Kombucha Tea – Liquid Wellness In A Cup
Michalis 'BIG Mike' Kotzakolios


Defined Tag: Kombucha Tea.

So what is Kombucha tea? You may have heard of it, but it is rather rare in the United States. Kombucha tea is either black or green tea that contains what is known as Kombucha culture, which is a type of mushroom. The actual drink is fermented and contains probiotic cultures. It is commonly referred to by other names, such as tea Kvass, Kargasok tea, and even Manchurian tea.

How does it work? First, the mushroom culture is taken and is added to green or black tea mixture. It is then combined with some sugar; and is left to ferment over the course of a week. By the end of the week, the fermentation process should have broken down virtually all of the sugar, creating a drink mix that is rife with vitamins, minerals, organic acids, and enzymes.

During this process, the original culture (mushroom) floats in the tea and produces a "baby mushroom”. These “babies” are often given away to other people for starting their own cultures or they are kept to make new batches of the tea when the original mushroom turns dark brown and can’t be used anymore.

It is generally believed that Manchurian tea encourages the body to heal itself and that it stimulates general detoxification. Although no clinical studies have been performed that demonstrate any specific healing properties, health claims from its devotees are numerous and impressive; they say it boosts the immune system, delays the effects of ageing, improves skin conditions, cleanses internal organs, detoxifies the body and cleanses the blood.

If you are making your own tea, then you must use a jar or pot made from glass, glazed ceramic, or high-grade plastic, as the fermentation process produces an acidic liquid which could react with the pot releasing unwanted chemicals into your tea.

Of course, you will want to make sure that you meticulously clean everything that initially comes into contact with the mushroom culture. You will want to keep it clean, so that you do not end up investing the fungal mixture before the fermentation occurs.

So how much should you actually drink of this stuff? Most would suggest that you start off small: only drink a few ounces of and slowly build up a tolerance. While the benefits range from person to person, most agree that it will generally improve your well being if you consume it on a regular basis.