Gaining Popularity
It took a little longer but the Philippines is slowly catching onto the world kombucha craze with an anticipated market size worth a whopping 7 Billion USD by 2027 worldwide. With this steady, and most welcomed increase, you'll slowly see more brands being available at restaurants and local health stores. But how do you know, what you are buying is actually the "real deal"?
Paralysis analysis
Most Filipinos stumble across kombucha on their search for healthier lifestyle choices, through friends referrals or on their travels abroad to the USA, Australia and Europe. It is the craving for a low-sugar alternative to soda, it's unique refreshing taste and probiotic health benefits, that has seen a spike in demand beyond Manila and other big cities in the Philippines.
With that demand, more and more brands are popping up at local markets and larger specialized food stores, making the choice bigger and bigger. With more availability, it means more choices so what do you need to look out for to ensure you are buying real, authentic kombucha rather than... processed?
BUY LOCAL
The easiest advice we can possibly provide, is to buy local. This is not fool proof by any means, as there appears to be a challenge knowing how exactly kombucha brewers flavor their brews, nonetheless it is a step in the right direction. Let me explain quickly how kombucha is made, but if you like a more detailed description behind the ancient art of brewing kombucha dating back to 221 BC, you can read here.
Kombucha is considered "alive". In short, we add a mix of sweet fermented tea to a SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria and Yeast). Within the fermentation period, which can take up to 30 days, the active beneficial bacteria and healthy yeasts go on a mission to convert the sugars (their food source) into healthy acetic acids and probiotics. The end results of fermentation is also CO2 that gives kombucha natural effervescence.
The big challenge
Now, remember we mentioned that kombucha is "alive", which is absolutely amazing because, as a fermented food source, it's what makes kombucha so healthy and beneficial to promote a healthy gut. However, this also poses a great challenge...
Kombucha bombs are real guys!
Because kombucha is "alive", it will continue fermenting if the conditions are right (eg. adequate food source in the form of sugar or alcohol, temperature and oxygen). The issue is, that as it continues to ferment , the flavor profile will persist to change too(it turns sour as more acetic acid is produces until it resembles vinegar). To make it worse, when left unrefrigerated, CO2 build up to dangerous levels that it can cause explosions! Kombucha bombs are real guys!
Ultimately, you cannot completely stop fermentation, that is, if you brew naturally. You can only slow it down. The way we slow it down is by instant refrigeration at the right time.
It will still continue to develop a flavor profile as time goes on, but it is more controlled and predictable hence we recommend to consume Happy Brew Kombucha within 2 months of buying, to ensure optimum taste. This is just a recommended guideline for 100% happiness as in reality, the healthy probiotic environment of kombucha prevents kombucha from spoiling. It will just be tart. A lot more tart!
DON'T BUY FOREIGN BRANDS
Normally, I do not like telling you what to do, but in regards of ensuring you get "real" kombucha, I feel that I have to. Do not buy foreign brands if you really want to gain all the benefits that this "Elixir of Life" brings.
But I will justify this bold statement above... Remember, raw kombucha is "Alive". It will continue to ferment if the conditions are favorable and it is IMPOSSIBLE to send kombucha across the world and arrive in-tact.
Kombucha brands are not legally obliged to specify on their labels if it is natural or processed
It takes weeks for a shipment to arrive from Australia, even longer if it is from the United States meaning that, when it does, and if kombucha was natural, it would have either exploded or taste like vinegar. It is near impossible to ensure that the kombucha is chilled all the way, so how do the big brands of kombucha available in the Philippines do it, you may ask?!?
PASTEURIZATION = REMOVAL OF BENEFITS
To completely stop the fermentation process, the only way to achieve that, is to pasteurize the kombucha either with heat or radiation. Pasteurization itself is not bad. Think about milk or wine for example, pasteurization removes all (harmful) bacteria but the problem with this is, it is not selective. It removes both the GOOD and the BAD bacteria, meaning with kombucha, it removes pretty much all the natural health benefits we love kombucha for.
To make it worse, kombucha brands are not legally obliged to specify this on their labels so it is hard to differentiate "raw kombucha" and the pasteurized kind. On top of that, some brands pasteurize their kombucha but add probiotics afterwards, much like you'd find in man-made medicines taking away all the natural benefits entirely.
SO HOW DO I KNOW WHICH IS REAL KOMBUCHA AND WHICH IS PASTEURIZED?
However, in the Philippines it is easy and now it hopefully makes sense. Armed with your knowledge how kombucha behaves during fermentation (over time it becomes more acidic and possible explosions caused by build up of CO2) you can ask yourself the following to get the answer:
Did it travel from overseas? Pasteurized
Is it available out on the shelves? Pasteurized
Big global brand? Pasteurized
Local? Raw and 100% kombucha
Next time, take a moment when you visit a certain franchises that specializes in natural foods and take the time to study the brands and labels. Let us know in the comments, you'd be in for a surprise!