Piqi water kefir review
Here we will give a hands-on, taste-tested review of Piqi water kefir. We’ll look into the benefits, ingredients, nutrition, use and flavour of this non-dairy kefir.
This kefir is available in some organic food stores 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.
About kefir
When most people think of kefir, they’re referring to dairy kefir – a fermented milk drink traditionally made by adding kefir grains (clusters of bacteria and yeast living in natural symbiosis) to milk. The result is a tangy, drinkable dairy product similar to yoghurt but thinner in texture.
There’s also water kefir (like this product), which is made by fermenting a sugar-water solution with water kefir grains – a related but distinct culture from dairy grains. Water kefir is a sparkling dairy-free drink which is often flavoured with fruit or herbs. Although it contains different species of bacteria and yeasts, it follows the same natural fermentation process as dairy kefir.
However, many commercial kefirs – both dairy and water – are not made with traditional grains. Instead, they’re produced by inoculating the liquid with a selected mix of bacterial and yeast strains. This method creates a controlled, consistent product, but it lacks the full microbial diversity, postbiotics and complexity of true grain-fermented kefir. So it’s worth paying attention to how your kefir is made and what it really offers – we’ll explore this throughout the review.
Read more about the benefits of kefir and how it differs to yoghurt.
Ingredients of Piqi water kefir
This is an organic kefir with simple ingredients.
The specific ingredients are: kefir water (filtered water, cane sugar for fermentation, fig, water kefir culture), grapefruit, grapefruit juice and cardamom.
In case you were wondering, fig is added as a natural source of minerals and nutrients that keep the water kefir grains active and healthy during fermentation. It provides trace elements such as potassium and calcium which help maintain a balanced, steady fermentation without significantly affecting the flavour.
While the label doesn’t explicitly say it, their website confirms that this kefir is traditionally made with kefir grains - which means it should include a vast array of live cultures.
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.
Benefits of Piqi water kefir
As this kefir isn’t dairy-based, it doesn’t offer nutrients such as protein or calcium and its benefits are largely related to its live cultures and postbiotics.
Live cultures
As mentioned, this kefir is made with kefir grains so it should have a very broad community of live cultures in it. However, Piqi gives no further information on the specific species.
In terms of the actual amount of live cultures present (usually expressed as colony forming units), no information is given again.
Postbiotics
Postbiotics are compounds produced naturally during fermentation. In water kefir, these include organic acids, small amounts of vitamins, peptides and short-chain fatty acids such as butyrate.
While research is still developing, these compounds may support a balanced gut environment and contribute to overall digestive wellbeing.
Low in calories
While dairy kefir typically has around 50-60 calories per 100ml, water kefir has only 13 calories per 100ml. This is similar to a midrange kombucha.
Appearance
As the picture below shows, it appears slightly cloudy with a yellow tinge.
Carbonation
The fine bubbles along the sides of the glass above the liquid reveal how carbonated it is. This overcarbonation made me start burping almost immediately.
Flavour
The aroma is very appealing with grapefruit and lime characteristics.
The taste is more delicate than you what you might expect - especially compared to other flavoured soft drinks or even kombucha. It has subtle notes of grapefruit and the cardamon dominates the finish. It also has the typical slightly stale aftertaste of traditionally made water kefir. Personally this taste makes it less refreshing than a kombucha. And the acidity is moderate.
Overall, the taste is subtle and interesting and you notice the stale character less as you drink more.
Cost of Piqi water kefir
We bought a 250ml bottle in an organic food store for £3.75 - which is very expensive per millilitre.
Summary
Rating: 4.25 stars out of 5.
Verdict: Piqi water kefir is traditionally made with kefir grains. It has a delicate and interesting flavour (although the aftertaste is less appealing) but it is expensive.
Pros
authentically made with kefir grains - which means it should contain a broad spectrum of live cultures and postbiotics
organic
simple ingredients
low in calories
delicate, interesting flavour…
Cons
…but the slightly stale aftertaste typical of water kefir will bother some
no information on the strains of live cultures present
no information on the actual number of live cultures present (ie colony forming unit count)
expensive
Now read about the best kefirs 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.
Related articles
