This Issue: Kombucha

KOMBUCHA IS A FIZZY BREWED TEA THAT IS MADE WITH A GROSS-LOOKING bacterial culture. Put another way, in a more flattering light, we might describe it as a light, sparkling beverage, served chilled, and created from a very simple infusion of tea with sugar and metabolized by a kombucha culture. That kombucha culture is affectionately known as SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast), a questionablelooking, large, jelly-like mass.

- Meghan Telpner

THE BOOST

Kombucha is delicious, and a great replacement for soda. The tea becomes a fermented digestive and liver tonic when the SCOBY digests the sugar and caffeine, creating a mass concentration of active enzymes, minerals and vitamins C, B1, B2, B3, B6, B12 and B15. You will often find it in a variety of flavours like ginger, hibiscus or berry. The slightly sour, somewhat sweet flavour and the added fizz, similar to the small bubbles found in a champagne, make it a popular alternative to alcohol as a sipping beverage.

Another benefit of kombucha is that, though it is increasingly widely available, you can also make it at home. All you need is a SCOBY culture (which you can now purchase through various vendors on Etsy or Amazon), plus black or Earl Grey tea and organic sugar. It’s that easy. You can also flavour it to your desired taste. For suggestions, check out the flavouring guide at the Academy of Culinary Nutrition.

THE PLAN