Best kombucha in the UK reviewed
Here we will give a hands-on, tasted-tested review some of the UK’s best and most popular kombuchas, including ones from Momo, M&S, Equinox, Lo Bros, Pret, Remedy, Nexba, No. 1 Living and more.
Kombucha has become popular for gut health and general health because of the probiotics, postbiotics and tea, usually green tea, that it contains.
You might also be interested in reading our article on the best probiotics in the UK if you want to add more healthy microbes to your diet.
Please note this article contains some affiliate links.
Types of kombucha
Commercial kombuchas often (but not always) fit into two categories:
Real-ingredient kombuchas: This means that if the kombucha is a raspberry flavour that real raspberries in some form (eg juice, concentrate or puree) have been used rather than just raspberry flavouring (natural or otherwise). I tend to see these as more authentic and natural, and more similar to traditional homemade kombucha. The downside is that they usually have more calories
Low-calorie kombuchas: These tend to use natural flavourings rather than real ingredients and can rely on using sweeteners for taste. I find they often have a flavour with less depth and I prefer not to consume sweeteners, whether natural or not (more on this below). However, the advantage is that these kombuchas are very low in sugar
And of course some kombuchas use a combination of real ingredients and flavourings.
Are sweeteners bad for you?
Regular readers will know that I don’t love sweeteners - whether they are natural or artificial. This is because artificial sweeteners have been shown to negatively affect gut microbe composition - and so it could be that natural sweeteners also have a negative affect on your gut. There are other potential side effects of these natural sweeteners, but more research is needed.
In any case, I’d prefer to avoid sweeteners altogether to be on the safe side. This is a personal choice though and essentially a trade off between some sugar (which is not good) and natural sweeteners (which may or may not be shown to be unhealthy in future).
Read more about the current research done on stevia and erythritol - the two most common natural sweeteners.
Momo kombucha
Momo kombucha is an organic, real-ingredient kombucha.
The specific ingredients are: filtered water, kombucha culture, organic raw cane sugar, organic apple juice, organic tea and organic elderflower (0.1%).
This drink includes live cultures, but unfortunately they give no information on which strains are included or the actual amount of them (ie colony forming units). This means we don’t know if this drink includes any probiotics - which are live cultures that have been shown to give us health benefits.
It includes apple juice which provides antioxidants and some fibre.
It is fairly high in calories for a kombucha with 19 calories per 100ml. However, this is still under half what a normal a soft drink would have.
Flavour
The carbonation is nicely moderate and fine bubbled.
The aroma is mainly of apple juice and elderflower.
The taste is again a mixture of apple and elderflower - probably more appley than you were expecting for a kombucha labelled as ‘elderflower’ flavour. There’s also a fairly sharp acidity which makes it refreshing.
In summary, it’s a nice flavour but less of elderflower than I’d hoped.
Cost and availability
We bought a 330ml bottle for £3.79 from a Spar store in London.
Summary
Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5.
Verdict: Momo kombucha is quality organic kombucha that uses real ingredients. It has a nice flavour, but perhaps they could use more elderflower.
Pros
uses real ingredients
organic
sources of antioxidants (from the tea and apple juice)
good taste
Cons
higher in calories than other kombucha (although still half that of non-diet soft drink)
no information on the live cultures included or the amount of them
Our favourite gut health products in the UK
YourBiology Gut+ probiotic not only offers 10 strains of probiotics, but also includes two types of prebiotics, three digestive enzymes and vitamin D for gut health support. All this means it offers a lot more benefits for gut health and general health than most probiotic supplements do
Healthpath gut health test is the UK’s most comprehensive gut health test. It tests over 100 biomarkers, checks your digestion and immune response, analyses leaky gut and provides a clear and understandable report on your microbiome
YourBiology SuperGreens+ is a superfood and greens supplement which makes it very easy to get a huge amount of nutrition - vitamins, minerals, amino acids, fibre, polyphenols and more - in one glass. Great for supporting gut health, skin health, energy, mental clarity and immunity.
Read more about the best gut health products in the UK.
No. 1 Living kombucha
No. 1 Living kombucha is an organic kombucha that uses real ingredients.
It contains real ginger juice and turmeric as well as black pepper to help absorb the turmeric. And these ingredients provide real health benefits (see end of article).
Unfortunately they don’t specify what live cultures are included or the quantity of those.
It has 17 calories per 100ml.
Flavour
The carbonation is very light.
The aroma is mainly of ginger.
The taste is a nice, refreshing ginger with the turmeric coming through only slightly.
In summary, the real ingredients give the flavour a nice depth.
Cost and availability
I bought it for around £2 in a big Sainsburys.
Summary
4.25 stars out of 5.
A nice organic kombucha, made with real ingredients, but lacking information on the probiotics included.
Pros
organic
real ingredients with health benefits
no sweeteners
Cons
on the higher end of calories for a kombucha
no information on the live cultures included or the amount of them
Equinox organic kombucha
Equinox kombucha is made with green tea and being organic it is all natural.
It includes no sweeteners and derives its flavour from natural flavourings and some real ingredients like elderflower, raspberry leaf, nettle leaf and rosehip.
The bacteria strain is Bacillus Subtilis and there are 3 billion of them in the can. This strain is commonly found in fermented foods and probiotic supplements.
It has 18 calories per 100ml.
Flavour
It’s light carbonation is spot on and it is very refreshing.
The aroma is mainly of raspberry.
The taste is very pleasant mostly of raspberry but with some elderflower coming through also.
Cost and availability
The 250ml bottle is available from Coop for £1.65.
Summary
4.25 stars out of 5.
A great price for a good, refreshing and organic kombucha.
Pros
great taste
organic
no sweeteners
some real ingredients (along with natural flavourings)
Cons
just one probiotic strain mentioned
on the higher end of calories for a kombucha
Our favourite gut health products in the UK
YourBiology Gut+ probiotic not only offers 10 strains of probiotics, but also includes two types of prebiotics, three digestive enzymes and vitamin D for gut health support. All this means it offers a lot more benefits for gut health and general health than most probiotic supplements do
Healthpath gut health test is the UK’s most comprehensive gut health test. It tests over 100 biomarkers, checks your digestion and immune response, analyses leaky gut and provides a clear and understandable report on your microbiome
YourBiology SuperGreens+ is a superfood and greens supplement which makes it very easy to get a huge amount of nutrition - vitamins, minerals, amino acids, fibre, polyphenols and more - in one glass. Great for supporting gut health, skin health, energy, mental clarity and immunity.
Read more about the best gut health products in the UK.
Pret kombucha
Pret kombucha is organic and is uniquely made with sencha tea.
It also includes stem ginger and dried turmeric.
There is no information given on the live cultures included or the amount of them.
It has 18 calories per 100ml.
Flavour
The carbonation is nice and low.
The aroma is strongly of ginger with some turmeric coming through.
The taste is more strongly of tea than other kombuchas reviewed here - likely because it is made with sencha tea. There’s a mild background of ginger and the turmeric isn’t really perceptible. I would like more ginger, but the overall sweetish tea flavour is really nice ultimately.
Cost and availability
I bought it for around £3 in Pret - which is quite high for a 250ml can.
Summary
4.25 stars out of 5.
A nice sencha tea kombucha with a distinctive taste. But lacking details of the live cultures it includes.
Pros
real ingredients
organic
unique flavour
Cons
no details on live cultures or the amount of them
on the higher end for calories
a bit expensive
LA Brewery kombucha
LA Brewery kombucha contains green and black teas.
And it is made with real ginger and lemon juice. However, there’s no information on the form of ginger used (ie whether it is stem ginger or ginger juice) or percentage of ginger used - the ingredients list merely says ‘Ginger’. As we’ll see below, I suspect the percentage of ginger is quite low.
Unfortunately there is no information given on the live cultures it includes or the amount of them (ie colony forming units).
It has 18 calories per 100ml.
Flavour
The carbonation is on the higher end of good. Any higher would get into burp territory.
The aroma is subtle ginger and lemon.
The taste is nice and refreshing but the ginger and lemon flavours are quite weak. It’s like sparkling water that’s been infused with a bit of lemon and ginger. I’d definitely like more of a ginger kick.
Cost and availability
I bought it for around £3 in Leon.
Summary
3.75 stars out of 5.
A refreshing kombucha with real ingredients, but ultimately lacking flavour and details of the live cultures it includes.
Pros
real ingredients
refreshing
Cons
no details on live cultures it includes or the amount of them
lacking depth of flavour
on the higher end of calories
Lo Bros kombucha
Lo Bros kombucha is very low in calories. It contains under 3 calories per 100ml, which is 6 times less than some others reviewed here. However, the trade off for this is that it does contain the natural sweeteners erythritol and stevia.
It contains green and black teas and natural flavourings - rather than real blueberry.
Unfortunately there is no information given on the live cultures it includes or the amount of them (ie colony forming units).
The kombucha also includes a prebiotic in the form of acacia fibre - this is essentially food for the good microbes in your gut.
It also includes apple cider vinegar which has various health benefits.
Flavour
The carbonation is a little high and the burps build up a bit.
The aroma is like bubblegum, with a sort of fake fruit vibe.
The taste is nice and of blueberry. However, considering these is no real fruit ingredients (just natural flavours) there is little depth to the flavour.
Cost and availability
I bought it for around £2 in a big Sainsburys.
Summary
3.5 stars out of 5.
A low calorie kombucha with a nice enough taste which includes prebiotics and apple cider vinegar. It does include natural sweeteners though which may put off some people.
Pros
very low in calories
prebiotics
apple cider vinegar
Cons
taste is lacking depth
slightly overly carbonated
includes natural sweeteners (if that bothers you)
no information on the live cultures it includes or the amount of them
Remedy kombucha
Remedy is a low-calorie kombucha which contains a mixture of real ingredients and flavourings. It contains 2% ginger juice, but also natural ginger flavouring. It also contains lemon juice.
It includes the natural sweeteners erythritol and stevia which may bother some people. On the plus side, it only has 3 calories per 100ml.
It is made with green and black teas.
Unfortunately there is no information given on the live cultures it includes or the amount of them (ie colony forming units).
Flavour
The carbonation is slightly too high with burbs building up.
The aroma is a strong mix of ginger and lemon with a slight unappealing funkiness.
The taste is rather weak and underwhelming with only a little ginger and lemon coming through. It’s also not as refreshing or bright as others reviewed here.
Cost and availability
It’s a 250ml can and sells for around £2.75 from Wasabi, however is widely available.
Summary
2.5 stars out of 5.
A low-calorie kombucha with some real ingredients, but not much to write home about.
Pros
very low in calories
some real ingredients
Cons
no information on the live cultures included or the amount of them
weak taste
carbonation is too high
contains natural sweeteners
Our favourite gut health products in the UK
YourBiology Gut+ probiotic not only offers 10 strains of probiotics, but also includes two types of prebiotics, three digestive enzymes and vitamin D for gut health support. All this means it offers a lot more benefits for gut health and general health than most probiotic supplements do
Healthpath gut health test is the UK’s most comprehensive gut health test. It tests over 100 biomarkers, checks your digestion and immune response, analyses leaky gut and provides a clear and understandable report on your microbiome
YourBiology SuperGreens+ is a superfood and greens supplement which makes it very easy to get a huge amount of nutrition - vitamins, minerals, amino acids, fibre, polyphenols and more - in one glass. Great for supporting gut health, skin health, energy, mental clarity and immunity.
Read more about the best gut health products in the UK.
Nexba kombucha
Nexba is a sugar-free, low-calorie kombucha which relies on natural flavourings and sweeteners for taste. There’s no actual apple, pear or ginger in the drink (eg juice or puree).
This kombucha has zero sugar and only 2 calories per 100ml - making it exceptionally healthy in this regard.
The other main benefit of this kombucha is the probiotics (ie live beneficial bacteria) it contains. However, there is only one strain present, bacillus coagulans.
And there are over 150 million colony forming units of this per 100ml.
Flavour
The aroma is very strongly of pear - almost too strong. It makes the drink seem artificial to be honest (even though the added flavourings are natural).
The taste is generic apple and pear - with no real depth. The ginger doesn’t really come through at all - which is not surprising as no proper ginger ingredient was used.
But the carbonation is at a good level and not too extreme like competitors can be.
Overall the taste is not bad, it’s just a bit bland, lacking depth and overly sweet. However, by the end of the bottle (over a few days), I was finding the sweetness and seemingly artificial taste quite unpleasant.
Cost and availability
You can buy a 1-litre bottle sells for £3 from Sainsbury’s.
Summary
2.5 stars out of 5.
A low-calorie kombucha which won’t set your tastebuds alight. One to choose if you’d like to prioritise zero sugar above flavour.
Pros
very low in calories
source of probiotics
Cons
just one strain of probiotics mentioned
bland flavour compared to real-ingredient kombuchas
too sweet
contains sweeteners (if that bothers you)
M&S kombucha
M&S kombucha is all natural and the flavour comes from a mixture of natural flavourings and concentrates. It doesn’t include sweeteners.
Unfortunately there is no information given on the live cultures it includes or the amount of them (ie colony forming units).
It has 18 calories per 100ml.
Flavour
The smell is nice and mainly of mango with some citrus notes.
The taste however is not good in my opinion. It has a funky taste reminiscent of a stale beer. There’s strong mango and general fruitiness in there as well, but the stale taste lingers and dominates for me.
I’ve never experienced that taste in a kombucha before. It’s like a farmhouse beer gone wrong and not the refreshing experience you’d expect from a kombucha.
The carbonation is a nice light level though.
Cost and availability
It’s a 250ml can and sells for around £2 from M&S.
Summary
2 stars out of 5.
An all-natural kombucha but with a poor taste and lacking information on the live cultures included.
Pros
all natural
good carbonation
some real fruit and vegetables in the form of concentrates
no sweeteners
Cons
no information on the live cultures included or the amount of them
poor taste
on the higher end for calories
Health benefits of kombucha
The main health benefits of kombucha come from the probiotics, postbiotics and the green tea in the drink.
Probiotics
These are the beneficial living microbes often found in fermented foods and drinks. They are a specific type of live culture which have been shown to provide health benefits.
Probiotics offer many health benefits including:
better digestive health
better immune function
reduced inflammation
reduced allergies
better nutrient absorption
Postbiotics
In simple terms, postbiotics are essentially beneficial things live cultures produce. These include short-chain fatty acids which nourish our gut lining and may help reduce symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.
Personally, I find that kombucha calms my gut which I (rightly or wrongly!) put down to the presence of postbiotics.
Green tea
Green tea contains polyphenols which are strong antioxidants.
Studies have shown green tea may also:
increase the amount of calories you burn
improve cholesterol levels
help control blood sugar levels
Read more about the evidence-based benefits of green tea and kombucha.
Health benefits of some potential ingredients
Ginger
Digestive health: Ginger can alleviate nausea and vomiting, making it useful for motion sickness, morning sickness during pregnancy and chemotherapy-induced nausea.
Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects: Contains gingerol, a substance with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.
Pain relief: Studies have shown it may help reduce muscle pain and soreness due to its anti-inflammatory properties.
Lowering blood sugar levels: Studies show ginger can help in managing blood sugar levels.
Read more about ginger’s proven benefits.
Turmeric
Anti-inflammatory: Studies have shown curcumin has strong anti-inflammatory properties, which may help with arthritis.
Antioxidant: Antioxidants can neutralise free radicals.
Gut health: Polyphenols in turmeric can promote the growth of good bacteria in your gut and inhibit harmful bacteria.
Brain function: May boost brain-derived neurotrophic factor, linked to improved brain function and a lower risk of brain diseases.
Heart Disease: May help protect against heart disease.
Read more about the evidence supporting turmeric’s health benefits.
Apple cider vinegar
Blood sugar control: May improve insulin sensitivity and help lower blood sugar responses after meals.
Weight loss: Can increase feelings of fullness, leading to eating fewer calories and potentially losing weight.
Heart health: May help lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels, although more research is needed.
Read more about the evidence supporting apple cider vinegar’s health benefits.
Make your own kombucha
Want to save money? Try making it yourself at home and save a fortune!
Our favourite gut health products in the UK
YourBiology Gut+ probiotic not only offers 10 strains of probiotics, but also includes two types of prebiotics, three digestive enzymes and vitamin D for gut health support. All this means it offers a lot more benefits for gut health and general health than most probiotic supplements do
Healthpath gut health test is the UK’s most comprehensive gut health test. It tests over 100 biomarkers, checks your digestion and immune response, analyses leaky gut and provides a clear and understandable report on your microbiome
YourBiology SuperGreens+ is a superfood and greens supplement which makes it very easy to get a huge amount of nutrition - vitamins, minerals, amino acids, fibre, polyphenols and more - in one glass. Great for supporting gut health, skin health, energy, mental clarity and immunity.
Read more about the best gut health products in the UK.
Factors we consider in our ratings
The factors we consider when doing a review (and the weightings of each of these) may vary depending on the product we are testing, but here are the key general factors we consider when we settle on a rating for a product.
Health benefits
We find out how the product will be good for your health and outline the benefits for you in simple language. This often involves doing research so you don’t have to. We often link to scientific studies or articles summarising scientific findings so you can dig deeper if you want to.
Things detrimental to health
We want to highlight where a product might include something bad for your health - even if it might be good for you in another way. This could include such things as pointing out certain additives it contains or high sugar levels.
How it’s made
This will vary depending on the product, but we want to see a quality process for making it and quality ingredients. For example, we want to see a kombucha traditionally fermented with lots of different microbial strains and we want to see a yoghurt made with fresh milk and not milk powders.
Price
While we expect quality products to be more expensive, they still have to be priced within reason. On the other side of things, a product which is priced very competitively will get a ratings boost based on the value it provides.
Flavour
For some products flavour won’t be a factor (eg probiotic tablets), but for others, like yoghurt or kimchi, flavour is a key aspect because these products are made to be enjoyed as well as being healthy! We will try to be as subjective as possible and describe the flavour in detail so you can get an idea of whether you would like it or not.
Your reviewer
This article was written by Travis, the founder of this website, long-time gut-health enthusiast, science nerd and passionate kombucha maker of over 10 years!
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