1.What is Kombucha?
Kombucha is a fermented beverage primarily made from green or black tea and often flavored with fruits and herbs. It is rich in vitamins, anti-oxidants, probiotics and has been shown to have many positive effects on human health. Unlike fermented alcoholic beverages, Kombucha is not a typical yeast fermentation and only contains a very small quantity of alcohol. It is fermented in a semi-aerobic environment with a symbiotic culture of beneficial organisms. Its flavor depends on the ingredients used by the brewer but it is typically tangy, acidic, with a varying degree of sweetness and natural fizziness. Kombucha comes from the fermentation of sugar enriched tea with a special culture of beneficial organisms known as a SCOBY.
2.What do studies say about Kombucha?
The consumption of Kombucha has been shown to have a wide variety of health effects such as: the reduction of cholesterol levels, reduction of blood pressure, reduction of cancer propagation, liver improvement, enhanced blood sugar control, strengthening the immune system, and gastrointestinal functions. These beneficial effects are thanks to the beneficial microorganisms and the byproducts they produce.
3.What is a SCOBY?
SCOBY is an acronym for Symbiotic Colony Of Bacteria and Yeast. It is the culture used for the fermentation of Kombucha. Acetobacter and Gluconobacter are the main types of bacteria found in Kombucha while the yeasts belong to the genus Saccharomyces It primarily feeds on sugar and converts them into organic acids, amino acids, enzymes, and vitamins. When viewed from the fermentation vessel it is a whitecolored, flat, and tissue like film up to several cm in depth that floats above the liquid. It needs oxygen to be healthy and for proper fermentation. It has other names, such as the magic Manchurian mushroom. The SCOBY is also sometimes referred to as the “Mother” because of its ability to be easily divided and reproduced. The quality of your Kombucha greatly depends on the health of your SCOBY. If in doubt, ask your local Kombucha brewer or get in touch with us directly!
4.How much can I drink?
For the maximum health benefits of the Kombucha, it is best to drink 200mL in the morning before you eat. Daily consumption over long periods of time is recommended for best results. Keep in mind that Kombucha may have caffeine, so if that’s something your sensitive to avoid drinking too much and avoid Kombucha brewed with black tea. If you’re sensitive to sugar, acidity, or fizziness this may cause distress in large quantities. Otherwise, you cannot overdose on Kombucha. It’s advised to drink as much as your body needs! Listen to your body as it tells you what you are lacking or when you’ve had enough. Keep in mind that Kombucha does not replace drinking water! (show a glass of Kombucha with 200mL)
5.When to drink Kombucha?
The best time to receive the probiotics would be in the morning on an empty stomach. This is when your stomach acids are at a more neutral level of acidity and therefore allow more probiotics to arrive safely to your gut. While drinking Kombucha regularly is always beneficial to your health, it may be even more important during and after receiving medical treatment with antibiotics that diminish your gut flora.
6.Where does Kombucha come from?
Its exact origins are unknown but it is believed to have originated in Manchuria, China up to 2000 years ago. It has also been traditionally drunk in parts of Eastern Russia for over 100 years. It has only gained popularity internationally in the 21st century, mostly in the past 20 years. It is most often produced by commercial brewers but can also be produced on small scales at home.
7. How is Kombucha produced?
We start off by brewing the perfect tea, using methods we developed to ensure the best final product. We then combine it with sugar while still warm so it properly dissolves. Once cool, we add the living SCOBY to ferment for 2 weeks in a semi-aerobic environment. Afterwards we collect the liquid and add a specialized selection of fruit, spices, superfoods, and teas to create our signature flavors before we package it for our customers. All of these steps occur in Casa de la Kombucha to ensure the freshest drink possible. Our doors are open for curious spirits to come learn about the process!
8. Why drink Kombucha?
Reasons for drinking Kombucha are different for everyone, but in general people LOVE Kombucha because it makes them feel good! The flavors are refreshing to the human pallet and the medicinal properties manifest themselves in both the short and long-term. Many people claim to feel positive effects almost instantaneously after drinking Kombucha. If you want to enjoy the refreshing and thirst quenching experience of drinking a delicious beverage while being healthy, then Kombucha is a great option for you! It is an excellent option for replacing soft-drinks, alcoholic beverages, and other unhealthy vices.
9. Can you make Kombucha at home?
Yes! It is a fun and rewarding hobby. Make sure you have good quality tea and get your SCOBY from a trusted source. The key to making great Kombucha is taking the time to learn about all the factors that can affect the fermentation process. Environmental factors like temperature, fermentation time, pH, air exchange, water quality and even the type of containers used will affect your final product. If in doubt, don’t hesitate to ask a professional.
10. What does raw mean?
What is raw Kombucha? Raw Kombucha means that the Kombucha is alive with healthy and active microorganisms! Raw means the tea has not undergone any type of pasteurization or filtration that might remove or kill the beneficial microorganisms. By maintaining the proper pH of Kombucha you eliminate all potential pathogens thereby ensuring its safe for consumption.
11. Can Kombucha help you lose weight?
Kombucha helps regulate the flora in your guts and keeps it teeming with beneficial organisms that help with digestion. While Kombucha will not replace the proper diet and exercise necessary for maintaining a healthy weight, it will help keep your metabolism and digestion healthy and aid in that manner. Replacing unhealthy beverages like soft drinks and beer with Kombucha will also help in an effort to lose weight. It is always a good idea to eat healthy, conduct exercise, and consult a nutritionist for advice in weight loss. https://casadelakombucha.es/en/how-to-use-foods-to-eliminate-belly-fat/
12. Is all Kombucha the same?
No. Different producers have different recipes for their drinks. Not to mention different methods for controlling environmental parameters during fermentation that affect the final product. Some recipes use black tea, green tea or white tea as the primary base for the product. Ask any experienced tea drinker and they may tell you brewing the perfect cup of tea is an art of its own as well! Afterwards brewers decide on the quantity of sugar and length of fermentation. After the first fermentation, brewers may choose to add a whole selection of fruits, spices, and other flavorings. A personal choice of each producer. One big difference is whether they decide to pasteurize their beverage or not. For the logistic reason it may be simpler to pasteurize which would eliminate many beneficial microorganisms. We NEVER pasteurize our products.
13. What are some uses for SCOBY?
SCOBY’s can be used for a wide variety of uses after the fermentation process. They can be cooked in a wide variety of dishes, providing a nutrient rich vegan ingredient. They can be dried and turned into materials for book covers, writing letters, or decorations. They are even being turned into clothes by novel designers in the fashion industry! Certain experts are even claiming that the SCOBY’s can be used externally on the skin to exfoliate and produce healthier skin!
14. Sugars in Kombucha?
Kombucha is fermented with sugar, much of which is consumed by the microorganisms in the fermentation process. While many producers add more sugar at the end of the fermentation process to produce a sweeter flavor, low-sugar Kombuchas exist. These are made by letting the organisms consume all the sugar, not adding extra sugar, and alternatively Stevia or another sugar substitute can be added. Make sure to read the nutritional information of store bought Kombucha if you are concerned about your sugar intake.
15. Caffeine in Kombucha?
Kombucha contains caffeine because one of the primary ingredients is tea. Kombucha brewed with black tea will have the highest levels of caffeine, followed by green tea, and white tea which has the lowest level of caffeine . The quantity of caffeine present in Kombucha is typically much less than you get in an average cup of coffee.
16. Alcohol in Kombucha?
Kombucha contains small quantities of alcohol because the SCOBY used for fermentation has some alcohol producing yeasts. In general the quantity ranges from less than 0.5% to a maximum of 1.5%.
17. Is Kombucha Safe When Pregnant?
While there is no evidence that suggests drinking Kombucha while pregnant poses any dangers, there are some potential risks. The small quantities of Alcohol and Caffeine present in Kombucha probably won’t pose serious issues, but the verdict is still out so it may be best to avoid consuming Kombucha. Don’t worry, if you take a break we will have some fresh batches waiting for you!
18. Carbonation in Kombucha?
Kombucha is most often served slightly carbonated because consumers tend to enjoy a slight fizziness in their beverage. This is naturally produced as the microorganisms produce carbon dioxide gas which infuses into the liquid in a closed container during the secondary fermentation. This is why you may notice your beverage becoming more fizzy if left closed in a warm environment.
19. Is Kombucha the right choice for me?
Probably! The taste of Kombucha is not enjoyed by everyone, but the beneficial properties it contains are good for all! The best way to find out is to give it a try and see if you enjoy the flavor! Not all Kombucha are the same so consider trying different flavors before you decide you don’t like Kombucha.
20. Why don’t we pasteurize?
We are a small brewery that focuses on providing the highest quality product to local consumers. Pasteurisation removes all the beneficial microorganisms and denatures the enzymes/nutrients we want to provide to our consumers. We focus on local production for local shops, restaurants, bars and regular clients, which means that the pasteurisation needed for long distance transport and storage is not necessary. We ONLY produce unpasteurised Kombucha for our clients as we believe in this drink as it was originally intended!
21. What happens when you don’t refrigerate raw Kombucha?
Raw, unpasteurised Kombucha keeps fermenting. It continues eating the sugars, becoming more acidic and producing more alcohol. It may become more fizzy and flavours may change. It is important to keep raw Kombucha in the fridge, but a few hours of it being outside of the fridge won’t hurt it.
22. Why don’t we filter?
We prefer our Kombucha to have as many living organisms as possible, so we choose to not filter our products to ensure the maximum amount arrives to your gut.
23. How long can Kombucha go without refrigeration?
We recommend no more than23 hours to guarantee a fresh, safe, and wonderful product as was intended to be consumed. We recommend you refrigerate before opening the bottle.
24. Can you make Kombucha cocktails?
Can you mix gin and tonic? And what if this tonic was better than the regular one? Well, here comes Kombucha. Slightly fizzy and tangy, it goes well with your favourite drink. Be creative. Make a drink. Some even claim Kombucha helps with hangover… Or prevents getting one. Of course, don’t overdo anything! That’s not our point. Let us know of your favourite Kombucha cocktail recipe!
25. What is the secondary ferment?
The secondary ferment is a process that takes place after the initial fermentation that uses the base ingredients of sugar and tea. In the secondary ferment is when things get creative and you bring the flavours to life with fruit, spices, herbs, or anything you can dream of! This is where the fun really lies! We love mixing it, playing around with ingredients, and creating a delicious drinkable piece of art.
26. Why are certain Kombucha less fizzy?
The fizziness in Kombucha comes from carbonation that naturally occurs as the beneficial microorganisms present in the beverage release carbon dioxide during fermentation. If kept in a closed container the carbon dioxide gas naturally reabsorbs into the beverage, creating carbonation! Since fresh Kombucha still contains sugars, leaving it in a closed container will cause it to slowly (or quickly depending on the temperature) become more fizzy!
27. Kombucha and diabetes?
Kombucha will naturally contain sugar but the quantity depends on the producer. Read the labels the store bought Kombucha to check the sugar content. If brewing at home you can let the fermentation process continue until the microorganisms consume most of the sugars. You can tell its low in sugar by the lack of sweetness and strong acidity. Preliminary research revealed that Kombucha tea induced some curative effects on diabetic rats, particularly in terms of liver-kidney functions. Kombucha tea can therefore have potential for the future application as a functional supplement for the treatment and prevention of diabetes. Learn more about diabetes and Kombucha at:
Learn more about diabetes and Kombucha at:
research
https://research.Kombuchabrewers.org/study/hypoglycemic-and-antilipidemic-propertiesof-Kombucha-tea-in-alloxan-induced-diabetic-rats/28. Where do we get our ingredients from?
We take pride in purchasing from local farmers and using wonderful seasonal produce. Some of our ingredients are 0km products, such as Hand of Buddha and Girona Apples that are made right here in Catalunya! 31. I would like to have your Kombucha in my shop/cafe/restaurant, what are the requirements? Please feel free to contact us and we can provide you everything you need to know to start vending our Kombucha. Cold storage to slow down the activity of the living microorganisms is a must!
29. . I would like to have your Kombucha in my shop/cafe/restaurant,
what are the requirements? Please feel free to contact us and we can provide you everything you need to know to start vending our Kombucha. Cold storage to slow down the activity of the living microorganisms is a must!