Kombucha Tea

So, I have been reading a lot about the health benefits of Kombucha Tea. It is intriguing and I wondered what the big deal was. Have you?

Kombucha

It is primarily a health thing, rather than a tea thing. It has been described as tasting somewhat like vinegar and is often mixed with fruit juice to mask the flavor. Some of the flavors you might see are:

• Orange
• Mango
• Apple
• Grape
• Juniper Berry

It has a huge number of health claims associated with it.  Like anything, many of them lack research. The fermentation process means that it is full of probiotics, like yogurt is.  Supposedly it is especially good for the following:

• Blood Cleanser
• Digestion
• Liver Detox
• Weight Loss

Kombucha is made from tea that is mixed with sugar and then has a bacteria added. It is a fermented drink and is thus related to yogurt, tempeh, and other fermented foods. Although Kombucha is known as mushroom tea it is more because of the colonies of bacteria which resemble a mushroom than anything. It is not made of mushrooms!

When it is fully fermented it is bubbly like soda from the gases that are released during fermentation.

So, should you drink it? Well, that is totally up to you. If you are into the whole probiotic thing and you are reasonably adventurous about your food then it is something you might be interested in. If you like black tea with sugar and milk then you might want to steer clear of this. Oh, and unless it is pasteurized it does have a slight alcohol content. Just sayin’.

image:sxc

Tea health, kombucha tea, Tea