If you haven’t heard already–kombucha is in. Kombucha, a Japanese fizzy tea that’s fermented with yeast and healthy bacteria — good luck saying that three times fast — it’s an acquired taste, and honestly, it’s not for me. But with its vast amount of benefits, this weird-sounding drink may appeal to others.
The truth is, you either love it or hate it. My sister absolutely LOVES kombucha. In fact, her fixation has lead to overcrowding in my fridge, with bottles flying out when I open the door. I often see her lurking near the kombucha case at the grocery store where all of the glass bottles with weird flavor combinations are; however, while I sit there and watch her downing the whole bottle, my stomach turns. To me, kombucha tastes like fizzy vinegar, and I don’t know about you, but vinegar would not be my first drink of choice.
Abby Messina, a kombucha believer, became a fan of the drink after it helped her recover from a string of recurring sinus infections.
“Kombucha has natural probiotics, so I was able to take that so I could get better–and now I like it,” said Messina.
So why did Abby, my sister, and thousands of people around the world hop on this trend? Through some research, it turns out that kombucha has many health benefits.
Kombucha may prevent diseases, improve gut health and cholesterol, and protect your lungs from infection (6 Health Benefits of Drinking Kombucha). “Once complete, most of the sugars have been consumed by the bacteria and yeast resulting in a carbonated beverage that contains vinegar, B vitamins, enzymes, probiotics, acids and cellulose-producing bacteria, which protect your cells.” It sounds too good to be true, I know, but after reading about its health benefits, I started to realize why this drink appeals to so many.
Okay, now let’s talk about the flavors. Kombucha has many unique flavors including original, coconut mango, and lavender. Yeah, that’s right… lavender! The variety of flavors is another factor that drives people towards purchasing this drink. I have tried the blueberry and raspberry. I do have to say, different flavors do appeal more to me than the original. I absolutely DESPISED the original. . .ew. . .but, the blueberry wasn’t half bad. Don’t get me wrong, I still don’t like it and would never drink it if I had the choice.
Lastly, the price. An average bottle of kombucha is around four to five dollars. Maybe it’s just me (which it probably is because I am a #kombuchahater), but there is no way I would spend my dough on this awful tasting drink, health benefits or not.
In the end, it all comes down to the person and their opinion. Obviously, I’m not a fan, but kombucha does show some real promise for those who enjoy healthy options with fun flavors. Maybe in the future, I will try this drink again, but for the time being, this is one trend I refuse to follow.
