Hooked on Kombucha

In the past few weeks, I finally tried kombucha, which I have heard so many foodies raving about over the past couple of years. I will admit, I just joined the party now, but boy am I glad that I did.

Whole Foods and Fresh Market both have a healthy supply of kombuchas, and they have made their way into your everyday supermarket as well. So it's not so hard to find and not extremely expensive to purchase anymore. Just under $4.00 typically. Granted, it will cost you a little more than a soda, but you are paying for the benefits of this supposed health elixir.

What is kombucha? Kombucha is tea that has been magically transformed into what I like to call a fizzy biology soda. 

Basically you take tea, sugar and a SCOBY and let it ferment for 7-30 days. Then to get the fizz, you ferment it secondarily in jars with possible flavorings for another few days (optional). Ultimately you end up with a slightly vinegary drink in which good bacterias have grown. IMO, the ones with fruit juice and ginger are absolutely delicious and ADDICTING. The bacteria in the scoby feed off of the sugars in the tea and ferment the liquid  and produce a myriad of probiotics, enzymes, and acids that are supposedly very good for your health. Some people even believe that this stuff is a good for the primary prevention of cancer and common ailments! It has been in use for 1000's of years in Eastern countries , but has only recently gained popularity in Western culture, particularly the USA.

For those that don't know what a SCOBY is, I will be honest, it looks completely disgusting. Like a big disk shaped glob of snot growing in a jar. But let's look past this for a second. SCOBY stands for Symbiotic Cultures of Bacteria and Yeast. It is the mother or mushroom (not a real one) to the entire kombucha making process. Made of bacterias and yeast, the SCOBY feeds on the sugar in the tea and ferments it into the glorious end product. The crazy thing is...that a SCOBY will double itself in the primary fermentation process. So then, you'll have 2 babies that you can cradle and coo over and then covert them into more batches of kombucha later to enjoy and share with your family, friends, dentist and hair stylist!
Not so bad sounding now is it? 

I will admit that I have been on the Diet Coke kick for years. I know it's not good for me, but I really can't quit it. What I like about kombucha is that I still get that fizz that I am looking for that satiates my body when I drink a soda, but without getting all the negative health effects. I am well aware that aspartame is possibly linked to health defects in diet sodas. Yikes.


I ventured to Fresh Market first to try my first kombucha after getting inspired by this video from MUNCHIES (MY FAVORITE YOUTUBE CHANNEL EVER). Check out this video that got me curious about the 'buch!

GT's Kombucha is the one I started off trying and have been hooked over the past week or so. Once I love something, I get on a kick. SO in the past 7 days, I have tried 3 different Kombuchas. Strawberry Serenity was first, then Gingerberry (voted #1 by Thrillest.com) #thrillest. Check out the article here; https://www.thrillist.com/drink/nation/what-s-the-best-tasting-flavor-of-kombucha-at-whole-foods-every-flavor-of-whole-foods-kombucha-ranked . After Gingerberry, I went for the Hibiscus Ginger. I have to say, I am definitely digging the ginger added flavors. I am hooked and plan to implement kombucha into my diet frequently.


There are many supposed health benefits to kombucha, much due to the probiotic bacterias and acids that develop over the process and introduced through the SCOBY. Much like eating yogurt or taking a daily probiotic. They mainly aid in digestion and functionality of the gut!
Here are the probiotics from GT....and by few, I mean billions: Bacillus Coagulans (GBI-30 6086), S.Boulardii, as well as Polyphenols, Glucoric Acid, Lactic Acid and Acetic Acid.  All safe for the body I should say. There is a trace amount of alcohol just like with other fermented drinks, but only a minscule amount. Here is another link to some of the other bacteria and yeasts you may find in other 'buchas. http://www.culturesforhealth.com/learn/kombucha/kombucha-bacteria-yeast/


So what does Kombucha taste like?
If you like sour flavors, then kombucha will be your best friend. From the moment when I first took the cap off of the first bottle of Strawberry Serenity, it was an earthly and slightly vinegary flavor. It is supposed to smell like that, trust me. It can be a little intimidating at first if you are not used to it, but just dive on in and you'll soon realize that the flavor is much like a fruit soda. Of course, there are original non-fruity flavors as well which I hear are just as delightful. It is impossible to take just one sip. You and your kombucha will be holding hands from here on in. On the bottom of each bottle, you will see some sediment and a possible baby scoby forming. This is safe to drink and you can even start to make your own kombucha from it!

To learn more about the kombucha making process (believe me, it is a UNIQUE process), check out the site Cultures For Health. It's very educational and inspirational if you are interested in making your own kombucha at home.

http://www.culturesforhealth.com/learn/kombucha/how-to-make-kombucha/
http://www.culturesforhealth.com/learn/kombucha/kombucha-tea-frequently-asked-questions-faq/

Will I be rushing into making a batch of my own kombucha soon? Definitely sometime. For now, I will be trying some of the delicious store brands of Kombucha along with GT's fizzy wonderousness.




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