Holos kombucha review
Here we will give a hands-on, taste-tested review of Holos kombucha. We’ll look into the benefits, ingredients, nutrition and flavour of this interesting beer-inspired kombucha.
For this review we have taste-tested the citra hops version.
This kombucha is available in various food stores, especially organic food shops, in the UK.
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.
Ingredients of Holos kombucha
Holos kombucha is organic and uses only real ingredients for taste, rather than flavourings or sweeteners - which are common in cheaper commercial kombucha.
The specific ingredients are filtered water, kombucha culture, raw cane sugar, green tea, Earl Grey tea, yerba mate, rooibos and citra hops.
Here’s a bit more information on some of the ingredients:
Green tea – a lightly oxidised tea that adds fresh, grassy flavour and gentle tannins
Earl Grey tea – a black tea with bergamot oil that gives a citrus-aromatic note
Yerba mate – a South American herb that contributes an earthy, slightly smoky flavour
Rooibos – a South African herbal tea that adds a smooth, sweet, woody character
Hops – dried hop flowers traditionally used in beer to add aroma, taste and bitterness as well as act as a preservative. The citra hops in this kombucha add a fruity aroma and taste
In summary, it’s great to see this kombucha uses a range of real and interesting ingredients to provide its flavour. However, a downside of not using flavourings or sweeteners is that it will usually have more calories. Holos is on the higher end of calories for a kombucha with 17 calories per 100ml - but this is less than half that of a non-diet soft drink.
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Benefits of Holos kombucha
This drink contains the typical features of kombucha, including live cultures, organic acids and antioxidant compounds from the tea ingredients.
Live cultures
Live cultures in kombucha come from a mixed community of bacteria and yeasts which work together during fermentation. This community is held within a SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) which is a cellulose layer that forms on top of the brew.
Each kombucha will vary, but Gluconobacter, Acetobacter and Zygosaccharomyces are the core organisms found in most fermentations. These groups ferment the sugars and produce the acids which give kombucha its tang.
As is common with kombucha, Holos doesn’t list which specific live cultures are present or the number of them (colony forming units).
Postbiotics
Postbiotics are compounds produced by live cultures during fermentation. In kombucha, these include organic acids and small amounts of short-chain fatty acids that contribute to the drink’s acidity and flavour.
Antioxidants
Several of the teas and herbs used in this kombucha naturally contain antioxidant compounds. Green tea provides catechins, Earl Grey (as black tea) contains polyphenols, yerba mate offers its own mix of polyphenols, and rooibos contributes antioxidant compounds such as aspalathin.
Appearance
As the picture below shows, it has a cloudy, yellow-orange appearance.
Carbonation
The carbonation is quite high and did cause a fair amount of burping. The amount of bubbles on the side of the glass should demonstrate this!
Flavour
The aroma is mainly of the passionfruity citra hops. It reminds me of a quality craft pale ale beer.
The taste is mainly a passionfruit hop character with a lemony tang. There’s also a complex background formed by the various herbal ingredients and teas which is slightly earthy. It has a fairly high acidity.
In summary, the flavour is great. The hops are not just a gimmick - they contribute a lovely fruity flavour. The flavour is balanced and the various ingredients work well together to create an interesting, refreshing and moreish kombucha.
If you are a craft beer fan, you will love this kombucha - as should most people regardless of whether they like beer or not.
Cost of Holos kombucha
We bought a 330ml bottle for £3.19 from a grocer in London - which is pretty good value for a quality, organic, real-ingredient kombucha.
Review summary
Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5.
Verdict: Holos kombucha is a real-ingredient kombucha with interesting ingredients and a great taste.
Pros
organic
uses real ingredients
very nice and interesting flavour
source of antioxidants
decent value for a premium kombucha
Cons
carbonation is a little high
on the higher end of calories for a kombucha (but less than half that of non-diet soft drink)
no information on the live cultures included or the amount of them
Now read about the best kombucha 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 the product 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.
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.
Your reviewer
This review was written by Travis, founder of Hello Gut Health.
A long-time gut health writer and advocate with over ten years of experience exploring the science of the microbiome and fermentation.
He combines careful research with practical testing to help readers make informed, trustworthy choices.
He has reviewed over 150 gut health products.
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