by Olivia Emisar

Created on: July 15, 2010

Kombucha tea’s origins are hard to pinpoint since the tea has been around for thousands of years and mainstreamed into many cultures and countries as it crossed borders with immigrants into new lands.  Some claim that it originated in ancient China, while others dispute its origins and insist that Korea or Japan were the initial growers, or brewers, of Kombucha tea.

Kombucha’s fermentation of yeast and bacteria gives it a mushroom-like appearance.  Its texture is rather gelatinous, much like a Jelly fish, and the smell is akin to wet dirt and rot.  Once it reaches its desired size, a small piece of the “mushroom” is taken and passed on from one woman to another.  

Its popularity throughout the world stems from unsubstantiated health benefits that range from cleaning the liver of toxins to curing cancer.  The older women claim that the pungent tea restores a woman’s balance, both emotionally and physically.  It is claimed to cure fertility issues, anxiety, bad moods, cramps, migraine headaches and more. 

The United States has come to the party a little too late because the FDA is looking into classifying the flavored Kombucha as a wine or a beer due to its alcohol fermentation that places some versions of the tea slightly over 0.5 % alcohol while other mixtures and brands contain up to 3% alcohol.  Until the Food and Drug Administration re-classifies the drink, perhaps based on flavors, most Kombucha tea has become hard to find.

Kombucha bottles are sold for around $3.00 each and hard-core fans of the drink are trailing retailers and using social media to find the much coveted drink and buy it en masse to keep in storage.  In a smaller scale, it is reminiscent of the prohibition era, with people letting each other know where to find the much coveted drink.  Facebook is the social media of choice for today’s consumers of Kombucha who will drive farther than usual to stockpile their favorite drink. 

Currently, there are two types of Kombucha tea distributed by Whole Foods, Celestial teas and a host of other brands.  One is pasteurized and other one is not.  The pasteurized version has no alcohol or very little, but alcohol can continue to develop as time goes by.  The non-pasteurized version seems to be preferred by consumers and the alcohol contents are as varied as the different companies that bottle them. 

In the United States, Kombucha has gained additional acceptance due to its association with the celebrities who drink it, from Halley Berry, Madona and Lindsey Lohan  and the marketing tools that portray Kombucha as an ancient drink with a modern twist. 

The early history of Kombucha is largely unknown but two things remain constant:  it can stand the test of time and it will continue to be brewed in kitchens even if the modern bottle version changes the recipe and brewing techniques. 

The history of Kombucha is far from over, it is being re-invented as we speak and this re-invention will give Kombucha’s history new legs and a modern setting to its ancient past.

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