Kombucha is a fermented tea drink with a tangy taste and a gentle sparkle. It has grown popular for its gut-friendly qualities. When brewed well, kombucha delivers live cultures, helpful acids, and enzymes that support digestion.
Kombucha begins as tea, usually green or black. Sugar is added, then a SCOBY (a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) is added over one to two weeks, where microbes eat the sugar, to create a fermented slightly sour drink. The finished brew is low in sugar, packed with organic acids, and live probiotics.
Think of your gut as a garden. It needs good bacteria, water, fibre, and time to thrive. Kombucha can help by adding beneficial microbes to support the lining of the gut, and make food breakdown a little easier.
Avoid kombucha for pregnancy/nursing and weak immunity (including children and older people) due to drinks being unpasteurised and containing small amounts of fermented alcohol and caffeine.
How to Drink Kombucha Sodas
It’s always best to buy kombucha, because poor home brewing could lead to unsafe batches, with risk of harmful bacteria and mould.
Go easy at first. The fizz and live cultures can cause extra gas for a few days. A half glass is usually enough to test your response without discomfort.
Timing matters. Try kombucha with lunch or your main meal. The acids and enzymes work well with food, and the fizz can help you feel lighter after eating. Morning is fine too, in place of a second coffee.
Looking for new ways to enjoy kombucha? Try these ideas:
- Pour over ice with a squeeze of citrus
- Use as a mixer for mocktails or cocktails
- Add a splash to salad dressings for a tangy twist
- Blend into smoothies for an extra kick
Raw Kombucha (from a rugby legend!)
One Living is a unique brand of kombucha drinks, which are raw and contain fermented goodies, to help support mental health and digestion. Choose from various flavours, including raspberry, passion fruit and ginger turmeric.
This brand was founded by former rugby player Jonny Wilkinson and his nutritionist wife, after discovering how good digestion plays a role in good mental health. After the dizzying height of victory at the World Cup, he began to experience anxiety, which snowballed into severe depression. Today he lectures on the importance of men talking about mental health.
A Fresh New Organic Kombucha Brand
Equinox Kombucha is the first organic kombucha made in the UK. This is a fermented fizz in rotating flavours from refreshing raspberry to fiery ginger. You’ll also save a few bob, by ordering in bulk. Or buy the white peach and strawberry kombucha or Raspberry & Elderflower.
This brand’s founder discovered Kombucha while backpacking in Asia, and began the company, brewing up the first bottles in a spare bedroom in Yorkshire. After winning ‘Best Vegan Drink’ award at VegFest, they now give 50% of all profits to local and global humanitarian and conservation projects.
Gut-Loving Fizzy Sodas
Dalston’s soda has recently released a Happy Gut range, created by chefs. These contain dietary fibre along with zinc, magnesium and calcium, for digestion, immunity and metabolism. Choose from Raspberry or Tropical.
Living Things is another prebiotic soda, to feed good bacteria in your gut. It uses real fruit juice and botanical extracts, and skips artificial sweeteners and preservatives found in many zero-sugar drinks. Gentle on sensitive stomachs, there are flavours to suit every mood:
- Rhubarb & Apple
- Lemon & Ginger
- Peach & Blood Orange
- Raspberry & Pomegranate
- Watermelon & Lime
Genie Drinks makes kombucha sodas with real fruit, proper tea and live cultures. Brewed for around 21 days, flavours include:
- Apple (similar taste to dry cider)
- Fiery ginger (a good mid-afternoon lift)
- Blueberry & Raspberry (naturally sweet)
