In general, most kombuchas start with a base of either green or black tea, usually organic. This fermentation process is not entirely dissimilar to the way wine is made (yeast eat sugar in grape juice and poop out carbon dioxide and alcohol), and as a result, kombucha bacteria produce a small amount of alcohol (usually between less than 0.5-2 percent ABV) as they eat the sugar, but also release glucuronic acid (believed to be a detoxifier), B vitamins, and more. The SCOBY, or kombucha culture, is composed of a collection of bacteria and yeast which eat the sugar in the brew and, in turn, produce a tart, effervescent beverage. Kombucha is commonly made from a base of sweetened green or black tea (hot water and sugar are combined, tea leaves are steeped, then that mixture is cooled, and a small amount of previously brewed kombucha is added in to balance acidity), to which the brewer adds a SCOBY (or Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria and Yeast) starter, a round blob that looks like a flattened jellyfish.
While kombucha-which is technically a fermented tea-has been consumed throughout the world in places like Russia and China for centuries, it's still a relatively new drink in the U.S. So, the added benefit of a wellness-promoting product made the kombucha taste that much sweeter. Taking a closer look at the bottle, I realized kombucha was some kind of health drink that apparently, according to marketing jargon on the label, helped the founder's mother beat cancer.
It certainly wasn't sweet (which I appreciated), and I sort of liked the fermented funky flavor. I wasn't entirely sure how I felt about the taste at first. Pow! Sour tang and prickly carbonation walloped me in the face as I swallowed the vinegary drink.
But going with Original for a first taste seemed like the right idea. Out of pure curiosity, I bought the bottle, noting a few other flavors on the refrigerated shelf, like Gingerade, Cranberry, and Citrus (now named Lemonade). So, I flipped over the vessel to find tea, sugar, water, and "100% pure love!!!" listed as ingredients. Looking for a not too sweet soda alternative at Whole Foods in Venice, California about seven years ago, I picked up a clear glass bottle with a white and blue label that read, " G.T.'s Kombucha." The flavor was described as "Original." What's kombucha? I wondered.
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