The kombucha craze: Word to your “mother”

The kombucha craze has been steadily growing over the past few years in the U.S., especially due to the fact that it has become easier to find from both home brewers and in bottled form in specialty markets and organic grocery stores. It is seen by many as a health drink and 'cure all', though some health professionals warn that it can be quite a dangerous elixir. But what is kombucha, anyway?

Kombucha is a tea containing several species of fermented yeast and bacteria. It is made by adding a "baby" starter colony taken from an exisitng "mother" colony to a mixture of tea and sugar. It is then allowed to ferment at room temperature for 7-14 days, growing a thick layer of a symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast that then creates a fizzy, vinegary liquid full of B vitamins and other chemical compounds.

This article appears in Jun 2-8, 2011.