what is kombucha
Kombucha is fizzy fermented tea with the help of a probiotic culture.
It is similar to beer and champagne, except that it is non-alcoholic and rich in probiotics.
The taste of kombucha is sour-sweet with the bubbliness of champagne, and it goes good with any food or as a stand alone drink.
it's origins
Kombucha is an ancient drink originating in Asia (may be Tibet), where monks used to brew it and drink it as medicine. Later brought to Eastern Europe - it was on the kitchen counter of almost every grandma. Strong and steep - also drinking it as a medicine. It is after kombucha reached the United States - where it became as we know it today. Sexy, delicious, bubbly and flavored with the bounty of nature. It also got available on the shelves of all the health food stores and became a thing for those who did not grow it at home.
And now - it is the best-seller health-conscious and functional drink on the drink market world-wide.
What is special about our kombucha
When we returned from California to Israel in 2017 - we were surprised to discover such a limited and poor choice of drinks on the shelves. There were not health-conscious drinks that would go hand in hand with the growing awareness of taking active choices to benefit our short and long term well being!
and for us- kombucha is really that.
This was the point that led to the birth of our business idea - to fill this gap between rising consciousness and poor drink choices on the market.
Since we started to make kombucha (and besides loving this natural, delicious and bubbly drink) - we always valued its health benefits. The main health benefits of kombucha are due to high amounts of live probiotics. Only raw kombucha preserves this unique aspect of the drink, so it goes without saying that we developed our product around it. This included a choice of glass bottle vs plastic, the process of brewing the kombucha and making sure it is shelf stable.
In every choice we make along the way - we keep in mind to preserve the aliveness of the natural probiotics in our kombucha drinks. We have created surprising and delicious flavors using only natural plants and spices ingredients.
100% alive kombucha
Live kombucha is a kombucha drink made through the process of traditional fermentation and allows the SCOBY the optimal growth options. In addition, the drink itself does not go through pasteurization process of any kind that would harm the live bacteria (probiotics) in kombucha.
100% alive kombucha describes our type of kombucha that is traditionally fermented for about 10-14 days and then bottled.
Today on the market you can also find a different type of kombucha that the World Kombucha Association has named "kombucha soda". It describes an industrial process of adding a very aged kombucha, sweetened juice or "natural flavorings" to carbonated water & CO2.
This evolution of "big scale" kombucha explains the questions that we sometimes get from our customers: "How much kombucha is there inside our drink?".
For us this is a rhetorical question and equivalent to asking
"How much beer is in beer?"
We consider maintaining 100% live kombucha to be of the outmost importance as this preserves all the probiotic and health qualities.
This choice comes along with many logistical business difficulties. Mainly due to shorter shelf life and obligation to keep the product refrigerated.
But for us, any other alternative that would harm the probiotics in kombucha is equivalent to killing the product, and we at Living Liquids believe that food should be alive, happy and with a high energy frequency.
It is always important to remember...
"We are what we eat"
healthy gut. healthy body
The digestive system is inhabited by trillions of bacteria, therefore it is considered a super organism and was given the name microbiome. The composition of the unique microbiome for each person constitutes a kind of "second genome" and directly affects the daily routine on an emotional, mental and physical level.
In addition, microbiome dysfunction has been found to affect a variety of common diseases. In the past it was customary to fight bacteria with antibiotics, today we know that it is just as important to improve good bacteria.
The probiotics in our kombucha are alive as probiotics should be. After drinking it, it creates a symbiosis with the natural intestinal bacteria in the body and improves the composition of the microbiome. It also helps us in the digestion process by breaking down the food efficiently and also contributes to flash out the unnecessary toxins from our system.
Since digestion is our most energy consuming process, good and efficient digestion helps prevent fatigue and brings more vitality to the body.
The kombucha helps break down free sugars and glutens and creates a healthy environment that is more resilient to "unfriendly" bacteria.
Vitamins and other surprises
One of the great perks of kombucha is that it is rich in vitamins C and B complex. It is produced from the symbiosis between the yeast and the bacteria that both breathe and break down the tea and sugar.
An excellent addition to the high importance of fermented products.
And a significant advantage for vegans
Besides that, we get all the qualities of the tea itself, which stimulates cleansing and gives us a good dose of antioxidants and some caffeine .
who can drink it & how much
In addition to its health benefits, the kombucha is a delicious and enjoyable drink. From a culinary point of view, it is suitable as an alternative to sugary soda drinks or fizzy alcoholic drinks. In this way, it provides an answer to the minds who seek a healthier food and drink choices.
In terms of quantity, there are two schools of thought:
First, drinking half a bottle in the morning and on an empty stomach (after you drink "religiously" your morning cup of water off course)- allows the body to absorb the most of the probiotics and produce an optimal digestive process throughout the day. The second, during eating and especially during a heavy meal - the combination of the probiotics in the meal prevents the feeling of heaviness at the end and allows for continued relaxed and light digestive process throughout the day.
Regarding excess drinking, there is no reason to worry.
Your body will signal you to stop before that.
People who are sensitive to acidic foods in general or diabetics should consult their health care provider before .
How to make kombucha
To make good kombucha
You have to start with a good kombucha.
This circular sentence best represents the process of kombucha, and really the basis of kombucha is the SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast), the kombucha culture that is unique to each grower / producer.
Add tea, sugar and water to the kombucha culture. And from there let the magic do its thing... And about 10-14 days later we get the kombucha ready to drink.
From there we add different flavors... natural juices that we squeeze or fresh herbs that are steeped inside the ready kombucha, and together they go into the 2nd fermentation.
next, our live kombucha goes through a 3rd fermentation process where it gets few more days of fermentation which gives it time to "eat" more of the sugars from the flavorings.
This is how kombucha is prepared in a traditional way
And that's how we prepare it.
Watch this short tutorial video