What The Heck Is Kombucha?

Hello again, lovelies! Hope you're staying safe and warm in this insane weather we're having across the U.S.

I wanted to confess share a love I've had for the past year or so. Kombucha. Just writing it has my taste buds jumping. For those of you who are in the know, you understand. The rest of you may thank me after this. I only say may because I know everything is not for everyone. Let's get on with it.

Kombucha is a raw, fermented tea that is naturally carbonated and loaded with probiotics (good for the gut) and B vitamins, liver detoxifying properties, antioxidants (destroys cancer causing free radicals), energy boosting properties, blood pressure reducing properties, metabolism revving properties, and more. Go here for more info. It's believed to have originated in a China, but sometimes Germany gets props also. Either way...thanks! I was hooked on first taste. This is where it may get tricky for some. It does have a kind of tangy, almost diluted vinegar-y taste, but in a good way.

  

 

GT's Kombucha Tea, 16 oz bottle $3.99-$4.99, depending on store

Which brings me to how it's made. Basically, you ferment the tea (black, green, any kind) with sugar and yeast. No worries though, the sugar is used to feed the yeast and the end product has only trace amounts of sugar in it. The yeast is provided by way of a SCOBY, which stands for Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast. The mixture ferments from 7-31 days or so, which causes a small amount of alcohol production, usually between .5 and 3% depending on length of fermentation...so parents please take note. It costs about $4-5 for a 16 oz bottle, which prompted me to ask myself how hard can this be to make on my own? I did some research...not hard at all. It just requires some patience during the fermentation time. So I went and purchased my own SCOBY and will be making my first batch. I'll let you know how it goes!

In the end, Kombucha is not a cure-all, but it does give your body what it needs to help heal itself. I say try it. You may like it or leave it. Either way, now you know about it!


Love & Happiness,


Nikki