How I went from hating to loving kombucha (and what the heck kombucha actually is).

I’m going to have to admit my age by way of back story so I may as well just come out and say it – I’m 36. And when I was 21 I started my career as a beauty and lifestyle writer.

So for 15 years I’ve been trialling and writing about beauty, health and wellness stuff. All the fads, trends and bona fide movements.

I’ve seen it all and tried most of it, and I’ve gotta say, there’s a whole lot of wellness products or rituals that firmly belong in the too-hard basket (oil pulling, I’m looking at you).

A post shared by Leigh Campbell (@leighacampbell) on Apr 20, 2018 at 7:06pm PDT

When I first heard about kombucha a couple of years ago I was intrigued.

A bit of a science lesson for those who don’t know: Kombucha is a probiotic drink. It contains naturally beneficial bacteria and yeast that’s good for your gut, and therefore good for you.

At the time when it first became popular I was becoming interested in gut health and I was keen to learn more and try it for myself. I knew of people making it at home, so I gave it a go.

This is how it went down:

• I got myself a SCOBY from a friend. A SCOBY is a living ‘thing’, which looks sorta like a mushroom, full of good bacteria and yeast that can be used to make kombucha.
• I followed the instructions to make DIY at-home kombucha, storing the jar on my kitchen bench for the required two weeks while I patiently waited for it to be ready.
• A week and a half in to the ‘journey’, it started to smell pretty funky, look pretty suspect and then my cat knocked the jar over and made a godawful mess.

That was the end of my DIY kombucha phase and I was ready to put it in the too-hard basket, along with oil-pulling (and trying to re-grow my own celery heads).

But then I discovered Remedy Kombucha and the good people behind the drink, Emmet and Sarah Condon from Victoria.

Like me, they were fascinated with this healthy drink. Unlike me, they perfected their recipe for years so that it actually tasted yum but was still good for you.

I was stoked because now I could buy it from the supermarket, someone had done all the hard work for me, and it tasted a hell of a lot better than the stuff I was trying to make.

Remedy Kombucha is naturally free from sugar and even has the official tick of approval from I Quit Sugar to prove it, too. Another tick.

It’s not that I was looking for a drink to replace soft drink or anything like that. I’ve always been pretty good when it comes to my diet and always manage to drink a couple of litres of water a day.

I was more excited about the fact that there was an option that was legitimately healthy and legitimately tasty that I could reach for when I wanted to mix it up a bit. I mean, water is great, but on its own and all the time it can get a bit….boring.

I like that I now have an option in lots of cafes when I am out and about running between work meetings.

Before I discovered Remedy Kombucha I could only handle one coffee meeting before having no choice but to opt for soda water at the next one. Now I feel like I can still order something 'fun' (like the Raspberry Lemonade or Cherry Plum flavour) minus the risk of too much coffee in my system.

I'm not a big drinker, and I'm probably not meant to say this, but sometimes I like to unwind on a Friday night with just one cheeky Remedy Apple Crisp with a dash of vodka. It's bloody delicious.

If you haven't tried it I suggest you get amongst Remedy Kombucha before you write it off as another hippy trend.

My husband still swears I'm feeding him soft drink because he says it tastes too good (his favourite flavour is the Ginger Lemon, in case you were wondering).

This content was created with thanks to our brand partner, Remedy Kombucha.

Have you tried Remedy Kombucha? What's your favourite favour?