Kombucha with Me

Kombucha tea seems to be all the rage these days and is the new 'it' drink. I see it being sold in all the high end super markets now, and 'organic' cafes. Now, one of my closest friends raves about how much she like the tea, but what is it really? My own first personal experience was picking it up at the mushroom shop down at the ferry building. It's marketed as a drink made from mushrooms and my friend comments on how there's 'floaties' in the tea. Clearly some research was needed.

Unlike my friend, I'm not a fan of Kombucha. It has an odd tart taste to it, a strange combination of it tasting somewhat refreshing (I think partly due to the carbonation) but at the same time slightly fermented. People have said that it can taste a bit like apple cider, while others say it's like a light wine. As I had mentioned earlier, it's been marketed as a tea made of mushrooms, but this isn't actually true, it's brewed form a colony of bacteria and yeast. Brewers add sugar to the colony and steep it in black or green tea. The resultant 'tea' now has a combination of vinegar, B vitamins and other chemical compounds.

Because of these elements, some people believe that Kombucha tea is a 'fountain of youth elixir,' and has been used for thousands of years in places such as China. It's believed to have many restorative powers and can help with such things as: lowering cholesterol and blood pressure, losing weight, headaches and insomnia among many other things. However, there have been numerous studies done with conflicting results. Although, some do believe that Kombucha is this magical elixir, others believe that there is no real evidence of these healing qualities. Below are a couple of websites that speak to both sides of the Kombucha argument.

http://www.anahatabalance.com/teakombucha2.html

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/kombucha-tea/AN01658

http://www.nutrition4health.org/nohanews/NNW97KombuchaTea.htm

You can also brew Kombucha at home yourself. Just be sure to do your homework and read the vast material out there that guides you through the steps. Many of the sites that guide you through the home-brewing process also have your own bacteria colony which you can purchase online. One of the main points they seemed to make, were to be careful of contamination. If there is any hint of that, either through a strange odor or mold growing, be sure to throw the brew out and start over. Whatever you decide to do though, cheers to your health!