I love tea.
Mostly, I drink green tea. Strong. No sugar, please. I’m also quite fond of milk teas, but less on the milky side and definitely no sugar- I’m more about that strong tea flavour. And then of course, there’s bubble tea. Actually, I’m too fond of bubble tea, but I always manage to convince myself it’s a reasonable indulgence because I always ask for no sugar, and even though it’s expensive, hey, I’ve got to treat myself from time to time.
And then, there’s fermented tea. Who knew this even existed? I didn’t, until I walked into Sunterra Market in Downtown Calgary and headed straight towards the drinks section, seeking something, anything, to satisfy my thirst. It was there that I saw it- Kombucha.
I was drawn in immediately by the interesting-looking bottle and the word ‘tea,’ and after pondering excessively as to what I should buy (as usual), I decided to go for the Blueberry Rooibos Kombucha because why not.
Being the idiot I am, I only realized how expensive the kombucha was after I went to pay for it… but I had already committed myself to trying the tea, and there was no turning back.
So I tried this new tea, and to be honest my first impression was something along the lines of ‘did I seriously just pay $5.50 for this?!’ The flavour was interesting, don’t get me wrong, but a fizzy blueberry drink didn’t seem like something worth the price- if I was going to pay that much, I might as well have indulged in bubble tea. But as I continued to drink it, it actually grew on me, despite several others asking me with concerned tones what I was drinking (I only realized later that the bottle looked like cough medicine- I can only imagine what others were thinking).
So this new drink came to be something I found fascinating, and I got curious about it… so let’s learn about this new drink!
What is Kombucha?
Kombucha is essentially a sweetened green or black tea that has been fermented using a SCOBY (symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast), which allows it to accumulate lots and lots of healthy probiotics. The drink likely originates from what is now Manchuria, where it has been consumed for at least 2000 years. It is often consumed as a health drink, and though many claim it has helped in their various ailments, there is unclear evidence as to what exactly the drink provides in terms of health benefits. That being said, probiotics are known to support the immune system and fight infection, and kombucha is a healthy source of these.
Making Kombucha
Commercial kombucha is super expensive, and if it’s something you want to drink often, splurging $4-6 for every bottle may not be the best use of your money (AHAHA). Instead, a fraction of the cost can be put towards purchasing tea, sugar, and a SCOBY disk, and as long as you have the patience to wait a couple days for fermentation to occur, you can enjoy your own kombucha right in the comfort of your home!
(Thanks Dr. Axe for the recipe!)
If you don’t feel like reading through the recipe (or want to see how lovely a SCOBY disk looks), you can also check out this video below! (Thanks Munchies!)
Something to note- It has to be clear that in dealing with fermentations, one has to be mindful about the bacteria; that is, that you shouldn’t consume the product until it is fully fermented, as consumption in the middle of fermentation could possibly be unsafe. That being said, as long as you make sure to properly follow the steps, you’ll be rewarded with a good batch of probiotic-rich kombucha! I haven’t yet tried this (I don’t exactly have a SCOBY disk), but I intend to and will update if it goes well. 🙂