Are you brave enough to be kombucha- ed

It’s the latest health craze — fermented tea that (sadly) does taste like it’s good for you. HELEN McGINN picks the most palatable

An apple a day was enough to keep the doctor away, or so the saying went. But if the latest health food craze to sweep the supermarket aisles is anything to go by, the answer might actually lie in a cold cup of sparkling, fermented tea.

Originating in China more than 2,000 years ago, kombucha is a ‘living drink’ made from a blend of water, tea, cane sugar and a special live culture called a ‘scoby’, or a ‘symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast’ to give it its full name.

The ‘ scoby’ starts the fermentation process in the blend, converting the sugar to alcohol and activating the friendly bacteria, which in turn consume the alcohol. The result is a lightly sparkling fermented tea full of acids, enzymes and live probiotics and a trace of alcohol.

Reported health benefits range from boosting immunity by promoting a healthy gut, where about 80 per cent of our immune system is found, to helping liver function, improving the body’s cardiovascular system and even managing diabetes.

Which would be all well and good if it were delicious. The reality is it might be trendy, but its tart, often vinegary character can leave a bitter — some might say disgusting — taste.

But there’s no escaping kombucha now it’s broken out of niche health food shops and on to the shelves of Waitrose and M&S. So if you’re going to join the healthy drink brigade, which kombuchas won’t make you wince?

Here, the Mail’s drinks expert braves a selection of the best ‘booch’ to be found on the shelves…