Organic kombucha

Choosing an organic kombucha

Organic kombucha is a lightly sparkling tea drink fermented with a culture of yeast and bacteria, made with organic tea and sugar. Many sweet soft drinks taste similar, so kombucha earns its place on its tart, complex flavour and lower sugar than most fizzy drinks. Look for a short ingredient list, real fruit or botanicals for flavour and a clear note on whether it is raw. Loving Foods makes kombucha in raspberry and tulsi, blueberry and lavender, and matcha and mint. The flavour varies from batch to batch, because each brew ferments slightly differently, which is part of the appeal. Every bottle here met our standard on ingredients and transparency.

Live kombucha and raw kombucha

A live kombucha is unpasteurised, so the culture is still active when you drink it, which is why it needs to stay cold. Raw kombucha can keep fermenting slowly in the bottle, so open it carefully and drink it within a few days. Loving Foods also makes jun kombucha, which is brewed with green tea and honey, in lemon and ginger, hibiscus and honey flavours. Jun contains honey, so it is not suitable for vegans. Store bottles upright and away from warm spots, and chill them well before opening.

Kombucha soda and sparkling kombucha

Kombucha soda is lighter and fizzier, closer to a soft drink. Counter Culture makes organic kombucha soda in citrus yuzu, rhubarb and hibiscus, lemongrass and ginger, mango and ginger, and raspberry and elderflower, and Genie Drinks makes blueberry and raspberry, and fiery ginger kombucha. Sparkling kombucha makes a good alcohol-free drink with dinner, served cold over ice. It also works as a mixer with a splash of juice or a sprig of mint.

Kombucha cases and fermented drinks

A kombucha case or multipack works out easier than buying single bottles, and mixed cases from Loving Foods and Counter Culture let you try several flavours. Loving Foods also makes an organic beet kvass and a fermented drinks mixed case. Organic Kombucha lists the certified organic drinks, Fermented Foods has kimchi and sauerkraut, Soft & Functional Drinks has ginger shots, and Gut Health brings related products together.