Karma kombucha review
Here we will give a hands-on, taste-tested review of Karma kombucha. We’ll look into the benefits, ingredients, nutrition and flavour of this organic kombucha.
For this review we have taste-tested the pomegranate version.
This kombucha is mainly available in organic food shops in the UK. And it is made in France.
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 Karma kombucha
Karma kombucha is organic and uses only real ingredients for taste, rather than flavourings or sweeteners - which are common in cheaper commercial kombucha.
The ingredients listed are: kombucha (filtered water, blond cane sugar, green tea, kombucha culture), hibiscus infusion, pomegranate juice, raspberry purée, ginger juice, live cultures and carbon dioxide from fermentation.
In summary, it’s great to see this kombucha uses juices, purées and infusions for its flavour.
In terms of sugar, it has 11 calories per 100ml which is on the low-to-mid end for a real-ingredient kombucha.
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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.
Benefits of Karma 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, Karma kombucha doesn’t list which specific live cultures are present or the number of them (ie 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
Antioxidants help protect cells from everyday oxidative stress which, over time, can reduce the normal wear that cells experience as part of daily living.
Several of the ingredients in this kombucha naturally contain antioxidant compounds:
Green tea – rich in polyphenols, especially catechins
Hibiscus infusion – high in anthocyanins and other polyphenols
Pomegranate juice – contains punicalagins and anthocyanins
Raspberry purée – contains vitamin C and anthocyanins
Ginger juice – contains gingerols and shogaols
Vitamins and minerals
Some ingredients in this kombucha contribute various vitamins and minerals:
Green tea – small amounts of manganese
Pomegranate juice – vitamin C and potassium
Raspberry purée – vitamin C, manganese and small amounts of potassium
Ginger juice – small amounts of potassium and magnesium
Hibiscus – a little vitamin C
Collectively, these ingredients contribute modest amounts of vitamin C, potassium, magnesium and manganese, which support normal immune function, energy metabolism and electrolyte balance. However, kombucha should not be seen as a significant source of vitamins or minerals.
Appearance
As the picture below shows, it has a cloudy, pale-red appearance.
Carbonation
The carbonation is on point - it is lightly gassed with fine bubbles. Unlike many other kombucha, this didn’t cause any burping.
Flavour
The one aspect of the aroma which stands out is the ginger. Behind this is a general red berry background and a farmhouse character typical of kombucha.
The taste is deep and multifaceted. In order of predominance, you get ginger, pomegranate and raspberry. But if you don’t think about it too much it’s really just like ginger in front of a general red berry background, like the aroma. It has a fairly high acidity.
In summary, the flavour is very nice and refreshing - the ginger and the fruit work well together. There’s a depth to the flavour which you can only get by using real ingredients.
Cost of Karma kombucha
We bought a 1L bottle for £6.95 from an organic food store in London - which isn’t bad value on a per ml basis for an organic, real-ingredient kombucha.
Review summary
Rating: 4.75 stars out of 5.
Verdict: Karma kombucha in an organic kombucha which uses real ingredients and this shows in a nice, deep flavour.
Pros
organic
uses real ingredients
nice and refreshing flavour
source of antioxidants
contains some vitamins and minerals (but not in huge quantities)
decent value for a premium kombucha (especially when buying a 1L bottle)
good, fine carbonation
fewer calories than many other real-ingredient kombucha
Cons
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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