Cape Town is a very health-conscious city, and one of the food items that has gained traction here over the past few years is kombucha. Viewed as a wonder drink by many, the naturally-carbonated beverage is both refreshing and great for gut health. Some of the benefits of kombucha include it being anti-bacterial, and it also contains probiotics.
Brew Kombucha has won several awards for their outstanding drinks, and walked away with the Double Gold, Gold and Silver Awards at the 2020 Aurora International Taste Challenge – so you know your tastebuds are in good hands with their delicious products.
Their kombucha comes in three uniquely South African flavours – rooibos, African rose and buchu. And honestly, it is hard to decide which one tastes the best as each has a distinct flavour profile.
The rooibos Brew is soft on the palate and has none of the sharpness associated with some kombuchas. The bottle stipulates that it makes a good mixer, and it does pair well with a dry gin.
Rooibos is nostalgic and often associated with warm memories, which come flooding back after taking a sip of the kombucha.
The African rose and buchu flavours I hadn’t yet encountered, and they are a treat. While Brew Kombucha is low in sugar, the rose extract in the drink makes it naturally sweeter than the average kombucha, but not overpoweringly so.
It is a pleasant drink on a hot day, and one that’s completely guilt-free as well.
Moving onto the buchu kombucha is an experience in itself. I anticipated that it would be bitter, as buchu is not the most pleasant herb to have, but I was pleasantly surprised by the first sip. While the flavour of the buchu is apparent, it is not strong or bitter enough to make for a bad drink.
The company sources only organic ingredients. Its rooibos comes from the Cedarberg Mountain, and its black tea comes from a carbon-neutral farm in Sri Lanka that uplifts the local community. It also makes use of cut green sugarcane from Brazil, and indigenous medicinal sources found endemically in South Africa.
Its packaging is also made of recycled materials, and the company ensures its outgoing product is 99% free of single-use plastic – a truly guilt-free drink.