Obsession of the moment: Kombucha

I had a little photo shoot with my Synergy bottle while in Stat class today.  ( Yes that is a cookie in the side of the photo.  We were using them as an example of calculating IQR.)

I am always trying new things as far as food and drinks go.  I kept coming across Kombucha and just didn't have the guts to try it.

While at Whole Foods today, I decided it was at least worth a try.  I got the Synergy brand Enlightened Kombucha in 'Trilogy," the flavor is described as "threes company with tangy raspberries, tart lemons and spicy ginger"

For those who are not familiar with Kombucha:

Kombucha is an effervescent tea-based beverage that is often consumed for its anecdotal health benefits or medicinal purposes. Kombucha is available commercially and can be made at home by fermenting tea using a visible, solid mass of yeast and bacteria which forms the kombucha culture, often referred to as 酵母 (kombo, lit. "yeast mother", see etymology for disambiguation with 昆布, kombu, kelp), according to Wikipedia.

Kombucha may contain a trace amount of alcohol from the fermentation process, but believe me...you are not going to get intoxicated off this beverage.  

When first opening the bottle, there was a loud "pssst" similar to when you open a bottle of soda.  I smelled it, and it smelled like vinegar. It did not smell appetizing.  But I spent $3 on this beverage, I was at least going to try it.  I took a sip and was pleasantly surprised.  It tasted like a fruity flavored champagne with a little bit of fresh ginger. The vinegar smell was just that, a smell.

While this isn't a drink everyone would like, I really enjoyed it.  It wasn't too sweet and the fizziness added a nice texture to the drink.

"Trilogy" is pictured far right of the screen.  I also got the "multi green" but haven't got around to trying it yet.

Synergy makes a number of different Kombucha beverages, many combined with fruit juice.  As I am sensitive to super sweet drinks, I chose one that didn't have much juice it in. If you are into super sweet drinks, I've heard their guava and mango flavors are also quite good.  But, be warned, the higher the fruit juice content, the higher the sugar and calorie count will be.

To warn you, this drink is a raw fermented beverage.  It has live cultures in the bottle and sediment in the bottom.  This doesn't mean the beverage has gone bad, it is how it is suppose to look.

Kombucha is rich in probiotics, similar to that in yogurt as well as many B vitamins.  There is a lot of speculation about the benefits of Kombucha and its benefits.  While I enjoy the benefit of the probiotics and vitamins, I don't expect this elixir to make me immortal.

Personally, I am just pleased to have a new healthy beverage that isn't super high in sugar and calories to add to my fridge.  If I get any health benefits from it, I won't complain.

You will find many different articles about kombucha.  While I was doing research for this blog posting, I found many news articles warning that this drink could be deadly.  Let me be clear, these people were brewing their own kombucha at home and something was not right.  As many commercial brewers and home brewers that do this process correctly know, this beverage must be brewed in a sterile environment.  The one thing in connection with many of these articles are conditions that are not sterile, or the beverage was not brewed in the proper vessel. 

I recommend checking out this website for benefits of kombucha:
http://www.foodrenegade.com/kombucha-health-benefits/

I don't believe everything I read point blank...I like to test theories out for myself.   I shall keep you posted if I feel that kombucha has worked a miracle on me.  Until then, I enjoy the fizzy, tangy taste of this twist on typical tea.

Here's to good health, Caitlin.