Kombucha: the buzzy, probiotic fermented tea that we all love to sip on. It’s an OG drink for the health-obsessed. This beverage has stayed a staple in the wellness world and for good reason. It’s super good for your gut and full of antioxidants, helping your body digest everything you put into it. But is there a hidden danger in consuming this beverage? The villain in this scenario might actually be the sugar content of your drink. Sugar is essential to making kombucha, but some nutritionists, including Jacqueline Alwill, say the following is to blame for outrageous sugar content.
All kombucha should contain four key ingredients: tea, water, sugar and the SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) or mother culture. But the amount of sugar left in the final product depends on the length of fermentation. “Brands that brew for shorter periods retain more sugar than those with a long-aged fermentation process. Given the prevalence of hidden sugar in so many products and the more being uncovered regarding its negative health impacts, the less sugar the better … The World Health Organization recommends minimizing sugar consumption to 6 teaspoons per day for women and 9 teaspoons for men. This equates to around 25g and 38g. When you consider that some kombucha brands on the market contain up to 15g per bottle, this puts things into perspective!
It’s also super important to check out if your product is organic! That being said, we’ve decided to round up a few popular kombucha beverages and give you the down-low on their sugar content. Keep reading for more on the hidden sugar levels below!
Popular Kombucha And Their Sugar Levels
1) Heath-Ade Ginger Lemon Kombucha ($48 for a 12-pack)
Health-Ade’s Ginger Lemon flavor has up to 10 grams of sugar per serving. It’s one of the most popular beverages on the market here in the U.S. and we can see why. There are endless options when it comes to flavor, and they’re evening launching a new hard kombucha line, which you can shop here.
2) GTS Synergy Organic Kombucha ($5.26)
GTS’s Synergy flavor has up to 6 grams of sugar per serving. They are one of the oldest beverage-makers on the market here in the U.S. and it’s also vegan and raw. We love how the bottles include an incredible mantra. For everyone, everywhere.
3) Pilot Kombucha Pomegranate Rose ($5.99 per bottle)
Pilot’s Pomegranate Rose flavor has up to 11 grams of sugar per serving. We love the combination of flavors that this brand offers, endless choices galore with options to explore.
4) Holy Kombucha Corazon Probiotic Tea ($3.39 per bottle)
Holy’s Corazon flavor has up to 7 grams of sugar per serving. Stocked in retailers all over the U.S., this brand oozes healthy goodness and exotic flavors. Corazon is definitely one of our favorites here at Amodrn.
5) KeVita Master Brew Kombucha in Pineapple Peach ($9 per bottle)
KeVita’s Pineapple Peach flavor has up to 8 grams of sugar per serving. This drink is super satisfying, sparkling, and sassy. It’s energizing and perfect for a mid-day refreshment.
5. Remedy Kombucha
Remedy Kombucha contains no sugar and wears the I Quit Sugar tick of approval (yep, it’s a no sugar winner)! When brewing Remedy Kombucha, raw organic sugar is used as a key starter ingredient acting as food for the all-important live cultures. During the 30-day long-aged brewing process, all of this sugar is converted into healthy organic acids leaving no sugar at all (and they test each batch to make sure of it). Grab your hands on their best-selling Remedy Kombucha Raspberry Lemonade or Ginger Lemon.
