I just brewed the Fountain of Youth

I always was a trendsetter. I wore the Mexican huarache before Urban Outfitters sold it. I coated my house in the color of the year before it was the color of the year. Last week, I started brewing kombucha. Yesterday, the Associated Press updated its manual (the Bible for journalists and editors) to include kombucha, which it defines as a “fermented, slightly effervescent tea beverage.” 

A fizzing bottle of home brew / Photo by Deborah Lynch

More than six years ago, a health conscious South African friend introduced me to Kombucha. I hadn’t heard of the sour, greenish, bubbly mixture and it didn’t quench my thirst – in fact it made me crave water -- so I sure wasn’t ready to jump on the kombucha bus yet. Maybe it was a strange part of her culture that would take time to develop a taste for. I had tried a cleanse that had involved some kind of vinegary concoction and hadn’t found it to be either tasty or sustaining. The only slightly alluring aspect of kombucha to me was that it was fermented.Fast-forward to boredom from years of avoiding sugary drinks (except beer and wine) yet desiring something non-alcoholic other than water, tea, and coffee to drink, and I felt ready to buy a ticket. I like fermentation, I don’t like sweet or flavored drinks, and I love tea. That’s kombucha. It was time. I tried GT’S Synergy Gingerberry despite being skeptical about fruity flavored things. It did sound and look better than the Multi-Green flavor, which hinted at vinegary spinach. Definitely not my cup of tea. The first Gingerberry though, taunted my taste buds a bit. I drank it in small doses over a couple of days.The next time I walked past the kombucha case at my grocery, Gingerberry called out. I bought it again – although at about $4.50 per 16-oz. bottle, I wasn’t too eager to start a relationship. This time, however, despite a cautious first sip, Gingerberry and I connected. I drank the entire bottle served over ice in a festive Mexican glass in about a half-hour.I couldn’t give in to the siren call in the grocery, however. It was just too expensive. If I wanted to gain the advertised benefits – “renew,” “rebalance,” “rebuild,” “reclaim,” “rebirth,” “repurpose,” “redefine” – I would need to drink it regularly, right? How could I have a rebirth with just one 16-ounce bottle? The solution – buy the monthly pass to kombucha benefits by making it at home. Let’s get those bubbles brewing.

"Yesterday, the Associated Press updated its manual (the Bible for journalists and editors) to include kombucha, which it defines as a 'fermented, slightly effervescent tea beverage.' ” 

Would my home brew, however, also rebalance and repurpose my life? Why, yes, yes, it would. I would have to research the health benefits, the recipes, the companies selling scobies, bottles, strainers, tea, gallon jars, small resealable swing-top bottles, etc. My life was nothing if not repurposed.This labor of love – GT’S lists “100% pure love” as an ingredient, after all – needed to have more that spiritual powers for me to take it on. It needed to prove its health benefits. The first easy one that anyone can find on the label is that kombucha, while brewed with sugar for fermentation, is relatively low in sugars and has just 35 calories per 8-ounce serving. Almost every bottle of mass produced kombucha claims to have aminos, polyphenols, enzymes and probiotics. What does that mean? Web MD says its nutrients seem to be a healthy choice although research has been limited. It notes the probiotics in kombucha as helpful “good gut” bacteria and writes that it is “good for our bodies and brains. Some packaging claims it is an “antioxidant powerhouse.”Antioxidants and probiotics are not the same thing, but both seem to be good for us. Antioxidants are molecules that can inhibit the oxidation of other molecules and they are thought to be helpful in prevention of diseases like cancer, heart disease, and even altitude sickness. Probiotics, on the other hand, have been marketed in many yogurts for years as having health benefits for problems like irritable bowel syndrome, diarrhea, low and high blood pressure, and more. For both things, both positives and negative effects have been noted, but research is scant.It seemed like a small risk. Sauerkraut, kombucha's cousin, hasn’t killed me yet. I eat it every New Year’s Day according to Pennsylvania Dutch tradition to bring good luck for the new year. In fact, I enjoy it’s tangy, tartness despite the fact that I hate pickles and most pickled vegetables. It’s secret? Fermentation, which is also the secret to delicious home brewed beers. I drink those, too. Despite the lack of definitive research on kombucha, it seemed worth taking the he risk, so maybe I would feel “recharged” and “enlightened” as the label claims.I did a couple of Google searches and discovered that I needed a scoby to brew at home. Not Scooby snacks, you Fun Lovin' Criminal, but a scoby, which is a living organism that resembles a beige mushroom or floating ocean organism. Scoby stands for symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeasts. It is also referred to as the mother. Much like sourdough bread starter, the scoby will live for a long time if one nurtures it and treats it gently.Since I was a kombucha novice, I needed vessels in addition to my scoby, so I ordered a Kombucha kit from The Kombucha Shop for about $50. For future batches, my scoby will live on in a cup of reserved kombucha, and I will add it to a new brew of tea and sugar – sugar is required for fermentation, but the final product is not sugary – in the same glass gallon jar, refilling the same round clear glass bottles with their resealable swing-tops. It seemed like a good investment, compared to buying about 11 bottles premade for the same price. Each gallon batch produces six 16-ounce bottles. I make two batches, and my kit is paid off.I’m sipping a glass of my unflavored tea brew as I write. I’m not sure I have the perfect timing on it yet because it has hints of sweetness, but it’s not bad. In fact, it’s pretty good. It makes me happy to know I’ve got a refrigerator stocked with five more bottles, and a gallon jar starting a new fermentation process. Instructions show the best kombucha is fermented for between 7-21 days. I was excited, so today’s sampling came at day 8. The next batch will get a little more time for comparison.Some kombucha contains alcohol levels from the fermentation that require special labeling noting that buyers must be over 21 to buy it for some with higher levels. Most sold in groceries contain less than 5 percent alcohol – much less than a light beer. Home brews tend to have higher alcoholic contentIt may not be the fountain of youth, but I’m already feeling like I’ve rekindled my energy, and unlike the Synergy bottle that promises it contains “100% pure love,” I know with certainty that mine contains “100% pure skepticism.” Now what’s healthier than that?

Works Consulted

Erickson, Alexa. “The Truth About Kombucha: The Wonderful Fermented Tea You Should Be Drinking.” Collective Evolution. Collective Evolution. 23 April 2016. Web. 2 June 2016.Miller, Kelli. “Kombucha: It’s Trendy, But Is It Safe?” WebMD. WebMD, LLC. 25 Jan. 2016. Web. 2 June 2016.Hare, Kristin. “AP Stylebook 2016 Updates Include Normcore, Kombucha, and Emoji (‘Plural: Emojis’).” Poynter. The Poynter Institute. 1 June 2016. Web. 2 June 2016.Szybalski, Amy. “What Are Superfruits, Antioxidants, and Probiotics?” The Argus. Lakehead University. 14 March 2011. Web. 2 June 2016.