Is Kombucha a Good Alternative for Coffee, Wine, Snacks, or Naps? I Tried It to Find Out. — Kombucha

Perhaps you all have already tried kombucha. Well, I hadn't until recently. This fizzy drink, made by fermenting tea with a special mixture of bacteria and yeast, is a favorite in the health set, with some people believing it can do anything from prevent hair loss to cure cancer.

While there's little science to back up those claims, it's certainly better for you than a lot of other things we eat or drink. And as one person explained to me, "You don't eat a carrot because you see an immediate health benefit, you eat it because you just know it's good for you." Got it.

So, on assignment, I agreed to try it to see where kombucha could fit in to my life. I called the folks at Health-Ade and they generously agreed to send over a case of their product. They make small-batch kombucha the old-fashioned way out in California, and flavor it with cold-pressed, organic juices.

Right away they dispelled my first fear: that it would taste terrible. Kombucha is, in fact, delicious. Theirs is, anyway — every flavor I tried, from beets to berries and greens to ginger, got a thumbs up from me. I'm Health-Ade's new biggest fan.

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