Kombucha

 

Recently I’ve stumbled upon a unique and pungent drink known as kombucha. I absolutely hated this drink when I first tried it, it carried a strong earthy aftertaste that burned as it went down. To my despair, my mom had bought a large crate of kombucha at Costco, and we weren’t planning on throwing it out. However, after weeks of force-feeding (drinking?), my tastes buds evolved; what was once a taste that reminisced of odorous urinals now carried hints of tartness and manifested fruity flavors. I had become a kombucha lover.

In order to really understand why kombucha is so good for your body, we first have to understand what kombucha is. Kombucha is a fermented tea drink that is believed to be originated from China or Japan. Yeast, sugar, tea, and strains of bacteria are placed inside a large container and fermented for weeks. In case you’re worried, these bacterias are nonpathogenic and will not cause any sort of bodily harm. The fermentation process that makes kombucha is similar to the process that turns grape juice into vinegar: acetic acid is created in a nonaerobic environment and greatly drops the pH of the drink (making it sterile to harmful bacteria). This also makes kombucha is a naturally carbonated drink-- the bacteria convert the sugar into acetic acid and carbon dioxide is released as a by-product. Moreover, scientists are finding that kombucha may reduce heart diseases, cancer, and diabetes.

I’m sure my riveting review on kombucha has made you desire a fresh kombucha to quench your thirst. If you’re looking to try some, here are my opinions on the following kombucha brands.

Kevita: 10/10. Kevita kombuchas are amazing, they carry the familiar tartness of kombucha and don't carry any nasty aftertaste. This is the kombucha that made me the addict I am today.

Humm: 5/10. I really appreciate the humm branding, because the companies name is my exact reaction to drinking it: “humm, this is pretty bad.” Honestly, this kombucha isn’t that horrible. It has nice hints of fruitness, however, there is a weird after taste that I really dislike.

Brew Dr. Kombucha: 2/10. Brew Dr. Kombucha is utterly horrible. This drink gives the entire kombucha community a bad rep. It’s acidic, sour, and burns. I would not recommend this to anyone.