Is kombucha for me?

Do a quick search online on all the health benefits of kombucha and you'll soon be overwhelmed by what is available to you. From scientific jargon by industry experts who seem to know what they are talking about to those proclaiming that kombucha is the ultimate cure for every known ailment to mankind... And don't forget the naysayers who would argue everything about kombucha is fake news!

With all this information available to us so easily online, it can be quite hard who to believe but one thing we can all agree on, this ancient fermented tea carries a lot of popularity!

Authentic small-batch kombucha fermented in glass jars

My kombucha story

On a personal level, there is not a day that goes by that I don't drink kombucha. It has become part of my life long before we decided to share this "Elixir of Life" with the people in the Philippines. You see, I am not a health freak by any means. There are days I could eat so healthy that I feel myself turning into a rabbit, then other days I'd eat a whole packet of jellybeans without even realizing it... Like this exact moment!

However, as I am getting older (I literally celebrated my 34th birthday yesterday... Yes, I am so old! ) I do start paying attention trying to balance the good with the bad. Like, I don't eat Jollibee Fried Chicken 5 times a week anymore like I did when I was younger. Instead, I'd swap a few healthy meals here and there and that personally will "justify" me binge eating a day of fast-food delicacies. Balance is key.

A balanced diet is key to longevity

A healthier alternative to soda

The same goes for what I choose to drink. Even though I have my bad habits with what I eat, I have particularly become a lot stricter to what I drink. Weekends of drinking copious pints of Guinness followed by Jameson chasers (I am Irish after all) are gone. Classic sodas are a big no-no for me, simply because it might taste "good", it is riddled with enough sugar to last us a lifetime! Pure fruit juice, whether it is cold-pressed or worse, comes from concentrate appears healthier but with that too, you have to pay attention.

So what is left? Pure water? Well, I might be better off watching paint dry because let's be fair, it does get rather boring! And then my beautiful partner in crime, Gabriela came back from visiting her family in New Zealand. With her, she brought this mysterious Alien-look-a-like SCOBY and I thought she had gone nuts. However, I remember seeing her excitement as she started brewing her very first Kombucha from our small apartment in Mandaluyong and the rest is history.

SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria and Yeast))

Sip at first sight

My first sip of kombucha was definitely not loved at first sight/sip. You see, kombucha is slightly acidic, similar to drinking Apple Cider Vinegar and that acidity is not what we are used to. You see, the Filipino palate is geared towards sweet. From sodas to milk teas to our daily Starbucks coffee fix, we undeniably LOVE sweet drinks!

And kombucha isn't that, especially not at first. It is slightly tart, slightly carbonated, refreshingly sour... However, with every sip you take, every bottle you drink you can feel your taste and cravings change. This became more apparent when I started brewing myself.

Kombucha, a healthy alternative to soda

What is fermentation?

In short, when we brew kombucha, we start by making a sweet tea and add our SCOBY (Which is a Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria and Yeast). So yes, we initially do use sugar to start our ferments, however, it is solely used as "food" for the healthy bacteria and predominantly the yeast. You see, let me explain further...

In a nutshell, during fermentation, the bacteria and yeast (remember the SCOBY) break down the sugar harmoniously which takes on average 10 days for our small-batch brews. As it breaks down the sugar by feeding on it, the byproducts of this natural fermentation process are CO2 (hence the effervescence), low alcohol (Yes, kombucha contains trace amounts of alcohol, usually around 0.5% ABV) and most importantly... Healthy acetic acids (hence, you guessed it, the slight tartness associated with kombucha). So in short, the more sour and tart your kombucha is, the lower it is in sugar.

In a later post, I will discuss the health benefits associated with drinking kombucha but to wrap up this first post, I will stick with the naturally low sugars found in kombucha if brewed the authentic way. Another post on that later too!

Why I drink kombucha - A conclusion

Remember, for me and most of you too, life is all about balance. There are days I misbehave by eating junk food but I balance that out by drinking healthier alternatives to traditional sodas and alcohol. Daily, I aim to drink a minimum of 3 liters of water but I do crave something fizzy and refreshing. And kombucha fills in that void perfectly! Like with everything else in life, there is a wide variety of flavors available to satisfy every mood and occasion, combined with knowing it is one right step in the direction to creating healthier habits, I am perfectly happy with that!

Let us know in the comments below what you think about kombucha!