I have been brewing my own kombucha for nearly ten years, and I love it. To my mind it is the easiest and cheapest way to make your own probiotics at home, and when flavoured with fruit and left to carbonate it actually tastes really delicious! My favourite is fizzy apple kombucha, which we call ‘apple cider’ as it tastes similar (and, if left to ferment for long enough, will give you a similar buzz!). It is a really easy fermented food to incorporate into daily life – here in the alyce alexandra office we have our daily 3pm kombucha ritual, right when you need a little pick-me-up and the sugar cravings are setting in.
So, what exactly is kombucha? Kombucha is a fermented probiotic drink that is made from tea, sugar, a ‘SCOBY’ (a symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast), and a starter liquid (some premade kombucha liquid). During the fermentation process, the good bacteria from the scoby eats the sugar in the tea, and what results is a fizzy, slightly sour fermented drink that is actually very low in sugar and in calories, and is extremely good for you (even if you’re quitting sugar)! It is generally made with black or green tea and can be flavoured with fruit juices, spices and herbs.
Why drink it? Kombucha has been consumed for thousands of years for its medicinal properties, but it has received a lot of attention in the last few years for the role it plays in digestion and gut health, which are considered integral to overall health and wellbeing. This is because the gut determines which nutrients are absorbed by the body and which toxins, allergens and microbes are kept out. Plus, your entire immune system is protected by the gut, and you have more neurotransmitters in the gut than in your brain. So naturally, this is a very important area of our bodies that we want to keep as healthy as possible. Kombucha is a probiotic that will provide your gut with the live bacteria and yeasts that are needed to keep your gut balanced and healthy.
Kombucha brewing is easy once you get going, but can be a little daunting when starting out. That’s why I believe the best way to learn is to attend a class, having the process demystified and all your questions answered at one time. Pre-covid I taught classes in person, but now we’ve recorded the exact same class for online use - my complete online kombucha course! It’s absolutely the easiest way for you to get started anytime, 24/7. 29 videos, downloadable PDFs, quizzes, support and more. I promise I’ll get you feeling confident, and you’ll have me in your kitchen for a lifetime! And you can get started right now 😄.
Need the physical supplies? Purchase our Kombucha Starter Kit for delivery anywhere in Australia or New Zealand.
