Where's the KOMBUCHA!?

Fermenting Kombucha.

Mmm I am so very in love with GT Dave's Kombucha. What is Kombucha you ask? It's raw and alive and delicious! A fermented tea that always hits the spot for me: it's refreshing with a strong taste, and as you are drinking in you instantly feel a bit more healthy.

Wikipedia says...
Kombucha is a fermented tea that is often drunk for medicinal purposes. There is limited scientific information supporting any health benefit and few studies are being conducted. Kombucha is available commercially and can be made at home by fermenting tea using a visible, solid mass of yeast and bacteria which forms the kombucha culture which is often referred to as the "mushroom" or the "mother".

Kombucha contains multiple species of yeast and bacteria, as well as the organic acids, active enzymes, amino acids, and polyphenols produced by those microbes.

For the home brewer, there is no way to know the quantities of each of the components unless a sample is sent to a laboratory. Finished kombucha may contain some of the following components, depending on the source and diversity of the culture:

• Acetic acid, which is mildly antibacterial
• Butyric acid
• Gluconic acid
• Lactic acid
• Malic acid
• Oxalic acid
• Usnic acid
• B-vitamins^[7]
• Ethyl alcohol

Ethyl alcohol is drinking alcohol, but normally kombucha contains less than 0.5% alcohol. This classifies kombucha as a non-alcoholic beverage. ^[8]. Older, more acidic Kombucha is more alcoholic, and might contain 1.0 or 1.5% alcohol depending on more anaerobic brewing time and higher proportions of sugar and yeast.

Recently Whole Foods worked with their kombucha suppliers to coordinate a voluntary removal of all kombucha drinks they sell. The motivation was a concern around slightly elevated alcohol levels in kombucha drinks. Damnit! I have gone to every health food store around, and alas - no kombucha to be found, anywhere. I'm going to scour the internet later and see if I can find anyone selling their stash!

GT mixes his amazing Kombucha with a splash of real juice, creating a whole variety of flavors, but Grape is my favorite!