I Tried Kourtney Kardashian's Favorite Healthy Beverage & TBH, I'm Obsessed With It
You've been there before: You're scrolling through your Instagram feed when you see your favorite celeb post about their favorite new product — a face serum, vitamins that will make your skin brighter, or a specialty food service. You can't help but want to be like the stars, but are the products worth it? In Elite Daily's new series, I Tried, we put it all to the test. We're trying those products as well as celebrities' health and wellness tips, recipes, and life hacks. We'll do the leg work and tell you what living like your fave star is really like.
If there's anything you should know about me, it's that I hate healthy sh*t. On the rare occasion I make my way to the grocery store, it's to go HAM in the bakery aisle and take home 12 loaves of freshly baked ciabatta bread. YUM. The idea of shopping in Whole Foods terrifies me because everything is color-coordinated and words are more than one syllable long. EGGS? BREAD? CHEESE? That's literally all I know. The other day I learned "açai" isn't pronounced "uh-kie" and it blew my f*cking mind. HOWEVER, my roommate Laura works at Kombrewcha, the first alcoholic kombucha company, and it's opened up my heart and mind to ~the world of kombucha.~ Yes, KOM-BOO-CHA. But what does kombucha even do? Before living with Laura, all I knew about kombucha was that it's Kourtney Kardashian's favorite beverage, which means it's prob healthy AF and tastes like angel pee. The star frequently posts about it on her app (YES, I'M A SUBSCRIBER. GET AT ME, HATERS), so if it's Kardashian-approved, then obviously I'm down to try it.
"Growing up, we always had soda in our refrigerator," Kourtney K. explained on her app. "However, as an adult, I never stock it in our house, since I try to avoid refined sugar. Instead, I mainly drink water, hot and iced green tea, and sometimes I’ll have a matcha latte with almond milk and a tiny bit of maple syrup." GREEN TEA? MATCHA? ALMOND? Someone buy me a dictionary. WTF does this mean?!
“Kombucha is one of the only other beverages I drink and when I do, I always feel like it’s a treat," she continued. "It has the same bubbly effect as soda since it’s naturally carbonated, but kombucha is good for you!” OK, BUT WHY, KOURT? What is so magical about this drink?
“It contains natural probiotics that provide your gut with healthy bacteria needed to break down food and help with digestion," she shared. "Having a good balance of probiotics in your system is important for your gut, but also helps the appearance of your skin. Studies show that good bacteria can help eliminate free radicals that can cause damage to your skin and this will prevent early signs of aging.” OK, so simply put, kombucha is a fermented tea beverage made from water, sugar, tea leaves, and Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast (SCOBY). Nutritionist Amy Shapiro of Real Nutrition NYC spoke with The Cut about the benefits of drinking kombucha and also said it boosts energy because its iron helps oxygen flow in the blood. On top of that, it's packed with antioxidants which can help the immune system. Shapiro added, "It's great for health preservation and recovery." Sounds good to me! Clearly, there are plenty of health benefits, WHICH IS COOL AND ALL, but how does it actually taste?
Well, because I'm a hardcore journalist who's devoted to her job, I decided to try out kombucha and drink Kourtney K's favorite beverage for an entire week (supplemented with meals). I made my way to Whole Foods (I KNOW, SCARY!) and bought some 'buch. Here's what I learned.
1. Kombucha tastes like a fizzy, fermented tea with hints of cider.
Many kombucha brands actually come in a variety of flavors, which is good for people like me who hate drinking boring things like water. (It legit tastes like NOTHING, don't @ me.) Health-Ade Kombucha, for example, comes in flavors ranging from Pink Lady Apple to California Grape and Reishi-Chocolate. I personally loved their Ginger-Lemon, so there's really something out there for everyone.
When I took my first sip of kombucha, I expected it to taste like juice or "healthy soda." (Whatever that means.) In fact, it didn't taste like either! It truly has a unique taste unlike anything I've ever had before, and the more I sipped it, the more I was like, "oOohhh yaass, baby. Get in my belly."
2. Drinking kombucha made me feel trendy and cool as hell.
Have you always wanted to feel like one of those cool NYC yoga moms carrying a newborn baby in one arm and a double iced caramel macchiato in the other? Well, that's how I felt when I drank kombucha. It's chic, it's hip, it's fun, and it's literally the Kardashians' favorite drink.
Even as I write this, I've been sipping on some 'buch all day at work and like, two people have asked me about it. (Probably because I'm usually drinking chocolate milk and now they're like, WTF is that? But that's besides the point).
THESE PEOPLE GET IT:
See. It's cool.
3. Some kombucha companies even make it with alcohol!
Kombrewcha is the first hard kombucha company in the world, meaning it makes kombucha WITH ALCOHOL IN IT. Yes, that's right! My other favorite thing on the planet. Kombrewcha has a 3.2 percent ABV, so not only are you being healthy, but you're also getting tipsy! It's a win-win, if that's something you like to do. On top of that, Kombrewcha is low in sugar (under 9 grams) and organic. I never in a million years thought I'd drink something organic and actually like it?? Who knew?
Kombrewcha comes in a variety of flavors: the O.G. (original), Royal Ginger, Lemongrass Lime, and Berry Hibiscus. My personal favorite is Lemongrass Lime because I feel badass ordering a "Lemongrass Lime Kombrewcha" at the most hipster bar in Brooklyn. Kombrewcha also has adorable packaging and really fun/young/silly lines like, "consider us your not so guilty pleasure," and, "Harder Better Stronger." I would get that tattooed on my lower back, just sayin'.
4. Drinking kombucha made me feel better, too.
I won't um, get too graphic with the deets, but drinking kombucha definitely made me feel like I was cleaning out my insides, lol. I also felt good in ~other ways~ after drinking four rounds of Kombrewcha. One bottle may only have 3.2 percent alcohol, but man, did I feel it.
All in all, I'm happy I tried out kombucha so now I can tell people I'm Kourtney Kardashian's twin. It's delicious, healthy, and fun to drink. TBH though, I think Kombrewcha fits in a lot better with my... um... lifestyle, if ya know what I'm sayin'. Heh.
This bad mama's out. Gotta grab some 'bucha and get to my yoga appointment ASAP.
