Kombucha Questions
Click here for our Kombucha forum with countless questions and submissions from Kombucha homebrewers.
What is Kombucha? Kombucha is a fermented tea beverage traditionally brewed at home. It's history spans back over 2,000 years, but has recently gained popularity as a bottled drink. The main benefits come from bacteria and yeast strains that grow in the tea and provide vital nutrition and probiotics for your body. Once called "The Elixer of Life," people report feeling increased energy, immune support, healthier digestion, thicker hair growth, clearer skin, and the list goes on. For more info, take our class and/or Google it!
How is Kombucha made? Kombucha is made by mixing sweetened tea with a "starter" culture (also called mother, SCOBY, mushroom, etc.). The beneficial probiotics multiply and produce organic acids that help the body heal from the inside out. Check out this "brewery walk-through" video!
Does Kombucha contain alcohol? No. Well, yes, but very little. Any alcohol produced by the yeast in Kombucha is oxidized by bacteria into organic acids. The same thing basically happens when you make vinegar. We, like all Kombucha brewers, test to make sure we are compliant with the "less than 0.5%" rule for non-alcoholic beverages.
Is there caffeine in it? Yes, but very little. There is less than half as much caffeine in a cup of Kombucha as a cup of tea. That's about 90% less caffeine than a cup of coffee. It should be mentioned that we have met many folks with caffeine sensetivities that have little-to-no reaction to Kombucha (like Amanda). Others feel an extremely energizing effect more powerful than caffeine (like Jared).
Should children or pregnant/breastfeeding women drink Kombucha? Children, yes. We think they should drink up because the more probiotics kids have in their bodies, the healthier their immune and digestive systems will be. Some say that pregant women should not drink kombucha because of the natural detoxification which can occur from regular kombucha consumption. However, others say that it is a great source of probiotics which are so valuable in fetal and maternal health. The most reliable sources say that if a mother has been drinking kombucha prior to pregnancy, then she should be fine to drink it throughout pregnancy as well. TRUST YOUR BODY--it will tell you if you should drink it or not.
What does it taste like? When brewed correctly, Kombucha has a balance of sweet and tart flavors, and a natural effervescence. The amount of effervescence can vary from batch to batch depending on what kind of tea is used, temperature, and the development of the SCOBY mat (if it creates a seal across the top of the brewing vessel, there will be more carbonation). Some breweries add sugar sources to promote bottle carbonation (like our Oregon Strawberry flavor), and other force-carbonate their Kombucha in kegs (we do this when serving Kombucha on tap). The sweetness can vary between brands and batches depending on how long the brewer lets their Kombucha ferment. A sweeter brew has not fermented as long, and a super-sour brew has fermented too long. At Lion Heart we carefully test each batch frequently until we are sure that all of the sugars have been fermented, but we don't let it get too tart. This is how we think it tastes the best and where one receives maximum benefit from drinking.
How did Lion Heart Kombucha start? We began brewing Kombucha years ago and after running countless experiments, taste tests with different teas, sugar amounts, brewing times, temperatures and other variables, we started teaching brewing classes in 2008 so that we could help put this amazing probiotic culture back into the hands of the people. After two years of teaching these classes, it was demanded that Lion Heart be produced for sale on the market! We opened our brewery with the mission of duplicating the magic behind our famous homebrew. The brewery was opened in August 2010 and named it for our son Lev, who's name means "Lion" in Russian and "Heart" in Hebrew--he has been an amazing source of inspiration and is a dedicated Kombucha drinker himself!
What are Lion Heart Kombucha's core values?
We at Lion Heart Kombucha want to brew Kombucha to be delicious. We love hearing people that say "I don't like Kombucha" turn around to admit "hey, that's pretty good" - and it happens all the time!
We want our Kombucha cultures to be treated with the utmost care and respect, which is why we use the best possible ingredients, brew in small batches, and ferment and store our Kombucha in fermentation-grade glass and stainless steel - never plastic.
We want to make Kombucha affordable by offering it at wholesale prices directly to customers, so everyone can drink as much Kombucha as their body needs.
We want to promote local business by buying our tea, sugar, and brewing supplies locally, and distributing only directly to customers and to locally-owned businesses.
Finally, we want to knowledge about probiotics and fermented foods to the hands of our community. We strive to live by our motto and encourage others to do the same: Live fearlessly and in good health!
Sincerely, The Englunds