When you hear the word kombucha, your mouth might pucker up at the thought of a drink low on flavor but heavy on vinegar. And while that might have been true back when the the drink first appeared on the refrigerated shelves of natural food stores, today that’s聽not the case. We reached out to our friends at聽Brew Dr. Kombucha聽to answer all of our聽questions on the increasingly-popular drink and聽to explain why you need to give it another sip.
What Is It Again, Exactly?
For the uninitiated, kombucha is fermented tea, and studies have shown that fermented foods can encourage gut bacteria diversity, aiding in digestion. Kombucha brewers and their products vary widely in terms of processing, flavors, and calorie content, so it’s important to do your research and test a few to find which one you like聽most.
, for instance, originated in the company鈥檚 popular teahouses and follows the traditional brewing process. The company produces individual batches of an organic, 100 percent raw kombucha with only botanicals鈥攔oots, herbs, and dried fruits鈥攁s additives. The resulting product hits the right balance on the spectrum, smack between sweet and sour.
Other brewing processes used in the industry take a plain green or black tea into a fermentation vessel and then add juice or flavoring post-fermentation. This can make for a聽more tart, juicy, vinegary flavor profile聽instead of the traditional kombucha experience.
How It鈥檚 Made
The kombucha brewing process starts with the making of a batch of sweetened tea. Once brewed, brewers place their tea into a fermentation vessel along with a kombucha culture for approximately four weeks.
One by-product of fermentation is alcohol, sometimes as high as 3 percent, but producers are required by law to bring that level down below 0.5 percent.
Brew Dr. Kombucha sets itself apart by using a non-heat distillation process to remove alcohol so that the beneficial live and active cultures remain just that. Of course, it鈥檇 be a shame to just throw out that alcohol, which is why Brew Dr.鈥檚 in-house distillery, , uses it to make its own unique spirits.
Here to Stay
As consumers evolve along with kombucha, many bars are now offering the drink on tap as an alternative to beer. It鈥檚 a drink option that鈥檚聽here to stay, as kombucha鈥檚 rapidly rising popularity reflects an overall trend toward health, wellness, and an active lifestyle. If you鈥檙e ready to try the next generation of kombucha, you鈥檒l find bottles鈥攁nd, in Brew Dr.鈥檚 case, cans鈥攐n shelves at a wide variety of national and local grocers.
聽is brewed and bottled in Portland, OR. Their聽authentic, 100% raw kombucha hosts naturally occurring live and active cultures聽in every bottle, and is crafted with the same high-quality and botanicals they聽serve at their teahouses. New this summer, you can get聽聽in aluminum cans at Whole Foods,聽making it more聽portable and deliciously refreshing than ever before.