4 Tips for Identifying Real Kombucha and Spotting Fake Versions
Kombucha is a fermented beverage taking the world by storm for a host of health benefits. This fizzy drink was thought to have originated thousands of years ago in China, and it’s primarily made from either black or green tea and sugar. There are additives that can change the flavor and health impact of the drink, but there is a danger of buying a fake product filled with unhealthy ingredients. It’s important to recognize real kombucha over fake versions.
Why Real Kombucha Matters
What you put into your body has an impact on how healthy you are. Unfortunately, many of the healthy foods your body needs don’t taste very good. Manufacturers often market products as being healthy, but while they may contain some vitamins, minerals or other nutritional value, the product could also be loaded with unnecessary sugars, fats or processed ingredients.
This is often the problem with kombucha. Flavors, preservatives and additional sweeteners help sell a product but cheat the consumer out of the maximum health benefits of the drink.
Kombucha is a wellness product that is made from fermented tea, and it takes just a little sweetener to start the fermentation process. Once fermentation takes place, healthy probiotic bacteria are created. These bacteria, when consumed, can help boost your immune system, support a better functioning digestive system, improve your mental health and reduce inflammation from building in the gut. However, the benefits that real kombucha provides can be destroyed when too many sugars are added to the drink.
How To Identify Real Kombucha
Because of its popularity, you can generally find kombucha in any grocery store or health store you shop at. You can also find it for sale online. However, you need to know that you aren’t buying a cheap fake when you place your order or grab a jar from the grocery store. Here is what you need to know to distinguish a fake kombucha product from a real one.
1. How Is It Preserved?
The leading brands on the market have promoted the idea that refrigerated kombucha is the most potent form. If considering kombucha to be a living food, there is some concern that it’s not shelf-stable.
Kombucha has a great flavor when it’s cold, but there are several limitations to declaring kombucha only effective when refrigerated. While it's true that unpasteurized products have higher loads of probiotics, not all refrigerated products are created equal. It can be hard to maintain the perfect conditions to keep liquid kombucha highly effective without the risk of bacterial contamination. This is also a limited form of consumption, keeping those with taste sensitivities from enjoying the health benefits.
Fortunately, there is an alternative on the market. Superfoods Company has an instant real kombucha available in capsule form. With multiple active strains of kombucha in each serving and sources from premium black tea in Taiwan, you can have your kombucha whenever you want it. It still goes through the fermentation process in a high-quality facility, and through a patented micro-encapsulation process, it is turned into a power-filled capsule to add to a glass of water.
2. What Are Its Ingredients?
You should be able to spot a fake kombucha by just looking at the bottle. Each product should have a description of the contents or list of ingredients, and this can help you determine what exactly you are drinking. Kombucha is made from black or green tea, making it a must-have on the list of ingredients. You shouldn’t be buying a product with tea flavoring or tea extracts. Kombucha shouldn’t be an afterthought on the ingredient list, either. If it comes near the end, you’re buying mostly water.
You also don’t want a kombucha full of extra sweeteners and sugars. Some sugar is required for fermentation, but adding in extra for taste only leads to excess sugar consumption and calories for the consumer. Fake kombucha producers add back in sugar in a variety of forms to make it tastier and addictive. Many companies also use powdered probiotic additives to make more attractive health claims to consumers. Probiotics are a natural by-product of correctly making kombucha and shouldn’t need to be added.
3. How Is It Made?
The fermentation process for real kombucha requires the formation of something called a SCOBY. This is the culture of yeast and bacteria that create the healthy benefits from the drink. If it hasn’t been made with a SCOBY, then it isn’t a truly fermented kombucha.
You should be able to see floating stands in a liquid form of kombucha or see the clear fermentation process for a powered version showing the use of a SCOBY. You should also look for locally sourced ingredients known for high-quality results.
Our fiber-encapsulated InstaKombu is SCOBY fermented and has the same active components of flavonoids, polyphenols and organic acids that authentic liquid kombucha offers. The first fermentation process takes between two to three weeks, and the second continues for another three days. The fiber layers and the spray drying contribute to a finished powder that has in excess 300 million probiotics. The capsule form makes kombucha accessible and more convenient to blend with other powder ingredients for a unique flavor profile. Not all powdered kombuchas can make these claims, identifying the real from the fake.
4. How Does It Taste?
Real kombucha has a distinctive flavor, and many find it to be quite tangy. This comes from the fermentation process and remains noticeable when the ingredients are pure and simple. The flavor shouldn’t be masked by juice concentrates or other elements.
A good kombucha should leave you wanting more because of the positive impact it has on your health, not a sugar craving evoked by excessive amounts of sucrose. Even a capsule form should present the same flavor impact as a well-made liquid kombucha.
Where To Buy Real Kombucha
To give your mental and physical body a wellness boost, check out the InstaKombu products from Superfoods Company. It has never been easier to enjoy the refreshing and potent benefits of real kombucha. Ingredients of the highest quality, manufacturing in top-notch facilities and products that can be consumed easily all make our InstaKombu the perfect choice for the best kombucha to buy.
Sources
https://www.organicauthority.com/energetic-health/7-easy-ways-to-know-if-your-kombucha-is-authentic
https://www.eatthis.com/pick-best-kombucha-tips/
https://www.thejoint.com/washington/lynnwood/lynnwood-42003/274619-is-that-kombucha-fake
https://www.thelondoneconomic.com/food-drink/real-kombucha-94095/
https://www.kombuchakamp.com/sugar-and-kombucha-faq-top-10
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/probiotic-refrigeration