Fermented Elixir

Have you tried kombucha? It is a sour, slightly effervescent drink with supposed health benefits

- SMITA TRIPATHI

Flip through café menus in hipster neighbourhoods or browse through fancy grocery stores, and you are likely to find an abundance of kombucha flavours, making you wonder what this distinctly tart, bubbly beverage is all about. While kombucha is relatively new to India, having been introduced only a few years ago, this sour, slightly effervescent drink, which is a fermented beverage made from tea and sugar, dates back to 220 BC! While the precise origin of kombucha is slightly hazy, the first recipes are believed to have originated during the early Qin Dynasty in China. A couple of centuries later, a Korean doctor reportedly brought the method for kombucha production across the sea to Japan, where he served on the court of Ingyo, Japan's 19th emperor, and lauded the virtues of the drink.

“The story goes that the Japanese emperor was cured of various illnesses by drinking this magical tea. The Korean doctor’s name was Kombu, and so it was called Kombucha (Kombu’s tea),” says 45-year-old Aman Bhatia, Co-founder of Natural Superfoods LLB, which produces the brand Raw Kombucha. Bhatia and his friend Alankar Sharma (both software engineers) set up the company in 2019 when, on returning to India from the US, Bhatia realised there was a market for the product that is considered to have several health benefits. Of course, the Covid-19 pandemic put a stop to their plans. “We properly started marketing only in 2022. Since then, we have seen tremendous growth,” says Bhatia, who sells 20,000 units a month and hopes to increase it to 50,000 units monthly this financial year.