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They’re the trendy drinks taking over supermarket shelves – and now a selection of kefir has been put to the test to see which one is the best for taste and value for money.
The fermented milk beverage, similar to a thin yoghurt, that is rising in popularity thanks to its gut health benefits and drinking just 250ml supplies around 40 per cent of daily calcium needs.
‘While we should all keep an eye on sugar intake, the sugar in kefir is in the form of lactose, so it doesn’t have the same negative impact as added sugars and isn’t damaging to teeth,’ Which? nutritionist Shefalee Loth said.
And now taste testers sampled seven different variants to crown Tesco‘s Gut Sense Plain Kefir as the number one pick thanks to its tanginess and creamy texture.
M&S‘s Good Gut Organic Natural Kefir Drink however received the lowest rank as people thought it was too runny and lacked sweetness and creaminess.
The blind taste test, conducted by consumer watchdog Which?, assessed each kefir on the basis of cost, texture and tanginess to come up with the podium selection.
‘Kefir is a healthy source of calcium and protein that has been enjoyed for thousands of years,’ Jessica Carson, Which? Food and Health Editor explained.
‘But it has only recently found its way into mainstream supermarkets thanks to the increased popularity of fermented foods and wider understanding of their contribution to gut health.’
Kefir is a fermented milk, similar to a thin yoghurt, that is rising in popularity thanks to its gut health benefits and drinking just 250ml supplies around 40 per cent of daily calcium needs
‘Our blind taste test shows it’s worth giving the cheaper supermarket versions a go, as a budget supermarket bottle beat the big brands on taste and value in our test.’
Coming in at number one was the Tesco brand Gut Sense Kefir Drink, which costs £2.90 for 750ml.
Testers said the drink looked and smelled appealing and that the tanginess and creaminess were ‘just right’.
It scored an impressive 73 per cent and is the joint-cheapest kefir drink sampled in the test.
Next, Yeo Valley Organic Natural Kefir (£2.50) was pipped at the post with a score of 71 per cent, with participants rating its ‘creamy texture and enjoyable mouthfeel’.
Coming close behind with a 70 per cent score was the Activia Kefir Natural Gut Health Yoghurt Drink, one of the pricier products in the test, at £1.60 for 280ml.
Those surveyed said its ‘strength of flavour and tangy taste hit the spot’ and while they enjoyed the sweetness, they thought it could have a little more.
Taking the middle position at number four was Sainsbury’s Kefir Plain Drinking Yogurt, which also earned 70 per cent.
At £19.95 for 500ml, the yoghurt drink matched Tesco’s for joint-cheapest on the test.
It impressed tasters with its ‘spot on’ consistency and its creaminess and tanginess, but lost points as many thought it could be sweeter.
Next with 68 per cent was the Bio & Me Kefir Drink Natural which is £2.60 for 500ml and ranked highly for its appearance and mouthfeel.
However, testers did not rate its aroma and it scored low for sweetness.
Biotiful Gut Health Kefir Milk Drink Original (£2.60 for 500ml) meanwhile was given a 66 per cent ranking by surveyees.
While people liked the overall flavour, the drink lost marks for a lack of sweetness and its mouthfeel.
Coming last by a clear margin was M&S’s Good Gut Organic Natural Kefir Drink with a low 51 per cent.
Taste testers were less than impressed with its ‘overly runny’ consistency and said it wasn’t creamy or sweet enough.
Nearly half said it was too tangy, and most found it ‘overwhelmingly strong’, with few enjoying the overall flavour.
The drinks were blind tasted by a panel of 68 people who broadly represent the demographic profile of adults in the UK.
Without knowing the brand or speaking to fellow testers, they ranked each drink’s flavour, aroma, appearance and mouthfeel.
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