Kombucha is a funky fermented beverage, or drink, that has become very popular in recent years.
A Kombucha trainee learns how to make the drink at home in what ingredients to use, and how to do it in the traditional way as opposed to a store-bought package. This is a great way to learn how to make it if you have not done so before at home!
The process can be complicated, making it difficult to know exactly what you are drinking. Luckily, there are now more than one way to make Kombucha. Many use frozen sweetened milk as an ingredient source instead of fresh, but both are acceptable!
This article will talk about what ingredients are best for making kombucha and bullet point away what changes change when brewing your own elixer.
Contents:
Sour
Kombucha is pretty sour upfront. When poured into a glass, the first thing you’ll see is a bright, vivid orange liquid. As the drink sits, the liquid will change color slightly-this is normal!
Once tasted, you’ll notice a tangy, rotten egg smell. This is intentional! The SCOBY in the brew works as a natural acidity to help fight against flavor loss.
When pouring a large batch of kombucha, be careful not to let the SCOBY run down into the bottom of your vessel. This would break apart the brew and make it sour or flat. Instead, use a sterilized spatula to transfer your kombucha to a new container or vessel.
Bitter
When served at a party, the first thing many newbies taste is the bitter. Many don’t realize that when pouring kombucha into a pitcher, it looks and tastes like liquid soda!
Bitter is a natural part of kombucha brewing process. This is intentional as it adds flavor to the kombucha while creating an initial culture to mold with the drink.
Some people find it off-putting as it seems like something is licking the bottom of the glass while they drink it. However, if you are sensitive to such things, this may be an okay thing!
Another key feature of bitter is that it can create detoxes in your body. Since some people struggle with sugar and health concerns, adding other foods or drinks in place of sugar can help remove any unwanted factors.
Herbal
Kombucha is a strong tasting drink. Most people find it herbal, which is nice! You can have it without the added honey if you want to.
Many people enjoy the taste but are not sure how to make it. It is very hard to screw up kombucha so that people do not like it. Most recipes include some kind of sugar to help create fruity flavors.
Some recipes use add-ins such as vanilla or raspberry and there are even recipes that use real food foods such as fruit or vegetables. Despite these suggestions, most people find it delicious on its own!
As with most beverages, your kombucha will need to be stored in a proper condition before drinking.
Yeasty
Yeasty is an apt term to describe the taste of kombucha. In fact, it is very yeasty!
Mostly yeast, in the form of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and archaea. LAB promote growth of other microorganisms in your body, including beneficial bacteria.
By introducing LAB and other microorganisms into your body, they promote health and wellness. Yeast also helps create carbon dioxide, a natural gas that can lower blood pressure and help with sleep.
But don’t worry if you do not see any living creatures in your kombucha: no animals were used to maintain safety or sanitary standards! Instead, we use source water sources such as filtered water from our toilet bowl or drinking water that has been treated with a chemical to prevent corrosion.
These sources are important to consider as there are some that do not contain enough dissolved minerals for the yeast to survive and thrive.
Fruity
The flavor is very reminiscent of fruit. Most closely resembles apple, banana, and peach flavors. It is tangy, which is a good thing!
Kombucha is also creamy at times, which adds another layer of flavor to your drink. This can be a bad and positive thing.
Creamy kombucha can be sweet or bitter, which is another way to add texture to your drink. The least tangy kombuchas are probably dairy based and may have added sugar or no sugar at all.
The biggest health risk for anyone drinking commercialized kombucha is the exposure to antibiotics. Kombucha brewers use various old drugs that have been sitting in storage for years, so this isn’t a huge concern.
However, if you are sensitive to antibiotics, then you should not drink commercialized kombucha because of possible antibiotic exposure.
Minty
When compared to plain old old kombucha, If you haven’t had minty hococha yet, you would probably describe it as fresh and crisp. The term gimlet refers to the alcoholic content of this drink.
Minty hococha is a refreshingly cool drink that packs a caffeine hit. Because it is not brewed with sugar or milk, it cannot be copied in every recipe. However, this missing is not a problem because this style of brewing is so unique.
Many coffee drinkers praise the refreshingness of hooccha but people who dislike coffee may not enjoy hococha. The slight kick from the alcohol makes it feel stronger than it actually is. This can be a positive or negative feature depending on your perspective.
The taste of hooccha varies by person, making it an interesting trait to share between people.
Tasting the tea base alone
Most people try kombucha for the flavor, not the taste! Most beers and sodas have a taste to them, even if it is not very tasty.
Instead of drinking coffee or tea with cream or sugar, you remove the sweetener so it is plain tea or water. This allows you to try it without adding any other ingredients such a sweeteners or flavors.
Some people love the flavoring ingredients like cartage or fruit extract but others find they are overbearing. If you do not like some of the ingredients then do not buy them!
Your friend can send you a few glasses of kefir to determine how much they drink, if they can’t drink enough to feel thirsty after having it, this helps determine how much they would need per day.
Health benefits of kombucha
Kombucha is a fun way to drink. If you’re not familiar with it, it is a tangy, sweetened tea that gives you health benefits.
Kombucha has raison fruit, which is another name for kombucha culture. The raison contains beneficial bacteria that promotes health and digestive function.
The sweetness of the tea comes from natural sugars found in the fruit. When drank, this brew provides relief from dry mouth and productiveness.