The (Not So) Basic guide to Kombucha
Kombucha has quickly grown to be a trendy health-forward beverage. This article is going to investigate kombucha, its complexities, and interview an entrepreneur who is diving head first into this fast-growing drink.
What is Kombucha?
It is a fermented beverage composed of several acidic products of fermentation. Just like an earlier article about sour beers, kombucha, is fermented into much more than just carbon dioxide and Ethanol. The first recorded use of kombucha is during the Tsin Dynasty in 221 BC. Kombucha has had several nicknames such as: The Tea of Immortality, stomach treasure, (胃寶) and mushroom tea. A name like “The Tea of Immortality” brings to the imagination an effervescent elixir that could be seen in the next Indiana Jones movie. Since no one from 221 BC has come forward to claim that they are still living, we will investigate kombucha more objectively. Before we get into the chemical components we must investigate the process of making kombucha.
https://www.kombuchakamp.com/what-is-kombucha/history-and-legends-of-kombucha
How is Kombucha made?
Kombucha’s primary ingredient is water that does not contain fluorine or chlorine. The other ingredients are: tea leaves, white sugar, white vinegar, and a “mother spore.” It is a similar process to brewing; obtain/make sugar solution, steep flavor components, heat to kill microbes, cool, pitch microbes, and let sit undisturbed and out of sunlight for days.
What is actually in kombucha? And is it good for you?
Glucuronic acid
We’ll start with a well-known detoxifier. Gluco =sugar. Uronic=urine. It makes sense that it would be found in urine. If it is a detoxifier we would want to excrete it paired with anything that would do us harm. Glucuronic acid is a component that can be synthesized or a component of anti-coagulants, connective tissues, bone, skin, and cell walls of bacteria. I find this component especially interesting because kombucha is said to help with arthritis. The link between drinking something that contains components of connective tissue and helping prevent joint (connective tissue) problems is convincing, after all, we are what we eat, right?
Acetic acid
It is found in vinegar – roughly 7% of vinegar is acetic acid. It is the primary component of the aroma and flavor vinegar has. The only noteworthy health contribution I can think of or find is the acidity it adds in helping digestion of food.
Oxalic acid
Can be found in many foods including chocolate, beer, and of course, kombucha. This is a tricky one to cover since it is one of the primary causes of kidney stones-calcium oxalate. In foods it is not likely an issue and drinking kombucha won’t likely give you kidney stones. Make sure to drink water.
Malic acid
Being part of the Kreb’s cycle it can give you energy. (If the microbes don’t get to it first) It may also help, in some cases, with pain reduction.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8587088
Butyric acid
It has a vomit-like aroma. Before you swear off kombucha because of this component, read this: It may help prevent or reduce colon cancer and may sever as an antimicrobial. Fortunately, it is often lower in concentration and the concentration is usually below the flavor threshold.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9820119
Gluconic acid
This acid, when acted on by microbes, turns into butyric acid. Unlike butyric acid, it does not smell and taste like vomit.
Usnic acid
It has some anti-microbial properties. The microbes it inhibits are more commonly found on skin than the gut. This means that there is not much, that I know of, that this acid does to help or hurt us.
Interview
I had the pleasure of meeting Rachelle Rahn at a Beer event called, “All Pints North” in Duluth, Minnesota. She was sampling and selling her kombucha at a booth near the event.
-How did you find out about kombucha?
“I found out about kombucha through a crush I had started dating. I had a bad cold and he told me I should be drinking kombucha to help speed up my recovery. Being the weird, nervous, human being that I am, I replied with an exaggerated, “Oh yeah, I’ve been drinking it a lot!!” My response was so exaggerated that I was too embarrassed to later tell him that I had no idea what he was talking about.”
-Do you have any newbie friendly recipes to share?
“If there’s anyone interested in brewing kombucha I will be offering a couple of “how to brew basics” workshops, dates to be announced. For those already brewing and maybe looking for some different flavor combos Watermelon Mint is one of my favorites. Just take about half a watermelon chopped up, a handful of mint, about 2 cups of kombucha, throw it all in a food processor or blender. Once it’s all mixed up, put that in with the rest of the batch (take the SCOBY out first!) and let it all sit in there and soak in the flavors overnight or for a couple of hours. Filter it, and enjoy!”
-What do you mean by “filter”? Can we use a cheesecloth or should we use a water filter?
“It can be filtered through a cheesecloth or a fine mesh strainer, or depending on personal preference all of the fruit can stay in there and no need for filtering.”
-When did you start your business around kombucha?
“I went from being pretty oblivious to kombucha to being infatuated with it pretty quickly. I love craft beer, specifically sour beers, so that tartness that catches you right below your ears in “booch” drew me right in. The more I started drinking it the more I wanted. After some extensive research I realized that I could do it myself. So I did. And then I started offering it to friends and family, and then they started offering it to friends and family, and now close two years later, here we are. My first official sale was May 19th of this year, so as a company we are very young. I’ve greatly enjoyed the entire process, from flavor mishaps and successes, to the overwhelmingly positive response from the community, it’s all been really wonderful.”
-What is some of the most common remarks given as feedback from “first time kombucha” drinkers?
“First time kombucha drinkers are usually taken aback by the vinegar smell. I’ve had some people that say there’s no way they’ll like it after just smelling it. But once they have a little sample they’re delightfully surprised that it doesn’t taste like pure vinegar. I tend to make my batches a little bit on the sweeter side, compared to the flavor profile you’ll find in most store bought kombuchas. The reason being that, for most people that’s how they want it and for those hard core booch drinkers they can just leave it in their fridge a little bit longer and let it continue to ferment to their liking. I always flavor every batch and that helps the tartness and the drinkability for some too.”
-are there any other uses for kombucha other than drinking?
“THERE ARE SO MANY USES FOR KOMBUCHA! We’re pretty big Vikre Distillery fans in my house, gin, whiskey whatever they’re making we usually have. So lately, I’ve been making a lot of shrubs from kombucha vinegar. Shrubs are just a sweetened fruit syrup preserved in vinegar, but mix them in with your favorite gin and you’ve got yourself a delightful cocktail. Kombucha can also be used to make sourdough, ketchup, salad dressing, salsa, all kinds of goodies. Some people use extra scobys (the scary looking alien thing, it’s really just a Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast) as dog treats, or fruit leathers. You can even use it to make lotions and creams. I came across some earrings that someone made from dehydrated scobys. The list really can go on for almost forever.”
Conclusion. Is Kombucha good for you?
You won’t live forever drinking the stuff. There isn’t enough literature on kombucha to confirm or deny it’s health benefits. It certainly isn’t bad for you. It won’t likely kill you. It does contain chemicals, when consumed in moderation, that have a positive effect on the body. Not all kombucha brews are the same so the acid content will vary. Overall, I’d give it a thumbs up. As long as you still drink water regularly consumption of kombucha will help you out.
Zymologist.com 