Kombucha Taste Test for Best Kombucha to Buy

❚ All products have been chosen and reviewed independently by our editorial team. This page contains affiliate links and we may receive a small commission for purchases made, but this comes at no extra cost to you and helps us to continue providing top quality content for our loyal readers.

How the best kombucha taste test worked

Four members of the olive team conducted a blind taste test to find the best kombuchas, awarding gold, silver and bronze awards to the ones we were most impressed with. Entries all had to be original flavour.

All products have been chosen and reviewed independently by our editorial team. This page contains affiliate links and we may receive a small commission for purchases made, but this comes at no extra cost to you and helps us to continue providing top-quality content for our loyal readers.

The results for the best kombucha taste test

Gold: Holos Kombucha, £14.99 for a case of six, 250ml, drydrinker.com

Comments: Green and black tea combined with yerba mate and rooibos provides a well-balanced yet complex flavour profile to this funky kombucha. With notes of vanilla and tomato on the nose followed by floral flavours on the tongue, this is an all-round refreshing drink and wowed our judging panel.

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Silver: Jarr Kombucha, £29 for a case of six, 473ml, jarrkombucha.com

Comments: Organic oolong and organic green tea, fermented with filtered water and organic cane sugar give this kombucha a strong acidic tang. A well-balanced, refreshing drink, with a lingering flavour.

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A large bottle with a blue lid and white J on

Bronze: Biona Organic, £17.94 for a case of six, 330ml, Amazon

Comments: Thanks to the fragrant mate leaves, lime blossom and lemon verbena tea herbal extracts, this original kombucha has a distinctive and gently sweet floral flavour, with notes of honey on the nose. With a gentle fizz, it’s a lighter booch option.

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A long slim bottle with a white and green label on

Other kombuchas we tried

MOMO, 6 x 300ml bottles, £26.50, momo-kombucha.com. Buy now

Remedy, £2.99/330ml; planetorganic.com. Buy now

PRESS, £3.50/275ml; press-london.com. Buy now

Clever Kombucha, £35/case of 12, 300ml; cleverkombucha.co.uk. Buy now

Lo Bros, £2/330ml; ocado.com. Buy now

Kombucha Kat, £1.99/250ml; ocado.com. Buy now

Real Kombucha Dry Dragon, £29.99/case of 12, 275ml; realkombucha.co.uk. Buy now

Rude Health, £1.99/250ml; Waitrose. Buy now

Equinox Kombucha, £36/case of 20, 275ml; Amazon. Buy now

Captain Kombucha, £2.99/400ml; Holland and Barrett. Buy now

We've since tried...

Ama pét-nat tea, from £26/75cl, sagerandwine.com

A new development in the world of no/low drinks is the emergence of elegant fizzy kombuchas and teas designed to be drunk as one would a sparking wine. Ama Brewery in the Basque Country is an exciting addition to this category, creating sparkling kombuchas that are aged in the bottle for a minimum of six months – akin to a pét-nat wine or champagne. The brewery is headed by Dani Lasa and Ramón Perisé, former and current R&D chefs at famed two-Michelin-star restaurant Mugaritz in San Sebastian, and their kombucha is made with tea from the Rare Tea Company and spring water from the Basque Country.

Ama's first two expressions are striking – more layered, full-bodied and rounded than many other kombuchas we've tried. BI, made with wild lemongrass, is gently bubbly and sweet with lime and white blossom notes. Try drinking as an aperitif. BAT, made with sencha tea, is grassily herbaceous, with umami seaweed notes, and would work well sipped alongside fish and seafood.

Though pricing may make Ama a choice for special occasions, it's sure to impress someone looking for no-low drinks that don't compromise on taste and complexity.

Blighty Booch, £22 for a case of six, 330ml, blightybooch.com

A light and fruity beverage with a delicate effervescence and well balanced sweetness. Blighty Booch’s kombucha is brewed with organic black tea from Hunan China, resulting in a refreshingly tangy flavour profile. As well as the original, we also especially enjoyed their organic ginger flavour, whose warming, spicy notes perfectly balance the tea's astringency.

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Holos Sparkling Oolong Premium Kombucha, £23.99/2 bottles, holoskombucha.com

Another stellar offering from our taste test winners, this fizzy kombucha taps into the trend for high-end, elegantly packaged sparkling teas. Fermented using loose-leaf oolong, this has a lovely clean, fresh character, gently sweet with floral elderflower and delicate fruit notes, and sprightly acidity. It would make a great swap for champagne or prosecco when it comes to celebratory occasions, and also works as a crisp aperitif.