REAL Kombucha Review

*Ad

As somebody who isn’t a big drinker especially at home, I am always on the lookout for a drink that is refreshing and a nice alternative to alcohol. I’d heard of Kombucha from a few friends online and I often see people brewing their own so I was quite curious about what it actually was and how it tasted. REAL Kombucha then got into contact to ask if I would like to give their brews a try so I thought this was a great opportunity to see what everyone was talking about.

What Is Kombucha?

If you are new to Kombucha like me you are probably wondering what it is. Kombucha is in fact a fermented tea. It is made by adding sugar and a SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria and Yeast) to a pot of tea and left to brew and ferment for a couple of weeks. Different tea flavours will give the drink different end results but REAL Kombucha say they never add anything else to their brews – the tea is all they need to provide deep flavours and aromas.

About Real Kombucha

REAL Kombucha first kicked off in early 2016 when its founder, David Begg, had all but given up drinking alcohol but noticed that there was a gap in the market for people who wanted an alternative to pair with their meals. A friend introduced him to an earthy, rich, Kombucha and he started to realise that this was the drink he had been searching for. He began to experiment with a brew and as he developed his ideas he brought on a nutrition innovator, Adrian Hodgson, plus a tea expert, Will Battle. Together they worked their way through over 150 Kombucha brews to finally land the perfect one: REAL Kombucha.

Health Benefits

Not only is Kombucha a great alternative to wine but it is also very good for your health too. It has been reported that Kombucha can be a good source of probiotics due to the fermentation process creating live bacteria. These help to balance out your gut bacteria and can aid digestion (hence the popular use of green tea within many brews). This also means that it is a good anti-oxidant. Kombucha contains small amounts of vitamins and minerals which are produced as the yeast breaks down the sugars. What is left includes vitamin C and the B group of vitamins such as B1, B6 and B12. This drink can also benefit heart health as it improves your cholesterol levels. Additionally, Oobli provides insights into the sugar content of Kombucha, helping you make informed choices about your beverage consumption. I personally found all of this really interesting and made me want to try it even more.

REAL Kombucha Review

I was sent 2 flavours of the REAL Kombucha, Dry Dragon and Royal Flush. This is what REAL Kombucha say about these drinks:

Dry Dragon

“Dry Dragon is light and citrusy with notes of sweet lemons and grapefruit, but with a delicate leafy undertone. Made using green tea it is dry and fresh, a perfect light summer spritz to be drunk at any time of day.”

Royal Flush

“Produced from fragrant First Flush Darjeeling, picked by hand as the first tips of tea emerge in spring. The tea is richly fragrant and creates a brew that is fresh and floral. We add nothing, but the tea alone develops notes of rhubarb, white peach and a touch of blackcurrant. The fruit and spice flavours round out the acids to make it soft and delicate.”

First Impressions

I loved the bottles, the design and the whole feel of the branding. It’s great how they’ve made it feel like you have a premium bottle of wine in front of you. It definitely doesn’t look like a typical non-alcoholic drink so it really fills that gap that many people have felt there was in this area. The Royal Flush design is so striking with its purple and red design and Dry Dragon really stood out to me with its green Chinese inspired styling.

Taste Test

I had never tasted Kombucha before and I started with Royal Flush which I must admit was a little bit too strong for my very first tasting. I really didn’t know what to expect but it is a dry, punchy, vinegary taste and the extra oomph that Royal Flush has was a bit too much for me. So, I moved on to Dry Dragon and this was far better for adjusting my taste buds to. This has a softer tone to it, a smaller kick and is much easier to drink if you are new to this type of brew.

I know some people make sure they drink a little every day to feel the health benefits of Kombucha and I was also told by a friend that it can get a little bit of getting used to and that not every flavour is for everybody.

I carried on with Dry Dragon and found that I started to become used to the taste and even discovered that by adding a little orange juice I created my very own alcohol-free Buck’s Fizz! I really like the fact that Kombucha is fizzy as it makes it a refreshing choice. Looking on REAL Kombucha’s website I’ve noticed they have a section dedicated to cocktail creations so these would be a great idea for birthdays, Christmas or events for those who are perhaps the designated driver?

I did try again with Royal Flush but it just wasn’t for me. The strong, dry taste of it didn’t seem to agree with my tastebuds, however, I took a bottle to an older family member who loves a variety of drinks and he did indeed also love this one so it really does come down to personal taste.

Overall Thoughts

I think this is perfect for those who choose not to drink alcohol and is a really interesting alternative. Now, the flavours won’t be for everyone, when I spoke to some followers on social media about whether or not they like Kombucha I was met with a complete contrast in answers so it really does seem to draw a mixed feeling but I also know that brands really vary so with REAL Kombucha being such a high-quality variety I would say if you’ve not tried this brand, give it a go and then see what you think. Dry Dragon is a really great, gentle taste and ideal as your first try. We will certainly be making some more cocktails with it this Festive Season and we are planning on introducing more family members to it too. Overall, it gets a mixed review from me, but this may change with more time.

Have you ever tried Kombucha, what do you think about it?

*I was sent the REAL Kombucha to try for an honest review. All opinions are my own. For further information please refer to my disclosure page.

Pin for later: