What is Kombucha?

Health trends are often hard to keep up with, yet kombucha is especially confusing as it is not as straightforward as other popular health trends. Kombucha is everywhere nowadays⁠—the health drink is popping up at grocery stores, cafés, and restaurants. Contrary to popular belief, the drink isn’t new, but has been around for over 2000 years dating back to ancient China and is simply a fermented drink made from a SCOBY (symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast) and tea. The bacteria and yeast mixed with the tea creates a rapid fermentation process and results in a vinegary drink with a tart and tangy flavor that is loved by some and unsavory to others.

Lovers of kombucha praise its various health benefits from reducing inflammation to improving digestion. The tea-based drink is popular amongst people who are more and more conscious of consuming probiotics in order to maintain intestinal health. Other popular foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, yogurt, and kefir are rich in probiotics and research reveals that the “good bacteria” found in our intestines can offer some great health benefits. Promoting gut-health, improving immunity, and vitamin B are some of the reasons kombucha’s popularity has grown over the last few years.

Skeptics of the drink say that there is not enough research yet to know if this trendy drink is worth all of the hype. While the origins of kombucha are ancient, the research behind the benefits of the drink are relatively new and most studies have been conducted on rodents. The drink is also an acquired taste for many as it is a sour, fruity and vinegary taste that comes in many flavors. From brand to brand and flavor to flavor the drink can differ quite a bit⁠—the amount of choice can make your ideal kombucha a challenge to find. The other warning is that the drink needs to be consumed as part of a healthy diet and not as a replacement. Denver-based dietician Maria Zamarripa says, “Consuming a diet rich in fiber from fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds is the most important factor in order to promote a healthy gut environment for these probiotics to flourish.”

Love it or leave it, kombucha is all the rage. The fun part is that the drink doesn’t have to become an expensive and trendy addiction like a morning Starbucks run. The drink can easily be made at home granted one can track down a SCOBY. Brewing kombucha at home is as easy as making tea, letting the tea and SCOBY ferment for a few days, then add some fruit juice or honey for taste. The ability to modify the drink is fun and a great way to improve digestion health.

Amy N. Pugsley