Table of Plenty kefir review
Here we will give a hands-on, taste-tested review of Table of Plenty kefir. We’ll look into the benefits, ingredients, nutrition and flavour of this kefir.
For this review we have tested the original version.
You can find this Kefir in Coles supermarkets in Australia.
About 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, yoghurt 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 Table of Plenty kefir
This is an authentic, simple kefir which only contains fresh milk and cultures.
The milk also comes from grass-fed Gippsland cows.
Full points so far!
Benefits of Table of Plenty kefir
This kefir comes with various health benefits.
Probiotics
The main benefit of this kefir is the probiotics (ie live healthy bacteria) it contains.
This kefir is fermented with an impressive 10 different strains of bacteria. This means there’s a lot of healthy diversity of bacteria which will benefit your gut. And this diversity is far superior compared to almost all commercial yoghurts and kombuchas.
The beneficial bacterial strains it includes are:
Streptococcus thermophilus
Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. Bulgaricus
Lactobacillus helveticus
Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris
Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis
Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis biovar diacetylactis
Leuconostoc
Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis
Lactococcus lactis subsp. Cremoris LAK
Lactobacillus acidophilus
In terms of the amount of bacteria present, there’s over 37 billion colony forming units per 100ml of this kefir.
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.
Vitamins and minerals
This kefir is also a good source of:
calcium (which helps digestion)
protein - it is 2.9% protein
magnesium
phosphorus
vitamins B2 and B12 (which support immunity)
Appearance
This kefir appears like a lumpy milk. It is quite lumpy, even by kefir standards.
The first time you pour it will be a bit challenging for you as it comes out of the bottle like a milk gone bad - sorry, but it’s true! The lumpy, uneven pour is evidenced by the splash up the glass in the image below.
Texture
Aside from the lumpiness, the texture is quite thick - again, even for a kefir.
Flavour
The flavour is great - and it comes across as very natural.
The aroma is like a clean, soured milk - with no funky notes.
The taste again is a very clean milkiness with a relatively subtle sourness. There’s a nice creaminess to it too.
Aside from the lumpy texture which will trouble you if you haven’t had kefir before, the taste is actually very approachable and moreish.
Use
This kefir is very versatile. So far I’ve put it on cereal, used in smoothies and had a glass on its own.
Cost of Table of Plenty kefir
I bought a 1l bottle from Coles for $8.90. This is certainly not cheap - but it is a premium product.
Summary
5 stars out of 5.
A delicious, natural kefir with great microbial diversity.
Pros
clean ingredients
very good microbial diversity
approachable, clean flavour
good source of vitamins and minerals
Cons
the lumpiness can be confronting
comes with a premium price tag
Your reviewer
This article was reviewed by Travis, the founder of this website, long-time gut enthusiast and passionate kombucha maker!
Related articles
