You’ve heard its name whispered in the health food shop, or perhaps seen it recommended in a lifestyle magazine. Maybe you’ve even seen it referenced as a ‘Dry January’ or ‘Stop-tober’ initiative. You know you drink it, it seems like it’s good for you but just….what exactly is kombucha?
Three small steps
Tea, sugar and water - three simple ingredients for a highly complex drink. All kombucha starts with those three ingredients, though of course, it’s up to the brewer to decide on the quality of the ingredients. At KTea, we only use the highest grade, ethically sourced tea leaves, raw cane sugar and crystal clear filtered water. For us, compromising on quality just isn’t an option.
There’s one more component though, and it’s where the magic happens….introducing….
The SCOBY.
No - not the mystery-busting hound. A scoby is a ‘symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast’. Sound gross? It’s not - it’s a living organism similar to the ones that ferment your cider, sour your sourdough and culture your cheese. We’re all full of bacteria, and the scoby is just a healthy colony working together to munch up the sugar and caffeine in the sweet tea mix to create the unique tasting, probiotic benefit kombucha offers. The scoby sits in with the mix to do its magic, then is taken out once the ferment has reached its perfect point - ready to work its magic on the next batch.
Cool fact: SCOBY's can live to be many years old - much like a sourdough starter.
Probiotics - I’ve heard of those
You might have heard adverts on tv talk about ‘good’ gut bacteria, but the shocking fact is we’re only around 10% human. The rest of us is made up of bacteria - about ten bacteria to one human cell. The good guys (often referred to as ‘friendly’ bacteria, cute!) need regular feeding with the right foods to be able to carry on their job of evicting the bad bacteria - read: fresh fruit and veg, and live foods, like yoghurt. An imbalance, and you may find yourself feeling bloated, lethargic and full of brain fuzz. Bad bacteria simply love sugary, processed foods.
Kombucha is known to be probiotic - ‘pro’ meaning positive, in favour of and ‘biotic’ - living -it helps the good guys. In turn, this can support the immune system, digestion, and even mood. (It’s not just the flavour that leaves you with a smile on your face).
Sounds a bit too healthy to taste good?
The best bit about kombucha is that you don’t need to force it down with a pinched nose. KTea comes in four unique flavours, made using select botanicals for a taste to suit every drinker. It’s lightly sparkling, can be enjoyed any time of day, and is all the more delicious for knowing that you’re doing yourself some good with each sip.
