What's all this talk about kombucha?

Scoby mother and baby at 14 days fermentation

My household is currently in the midst of a home-brewed kombucha craze. Kombucha, which has Russian, Chinese, and Japanese origins, is a tea fermented with a kombucha culture that looks like a mushroom, though it's not actually a mushroom that produces this effervescent, vinegar-ish drink. It's a slimy conglomeration of bacteria and yeast that merely resembles a mushroom. A more fun term for this mass is "scoby," or a symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast.

Why Drink Kombucha?

Aside from its exhilarating tingly taste, kombucha is purported to proffer many health benefits. A quick internet search will turn up a list of benefits that any snake-oil salesman would drool over. I've seen articles claiming that kombucha will do everything from regrow hair to reduce wrinkles to prevent cancer. Very minimal scientific study has been devoted to kombucha and its effects on the human body, so we have few definitive facts about kombucha's help/harm ratio.

We do know that some of the same live cultures in the kombucha scoby are the same as those present in many commercially available yogurts. A large body of evidence exists showing that such live cultures help maintain a healthy intestinal tract and even lower the incidence of yeast infections in women. It has been shown that Kombucha contains a decent dose of B vitamins. There are also studies suggesting kombucha demonstrates some anti-microbial benefits.

Personally, I drink about 4 oz. in the morning well before I consume anything else, and seem to have some benefits from this. I notice a nice little spike in energy and mental clarity. I've also observed that my usual "digestive irregularities" mellow out when I'm drinking my morning kombucha. What's more, I haven't been sick in a while. Maybe it's the yoga, maybe my diet, maybe my lifestyle, or maybe the kombucha. And yes, I'm very well aware of the placebo effect, too! Bottom line is, I really enjoy drinking a little shot of kombucha in the morning, and if I happen to reap some health benefits from it, too, then all the better!

Potential Risks...

Many of kombucha's fans drink the elixir at their own risk, given that a myriad of concerns over potential hazards have arisen as kombucha's popularity skyrockets. First, kombucha is a fermented drink, meaning it will contain trace amounts of alcohol. When people brew at home, there is obviously a lot of room for variance in actual alcohol content. Most commercially available kombucha products register 0.5% alcohol, or about the same as a non-alcoholic beer.

Kombucha is a sweet tea, because any fermentation process requires sugar. As such, diabetics may want to watch out for potential blood sugar spikes from kombucha.


Generally speaking, good kitchen cleanliness will be fine for most kombucha home brews. Some brewers have developed a more sophisticated process to closely monitor pH levels and check for potential pathogens. Some even recommend thorough sterilization of your utensils. My experience has been fine with good old-fashioned cleanliness. The primary concern here seems to be the introduction of mold to the culture. I abide by the old adage, "when in doubt, throw it out." If you find what seems like mold on your scoby, toss it out and start fresh.


Some people have reported feeling ill after drinking kombucha, while many more feel great after consuming it. Please use common sense, and if you choose to brew your own kombucha, do your homework first. Read through some of the seemingly endless information available online, and decide for yourself if it's something you'd really like to try.  If you do try it, take small doses first to guard against any potential negative reactions.

Ok, I've Done My Homework, and I Want To Make Kombucha! What Do I Do?

Well, it's helpful to have a scoby and a cup of starter tea from a friend! You see, with every batch of kombucha brewed, a new scoby grows on top of the mother scoby. So once I started brewing, I was quickly overrun with scobies! I was fortunate enough to have a friend start me off, but what if you don't know anyone who brews kombucha? 

There are some resources online for purchasing a starter kit, and the brewing sites I've listed below contain some of those retailers. Check your local area for stores that sell kombucha, and contact them to inquire about their sources. They may have a local brewer with more than a few scobies to share. 

Of course, scobies have to come from somewhere and some renegades out there have published instructions for how to make your own kombucha mushroom. I always love steps to greater self-sufficiency:

http://www.foodrenegade.com/how-to-grow-a-kombucha-scoby/

http://www.instructables.com/id/Making-your-own-Kombucha-mother/

Once you have a kombucha mother and some starter liquid, you can begin brewing! Check "The Food" section of this blog for the instructions that give me a great batch of kombucha every time. 

There are also tons and tons of kombucha brewing recipes available online. Some I like are here:

http://www.instructables.com/id/Kombucha-Brewing-Instructions/

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Make-a-Big-Batch-of-Kombucha/

http://www.thenewhomemaker.com/kombucha

http://www.re-nest.com/re-nest/how-to/how-to-brew-your-own-kombucha-083972

A final note on the home brew craze

I garden, yoga, and brew my own kombucha. All of these practices are firmly rooted in self-sufficiency. That's one of the greatest appeals of these practices for me. Anything that gives me a greater say in seemingly unpredictable outcomes makes me feel more empowered and in control of my destiny. Even something as small as brewing kombucha contributes to this. I suppose that's why we're seeing a resurgence of do-it-yourself activities like this one. After all, it's fun to make your own "stuff," and I'm always surprised at just how much I learn along the way. 

Happy Brewing!