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The 10 Best Kombucha Brands to Give Your Health a Boost
From 2014 to 2019, kombucha sales grew from $1 million to $1.8 billion. During this time, the total number of kombucha brands increased around 30% a year—a trend that has continued (and even grown) since then.
Increased choices for consumers are both a blessing and a curse. Now, there are plenty of flavors to choose from but the question then becomes: Are some kombucha brands better than others? What are the marks of healthy kombucha and what are the healthiest kombucha brands?
When you’re searching for the best kombucha brands and flavors, there is an important factor that we suggest keeping on your radar: Sugar content.
Some companies have co-opted the traditional Chinese beverage and added more sweetness to appeal to more people, flooding the market with less-than-ideal kombucha choices.
We’re going to share more about the health benefits of kombucha and how to find (and assess) these benefits on a kombucha label. Then, we’ll share the 10 best kombucha brands to look out for next time you head to the grocery store.
What Is Kombucha?
According to a 2017 article published by Forbes, “Kombucha originated in Northeast China (historically referred to as Manchuria) around 220 B.C. and was initially prized for its healing properties.”
At its simplest, kombucha is a tea with an added culture of bacteria and yeast, which causes fermentation. This, in turn, adds probiotic benefits to the brew. Think of traditional kombucha as a drink that combines the benefits of tea with the benefits of fermented foods.
Kombucha is made by adding particular strains of bacteria, sugar, and yeast to green or black tea. It then sits and ferments for 1-3 weeks before being bottled and refrigerated.
During the fermentation process, the bacteria and yeast form a blob-like substance in the liquid that looks kind of like a jellyfish. The blob is called a SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast). If you ever hear friends talking about their “kombucha starter”, this is what they’re referring to.
You might decide to make kombucha at home (by creating your own SCOBY or borrowing from a friend).
But, if you’re a little skeeved out by the process of dealing with a SCOBY and you find the whole process a little daunting, we don’t blame you. Grabbing a healthy kombucha brand from the store is a great way to get the benefits of kombucha without all the hard work.
Speaking of benefits, let’s dive into it.
RELATED: Fermented Beverage Face-Off: Kombucha vs. Kefir
Health Benefits of Kombucha
Many companies (and health-conscious consumers) have gotten on the kombucha bandwagon because of the health benefits boated by this fizzy, refreshing tea.
Just how good remains up in the air as there are limited human studies on its effects and health benefits. But, we know that kombucha contains probiotics and healthy organic acids. Here’s a breakdown:
- Kombucha contains powerful antioxidants: Green tea is one of the healthiest things you can drink. It contains polyphenols, which are powerful antioxidants (your body’s clean-up crew!). Kombucha made from green tea will likely provide similar benefits.
- Kombucha supports gut health: During fermentation, healthy acids and probiotics are produced, which are associated with a healthy gut.
- A healthy gut supports mental health: A strong gut offers important benefits for mental health, which goes back to the mind-gut connection you often hear about.
- Kombucha helps the body detox and decreases inflammation and bloating: The acids in kombucha (acetic, gluconic, and glucuronic, in particular) support detoxification. This helps to clear out anything icky and decrease inflammation and bloat.
- Kombucha can help fight food poisoning: One study found that kombucha is antimicrobial, meaning that it inhibits the growth of some common bacteria that are harmful to the human gut. The bacteria in the study included E. coli, salmonella, listeria, and campylobacter—all associated with food poisoning.
It’s important to keep in mind that these benefits are most prevalent in less processed, unflavored, and “traditional” kombucha brands (like the ones we’ll share below).
Just like a highly processed protein bar can quickly resemble a candy bar, highly processed kombucha options can quickly have more things in common with soda than a healthy tea drink.
Things to Watch For In Kombucha
Kombucha—with all those health benefits to your brain, gut, and body—seems like a magic drink, right? Well, there are still a few things to keep an eye out for when scanning the supermarket shelves:
- Too much added sugar: As we mentioned, some kombucha brands add too much sugar to make the drink appealing and palatable to more people. It’s important to remember that some sugar is necessary for the fermentation process so very low sugar options are hard to come by. In general, we recommend keeping the added sugar content of your kombucha choices below 2g per serving (and watch out, because many companies count one bottle as two servings!).
- Probiotics: Most kombucha brands are doing a great job, but some brands take shortcuts in the probiotic department (such as adding probiotics in at the end instead of brewing real kombucha).
- Look for simple ingredients: Stick to a simple ingredient list: Tea, a sugar source (the yeast eats the sugar to ferment the tea, so some sugar will always be added), and some acknowledgment of “live cultures.”
- Whole food boosters only: The only other things on the list should be whole food health boosters, such as ginger, turmeric, or lemon juice.
- No pasteurization: Make sure the company isn’t pasteurizing its bottles since that process kills the beneficial bacteria.
Now that we’ve cleared up what kombucha is, the health benefits of kombucha, and how to confidently read a kombucha nutrition label, we’re sharing our compiled list of the 10 best kombucha brands to try.
The 10 Best Kombucha Brands
1. B-Tea Kombucha
(Image: Amazon)
Why we love it: The “Original” versions of this raw, organic kombucha are one of the lowest sugar brand options out there with only 2g per serving. Their four flavors—Raspberry Ceylon Black Tea, Original Black Tea, Clarity Green Tea with Lemon Balm, and Original Green Tea—are all non-GMO, vegan, kosher, naturally carbonated, and both gluten- and chemical-free.
Nutrition stats per serving (1 bottle, 16fl oz):
- Sugar: 2-9g
- Added sugar: 0g
- Calories: 35
- Live Cultures: B-Tea does contain live cultures but the total amount is unadvertised
$26 for 6, Amazon.com
2. Big Easy Kombucha
(Image: Amazon)
Why we love it: This pure kombucha is delicious, low in sugar, and comes in a bottle or can. They’re brewed in small batches and never include artificial flavors, colors, or sweeteners. Choose from over seven delicious flavors.
Nutrition stats per serving (1 bottle, 16fl oz):
- Sugar: 7g
- Added sugar: 0g
- Calories: 70
- Live Cultures: 1 billion
$16 for 6 bottles, Amazon.com
3. Buddha’s Brew
(Image: Buddha’s Brew)
Why we love it: What started as a Farmer’s Market booth has become a full-fledged ‘bucha biz. Still coming from their original location in Austin, TX, Buddha’s Brew Kombucha is a “full strength Kombucha which is never pasteurized. They nurture Living Cultures which is why their brew must be refrigerated and contributes to Buddha’s being the highest live culture count on our list.
Nutrition stats per serving (1 bottle, 16fl oz):
- Sugar: 11g
- Added sugar: 0g
- Calories: 50
- Live Cultures: 19 billion
Order from their website here.
4. GT Synergy Raw Kombucha
(Image: Amazon)
Why we love it: GT is like the hippie mom of the kombucha crew. It’s been around for a long time and is one of the most recognizable brands. There’s nothing new or trendy about GT, but it’s made from simple, clean, organic ingredients. It tastes great, is low in sugar, has no added sugar, and you can find it in most grocery stores. It’s also generally more affordable than newer brands.
Nutrition stats per serving (1 bottle, 16fl oz):
- Sugar: 12g
- Added sugar: 0g
- Calories: 50
- Live Cultures: 9 billion
$37 for 6, Amazon.com
5. Health-Ade Kombucha
(Image: Amazon)
Why we love it: This 100% raw kombucha comes in more than 15 delicious flavors. They use a blend of black and green tea as their base and the fruit flavor options come from organic, cold-pressed juice (no artificial flavors here!).
Nutrition stats per serving (1 bottle, 12fl oz):
- Sugar: 10-17g
- Added sugar: 0g
- Calories: 50-70
- Live Cultures: 1 billion
$45 for 12, Amazon.com
6. Holy Kombucha
(Image: Holy Kombucha)
Why we love it: This small Fort Worth, Texas-based company brews its certified organic ‘bucha with an extra serving of purpose, by regularly donating a percentage of profits to charity. Its bottles are also raw, low-sugar, and come in delicious flavors like Blood Orange and Green Apple Ginger.
Nutrition stats per serving (1 bottle, 12fl oz):
- Sugar: 8g
- Added sugar: 0g
- Calories: 40
- Live Cultures: 2 billion
Find a retailer near you at holykombucha.com
7. Humm Kombucha
(Image: Amazon)
Why we love it: Oregon-based Huum gets points for its funky, custom packaging designs and creative flavors, like Coconut Lime and Chai. Its brews are organic, uniquely delicious, and come with no added sugar. Plus, they’re USDA-certified organic, Non-GMO, Vegan, Keto-friendly, and gluten-free.
Nutrition stats per serving (1 bottle, 12fl oz):
- Sugar: 8g
- Added sugar: 0g
- Calories: 35-50
- Live Cultures: 2 billion
$60 for 12, Amazon.com
8. Live Kombucha
(Image: Live Soda)
Why we love it: Raw and organic, Live Kombucha is cold-brewed, low in sugar and high in probiotics with 6.8 billion cultures per bottle. Their flavors are sweeter than many other brands as they sometimes use stevia to give their bottles a sweetness boost. Although we aren’t huge proponents of added sugar, stevia isn’t going to be a make-or-break to your health if you keep your intake low. At the end of the day, a stevia-sweetened Kombucha is a healthier choice than a diet (or non-diet) soda.
Nutrition stats per serving (1 bottle, 12fl oz):
- Sugar: 8g
- Added sugar: 8g (from stevia)
- Calories: 35-50
- Live Cultures: 6.8 billion
Find locations near you or get it shipped right to your door from their website.
9. Rowdy Mermaid
(Image: Rowdy Mermaid)
Why we love it: With a name like that, it has to be fun and delicious, right? Rowdy Mermaid has over 10 delicious and creative flavor combos like Alpine Lavendar and Watermelon Bloom. Their kombucha options are specially formulated with herbs, roots, fruits, or mushrooms to aid in digestion, circulation, energy, hydration, calm, and immunity.
Nutrition stats per serving (1 can, 12fl oz):
- Sugar: 7g
- Added sugar: 0g
- Calories: 35-50
- Live Cultures: Rowdy Mermaid does contain live cultures but the total amount is unadvertised
Find it near you with their store locator
10. Wonder Drink Prebiotic Kombucha
(Image: Amazon)
Why we love it: Although there are no live cultures in Wonder’s kombucha, they’re the first and only kombucha made with organic prebiotic fiber. This plant-based fiber—xylooligosaccharides—nourishes healthy bacteria (probiotics!) in your gut. Their “Prebiotic Plus” flavors have added ingredients like ashwagandha, electrolytes, sea buckthorn, and coffee cascara. Coffee? Yep! There is 30-60mg of caffeine in this ‘bucha brand which is something to keep in mind when deciding if it’s the best time to sip.
Nutrition stats per serving (1 can, 8fl oz):
- Sugar: 8-10g
- Added sugar: 0g
- Calories: 35-50
- Live Cultures: 0
$33 for 12, Amazon.com
There you have it, the ten best kombucha brands to grab next time you want something delicious, bubbly, refreshing and good for your gut. Enjoy!
(Image: Shutterstock)
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