Drink Trends | The Kombucha Craze

We live in a world of fads and every week there seems to be a new must-have or a new craze that takes over. Well, it appears the health benefits of fermented foods are here to stay and Kombucha is leading the charge….

So, what is Kombucha?

Kombucha is a sweetened tea that is steeped with a bacterial culture known as scoby, an acronym for ‘symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeasts’. Basically, it’s packed with a lot of goodies such as vitamins and probiotics and is a sour tasting iced tea equivalent.

Where is it from?

Kombucha originated in China about 2,000 years ago (this trend has taken a while to come round again!) and is known by the Chinese as the ‘immortal health elixir’. That being said, there is not a huge amount of research around kombucha’s health benefits, so much of this wisdom is unverified.

What are the supposed health benefits of  this stuff?

Detoxification

It’s packed full of enzymes, vitamins and bacterial acids which are all seen as beneficial to those of us that are trying retox ourselves. particularly good during the summer pub season.

Gut health 

Gut health is a hot, hot, hot topic and it’s becoming clearer that a healthy gut = a healthy individual. Due to Kombucha’s rather large dose of probiotics, it’s seen as highly beneficial to the gut. Also, a very good alternative to dairy options of probiotics.

Immune system

The tea’s packed out with antioxidants that support a healthy immune system and will help you tool up for the winter ahead. This boost to the immune system can also do your energy levels wonders.

Mood enhancement

This could be a potential benefit for many people! The series of B vitamins in this juice are known to stabilise moods and improve concentration levels. Vitamin C is also present, and it works very effectively with B Vitamins to prevent the release of the stress hormone Cortisol.

Conclusion

For us, Kombucha tastes great and we are very much looking forward to creating some cocktails with it. In terms of the health benefits, who knows – but as long as it tastes good then you’re sorted really. And to be honest, if it’s kicked around for 2,000 years already there has to be something in it!

If you’re looking to get hold of some then our friends at Lo Bros will sort you out.

Check our related article for more mood boosting drinks.