Kombucha is a one of the most popular health focused drinks on the market right now. Unfortunately, not every store sells kombucha, and those that do have such a large selection that it’s impossible to figure out which kind to get. So where can you get kombucha?
Kombucha can be bought at most supermarkets, health focused stores, cafes, gas stations, and even online from Amazon or directly on a kombucha brand's website. Kombucha in bulk can be found at Sam's Club and Costco. Kombucha can also be brewed at home to save money.
What is Kombucha?
Kombucha is a carbonated and flavored probiotic drink made from fermented tea that has become quite popular in recent years due to its great taste and many health benefits such as improved digestion and gut health, detoxification, and immune system strengthening.
Health Benefits of Kombucha
There are many reasons drinking kombucha is a good idea, but one of the biggest ones is that it is full of beneficial bacteria known as probiotics. It’s these bacteria that ferment kombucha from sweet tea into sweet and sour kombucha. Probiotics are found in a lot of other fermented foods such as kefir, sauerkraut, yogurt, kimchi, and some cheeses.
Your body, especially your gut, is filled with good and bad bacteria. It’s believed that the modern diet which is so full of sugar and processed foods harms the good bacteria in our gut. A lack of beneficial bacteria in the body can lead to digestive problems, diarrhea, and even infections such as candida.
Fermented foods with probiotics like kombucha replace and replenish these beneficial bacteria, and may
Kombucha may also control blood sugar, and reduce risk of heart disease
How Kombucha is Made
All booch begins as sweet tea. What turns this sweet tea into sweet and sour probiotic kombucha is a living culture of bacteria. This culture of bacteria, known as a SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast), eats the sugar and caffeine from the sweet tea and produces acids, carbon dioxide, and alcohol.
Once it has eaten enough sugar to make the kombucha bitter tasting, the SCOBY is removed and the 1st fermentation is complete. At this point the kombucha can be drunk, but it's not carbonated or flavored yet.
The carbonation and flavor is added in a 2nd fermentation. During this stage, the kombucha is sealed in glass fermenting bottles that are filled with fruit, juice, or herbs for flavoring.
Over the course of a few days, the kombucha in the bottles develops carbonation and flavor. It’s then refrigerated and ready to be drunk!
Where To Buy Kombucha
Grocery Stores
The quickest way to get kombucha is to make a trip to your local grocery store. Almost every Walmart, Meijer, and Whole Foods will have individual bottles of booch for sale. I’ve even seen booch for sale at some gas stations.
The good part about buying kombucha at a local store is that it you can get it quickly and theres a pretty good amount of brands and flavors to choose from. The downside is that buying kombucha for $3-$4 a bottle can get expensive quickly. If you drink multiple bottles of kombucha a week, I’d recommend buying it in bulk from either Costco or Sam's Club.
Amazon
The easiest and most hassle free way to get kombucha is to buy it from Amazon. All it takes is a few clicks and you’ll have as much kombucha as you want sitting on your doorstep in a few days.
Amazon also offers some of the best kombucha prices and allows you to buy in bulk! The downsides to buying from amazon are that they don’t have every selection that grocery stores have, and you’re going to have to wait a few days until it gets delivered.
Cafes
A lot of cafes and restaurants are selling kombucha now, and some even have it on tap!
Direct From a Kombucha Brand's Website
With Amazon’s huge customer base, low prices, and fast shipping, buying directly from a kombucha brand's website doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but can be useful if you're looking for a specific brand or flavor that your local grocery store or Amazon don't sell.
The Most Popular Kombucha Brands
So you’ve found where you’re going to get your kombucha, but with so many different brands to choose from, how do you know which one to get? I’ve been drinking kombucha for a while now and new brands still seem to be popping up every week.
To help new kombucha buyers out, I created a list of the top 5 most popular kombucha brands with a description of what each does well.
1. GT’s Kombucha
About GT’s Kombucha
GT’s Kombucha was the first kombucha brand to be put on store shelves in the US. The brand was founded by a man known as GT Dave when he was only 15 years old and is known for its authentic small batch brewing process and its commitment to not compromise the health aspects of kombucha for a better taste.
What Makes GT’s Kombucha Great
I love that when I drink GT’s Kombucha, I know I’m drinking a healthy booch. A lot of other brands out there have sugared up their kombucha to the point where it’s basically as healthy as drinking a soda. GT’s has stayed true to the spirit of kombucha and kept it filled with probiotics, low in sugar and tasting great.
What you Might not Like about GT’s
Because GT’s is mostly pure kombucha with few additives, If you're new to drinking booch, it could be a little strong.
2. Kevita Kombucha
About Kevita
Kevita Kombucha was founded in California by a winemaker and a holistic nutritionist. It since has since been acquired by PepsiCo, who have made it a staple in the kombucha business. Today you can find kevita on the shelves of almost every grocery store.
What makes Kevita Kombucha Great
Kevita has TONS of flavor choices and is pretty easy to find since it’s sold almost everywhere.
What you Might not Like About Kevita
Although popular, Kevita is not the most health focused kombucha. The brand has even come under a lawsuit recently for false advertising. The lawsuit claims that Kevita is pasteurized and contains none of the healthy probiotics that they advertise.
On top of this Kevita contains a lot of sugar in every bottle. If your focus is on how kombucha tastes, then Kevita could be the brand for you. But, if you’re someone that is looking for a primarily health focused booch full of beneficial probiotics, Kevita is not your best choice.
3. Health-Ade Kombucha
About Health-Ade
Started in 2012 by a husband, wife, and best friend, Health-Aide kombucha is known for its detailed small batch brewing process, as well as its great taste. Health-Aide prides themselves in staying authentic and continuing to brew kombucha in what they refer to as, “the old school way.”
What Makes Health-Ade Kombucha Great
If you like the taste of classic kombucha, then you’ll love Health-Aide. What I like about Health-Aide, aside from its great taste and unique flavors, is that you can trust it. You know you're drinking classic, low sugar kombucha with plenty of probiotics to improve your gut health.
What you Might not Like About Health-Ade
Although Health-Aide boasts about how pure and healthy its kombucha is, every bottle does have 12g of added sugar. This only makes for 14g of sugar per bottle, but is still something to keep in mind.
If you'd like to try Health-Ade, which I strongly recommend, you can get a 12 pack variety of their best flavors and with free shipping on Amazon here!
4. Brew Dr Kombuch
About Brew Dr
Brew Dr began in 2006 and since then has been known for its authentic, organic, and alcohol free kombucha.
What Makes Brew Dr Kombucha Great
Brew Dr is one of my favorite kombucha brands. With only 10g of sugar per bottle andunique flavors such as strawberry basil, citrus hops, and clear mind, Brew Dr has found the perfect balance between great tasting and healthy kombucha, and is definitely deserving of a spot in your fridge.
What you Might not Like About Brew Dr
I think that Brew Dr has a fantastic taste. The light flavoring is refreshing and a good place for beginning kombucha drinkers to start. But, if you're looking for a really strong and bitter flavor, you may want to try something else.
5. Humm Kombucha
About Humm Kombucha
Because of the way kombucha is made, most kombucha brands have a hard time keeping the alcohol and sugar content consistent batch to batch.
What makes Humm special is that they use an innovative and patent pending controlled brewing technology that they claim “provides product consistency, enhances product stability, limits alcohol production, and ensures vibrant microbial activity.”
What Makes Humm Kombucha Great
Humm kombucha has some awesome flavors such as pomegranate lemonade, mango passionfruit, and blueberry mint. And, with a guaranteed over 2 million live probiotics, 10g of sugar, and 60 calories a can, Humm is one of the healthiest kombuchas on the market.
What you Might not like About Humm
Because Humm is low in sugar and calories, it is a little lighter tasting than some other kombuchas out there. So if you’re looking for a really strong, vinegary tasting booch, Humm isn’t your best option.
I was surprised at how cheap you can get Humm Kombucha from the listing on Amazon. If your interested, you can check out some of their best flavors on Amazon here!
Making Your Own Kombucha
I can’t write a Kombucha Buyers Guide without at least mentioning the option of home brewing.
If you enjoy kombucha and plan on drinking it often, home brewing is the way to go. Brewing your own kombucha will save you tons of money, allow you to create your kombucha exactly how you want it, experiment with new flavors, and it's super fun and easy!
I’ve been brewing my own kombucha for a little over 2 years now and had so much fun that I started an entire website about it!
Final Thoughts
Kombucha can be found at most grocery stores, on Amazon, directly from the brand's website, or even brewed in your own home. There really are so many places to get booch nowadays, that with the use of this article, finding the brand or flavor you want should be a breeze. Good luck!
If you want to learn more about kombucha, how it relates to your health, and even how to brew it yourself, check out the rest of my website!