibly have some shipped down to Texas. In the mean time I will be dreaming of Soma.

At first I was a little unsure of this place. It is down in a basement and you are required to take off your shoes or put a shoe cover on. I am so glad I gave it a chance though! It is all self serve and self pay, which I think is awesome! It’s nice to know that there is a place around that is trusting that their patrons will actually pay for what they take and as far as I can tell, everyone does. You pay by putting cash in a box or swiping your card on an iPad. There is even a sign that says, if you can’t pay now, get us the next time. You can try all the varieties of kombucha before deciding on a pint or growler.
The seating area is inviting and cozy. There are tables low to the ground with pillows and a couch in the back of the room. The music is calming and inviting. It is a great place to get work done, read, or just relax. They have free wifi, too.
I have been here many times since discovering it about a month ago and I love going back! Can’t wait to return!

I wish I could have stayed longer! I wanted some tasty Kombucha but had to get back on the road, so my sister and I stopped in for a togo drink. It was tough to decide which one to get-​they were all delicious! What a cute place and great atmosphere to be in. Thank you Jeanne Pierre for all of your hard work and creativity in what you do!
–From one Kombucha brewer to another :)

I would rate the kombucha as ⁴⁄₅ stars. It’s just missing that little «kick». Maybe I felt the ginger Kombucha was on the sweet side, however, you can doctor your drink up with some extras, for a extra price.
It’s pretty much serve yourself. Just walk in, take off those shoes (or put a shoe net on) and pay. I didn’t get any help, but I really didn’t need any. I think it’s pretty much self serve/​self pay.
The space is ²⁄₅ would not come back and hang. It’s just not for me. I I don’t enjoy the seating situation (cushions on the ground, tables low to the floor). I was a little unsure when I walked into the room, if I was interrupting a small gathering. I drank and hurried out of there. I also don’t feel like taking off my shoes to drink kombucha.
The basement is not the most inviting space to want to hang out and snack, work or chat with friends.
I might come back for a to go drink or growler.

Cool place, good vibe and great Kombucha.
I went there because I wanted to try the drink and eat something.
I thought they have food because I saw pictures on Unilocal but I asked and they didn’t so I drank my kombucha and I left to find somewhere to eat.
Good choice to go with your friends to enjoy a chat in a comfy pillow.

i have a strange feeling that this is what Portland will be like in 5 years, like SOMA.
SOMA experience at their speakeasy takes you to a different level.
First, let me start off saying their Kombucha, Jun, and other fermented beverages are absolutely amazing. They have many different varieties that are always changing and rotating. Some of their flavors are ginger, passion fruit, coffee, and the flavors go on. They usually have 7 flavors on tap and you are more than welcome to try and pick the one that suits your palette.
What makes the speakeasy unique is well, just about everything!
Shoes off when you enter.
Grab some sample cups and try what they have on tap.
Then pick up a pint cup, pour into your own beverage holder or fill up a growler.
They have a room you can chill in and enjoy your drink.
The fun part is paying. It’s self serve and self pay. you check out yourself and put in what you ordered, pay with cash or card. They have money lying around in case you need some change as well.
Self Serve is not new to Portland.
Self Serve, Self Pay, Shoes off is the new thing.

I’m almost hesitant to write a review because the place is awesome just the way it is. It feels like what I imagine a speakeasy must have felt like, like a secret, like no one knows about it. We weren’t really sure what to do when we got there. Should we stand and wait? Should we go ahead and sit down? There was another gentleman there ahead of us who seemed to be just picking up some growlers, so we opted to stand and wait since there really wasn’t any clear direction either way.
Eventually a lady came out and she asked if we wanted to sample what they had on tap. Of course we did! So she brought us out samples of two different brews: the cacao lavender jun and the lemon-​ginger honey jun.
We decided to stick around and try their quinoa bowl and salad. They only had one bowl at the time we were here, but we were told that they do hope to eventually expand on the menu. I’m not sure what exactly all of the ingredients were (see picture) but it was simple and tasty.
We sampled probably all of their brews throughout our meal, and I actually found my new favorite, which is the Maharaj Cleanse (I also love the Coffe-​Boocha, but you really can’t go wrong with any of them). We lost track of time while hanging out here; it was quite a while. I ended up leaving with a growler of the lemon-​ginger honey jun (which didn’t last long after we got it home) and JP’s Kitchen Sink Farming Volume I.
We had great food, great beverages, and great conversation with the owner (s). The ambiance in here is comfortable and way laid-​back, definitely a great place to hang out. I can’t wait to see what else they have in store. SOMA is by far my favorite kombucha.