Nexba kombucha review
Here we will give a hands-on, taste-tested review of Nexba kombucha. We’ll look into the benefits, ingredients, nutrition and flavour of this kombucha.
For this review we have taste-tested the apple, pear and ginger version.
Nexba kombucha is available in many UK and Australian supermarkets and food stores.
You might also be interested in reading our popular articles on the best probiotics in the UK or best probiotics in Australia if you want to add more healthy microbes to your diet.
Ingredients of Nexba kombucha
Nexba is a sugar-free, low-calorie kombucha which means that it relies on natural flavourings and sweeteners for taste.
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. 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).
Now, back to Nexba, here’s the ingredients: Purified Sparkling Water, Naturally Fermented Kombucha (Purified water, oolong tea, sugars, kombucha cultures), Goodsweet Blend (erythritol, stevia), citric acid, natural flavour, probiotic culture (bacillus coagulans).
As you can see, there’s no actual apple, pear or ginger in there (eg juice or puree) - there’s just these natural flavourings added. This allows the drink to be very low calorie, but at the expense of flavour and authenticity.
Benefits of Nexba kombucha
This kombucha comes with some key health benefits.
Probiotics
The main benefit of this kombucha is the probiotics (ie live healthy bacteria) it contains.
Unlike many other kombuchas, this one gives an indication of the amount of bacteria (ie colony forming units) it has. It contains over 150 million CFUs per 100ml.
Although, like many other kombuchas, there is only one strain present which is bacillus coagulans. This is in contrast to homemade kombucha which usually has a far more diverse range of probiotic strains.
Learn more about the benefits of probiotics.
Postbiotics
Postbiotics are essentially things probiotics produce during fermentation. These include healthy short-chain fatty acids which nourish our gut lining and may help reduce symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.
Low in calories
This kombucha has zero sugar and only 2 calories per 100ml - making it exceptionally healthy in this regard.
Oolong tea
This kombucha contain oolong tea which is essentially a semi-oxidised tea which is halfway between green tea and black tea.
Oolong tea contains polyphenols which are strong antioxidants which may help protect against cancer.
Oolong tea also contains the amino acid L-theanine which can help with relaxation.
Studies have shown oolong tea may also:
improve heart health
support weight loss
improve brain function
improve bone health
Appearance
This kombucha is almost clear with a slight yellow tinge.
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 - just added natural flavouring.
Personally, I find it too sweet.
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. It doesn’t compare to a real-ingredient kombucha (ie one which has some sugar and uses actual ingredients like juice).
Update: By the end of the bottle I was finding the taste rather unpleasant - too sweet and seemingly artificial.
Cost of Nexba kombucha
In the UK, this 1 litre bottle sells for £3 in Sainsbury’s or potentially cheaper in bulk on Amazon UK.
In Australia, it sells for $6.35 in Coles. Also find it on Amazon Australia.
Review summary
Rating: 2.5 stars out of 5.
Verdict: Nexba kombucha is 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 calorie
source of probiotics
Cons
bland flavour compared to real-ingredient kombuchas
contains sweeteners (if that bothers you)
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.
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Our favourite gut health products in Australia
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
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Read more about the best gut health products in Australia.
Your reviewer
This hands-on review 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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