Babushka's kefir review
Here we will give a hands-on, taste-tested review of Babushka's kefir. We’ll look into the benefits, ingredients, nutrition and flavour of this kefir.
For this review we have tested the original, unflavoured version.
You can find this Kefir in Woolworths supermarkets and some health food stores in Australia.
What is kefir?
Kefir is a fermented dairy drink which is made by adding kefir grains - full of different strains of bacteria - to milk. (There’s also non-dairy kefir, but we won’t get into that here.)
The result is a tangy dairy drink which is similar to yoghurt but more runny. It also has a lot more bacterial diversity than yoghurt does which makes it better for our gut.
Because of this diversity and increased microbial activity, kefir can sometimes taste a bit more ‘funky’ than yoghurt.
Kefir is a refreshing drink on its own or you can add it to cereal, smoothies or dressings to increase your probiotic intake.
And because of the strong fermentation of the milk sugars, it is better for people with some degree of lactose intolerance.
Read more about the benefits of kefir and how it differs to yoghurt.
Ingredients of Babushka’s kefir
This kefir has a few more ingredients than you might be expecting (especially compared to competitors on the market like Table of Plenty).
The first thing to note is that this kefir isn’t made from fresh milk - it is made from milk and cream powders. This makes it lack a sense of authenticity in my opinion.
It also includes whey protein - presumably to increase the protein content because they use milk powders.
In contrast to other kefirs, it also includes inulin, citrus fibre and pectin which bring health benefits (more on this below).
The specific ingredients are: Water, Organic Whole Milk Powder, Whey Protein, Inulin (Prebiotic Fibre), Cream Powder Extract, Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid), Citri-Fi (Citrus Fibre), Pectin and Live Cultures.
Despite the use of milk powders, it doesn’t contain any nasty or questionable ingredients and is certified organic.
Benefits of Babushka’s kefir
This drink comes with the usual health benefits of kefir, but also from the added fibre.
Probiotics
The main benefit of this kefir is the probiotics (ie live healthy bacteria) it contains. However, there is no mention of the number of different bacterial strains present.
In terms of the amount of bacteria present, there’s 10 billion colony forming units per 100g. However, this is far below the 37 billion in Table of Plenty.
Learn more about the benefits of probiotics.
Postbiotics
Postbiotics are essentially things probiotics produce during fermentation. These include healthy short-chain fatty acids which nourish our gut lining and may help reduce symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.
Fibre
This kefir has three types of fibre added to it: inulin, pectin and citrus fibre.
Inulin and pectin are prebiotic fibres which means they feed the good bacteria in your gut and help them multiply to create a healthy microbiome.
Read more about the benefits of prebiotics.
Vitamins and minerals
This kefir is also a good source of:
calcium (which helps digestion)
protein - it is 3% protein
magnesium
phosphorus
vitamins B2 and B12 (which support immunity)
vitamin C (which is an added ingredient in this kefir)
Appearance
This kefir appears like a thick milk.
It is also ‘bit-y’ - and by this I mean little bits of the kefir stick to the side of the glass after you drink it. Perhaps because it is made from milk powders.
Texture
It has the classic lumpy milk texture of kefir with the slight powderiness mentioned above.
Flavour
The aroma is really just like milk.
To me it has the taste of powdered milk with a bit of citrus coming though also. And for kefir it has a low to moderate sourness.
Overall, the taste is a weak point and doesn’t taste quite like a fresh-milk, authentic kefir does.
Use
This kefir would work well in smoothies where the underwhelming taste would disappear with the other ingredients.
Cost of Babushka’s kefir
I bought a 750ml bottle from Woolworths for $6.
Summary
3 stars out of 5.
A kefir made from milk powders - and the taste reflects this. The added fibres do give extra health benefits though.
Pros
organic
added prebiotic fibres
good source of vitamins and minerals
cheaper than others
Cons
made from milk powders
taste is underwhelming
no information on the amount of bacterial strains present
low actual amount of probiotics (ie colony forming units) compared to other brands
Your reviewer
This article was reviewed by Travis, the founder of this website, long-time gut enthusiast and passionate kombucha maker!
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