Still reading? You really want more? I'll tell you about my first kombucha experience - I hated it. Several years ago on a hot summer day I stopped at the general store to get a cold beverage. I had never heard of kombucha, but it said mango, and I'll eat mango anything, plus at $5+ for 12 ounces it had to be good, right? I opened it in the parking lot and it exploded all over me, sticky and sickly, I don't remember, maybe I did shake it. That's ok, I thought, it's still a good day! I took a sip and it was DISGUSTING. The closest I could compare it to was one time when I was a kid and accidentally took a swig of nail polish remover thinking it was mouthwash. I brought it inside to the cashier and told her, "I think it's spoiled." She said somewhat condescendingly, "Have you ever tried kombucha before?" No. "Well that's the way it's supposed to taste." (Then no one should drink kombucha ever, I think to myself, and I never will ever again. It was that bad). I was sticky, hot, poorer, still thirsty, and now with a bad taste in my mouth. I just wanted some paper towels if they had any, and she refunded my money without even asking. I refused to drink kombucha for a few years after that, even refusing to know anything about it. Did not know about the probiotics or health benefits, did not care. I would not go near kombucha for years.

Fast forward, and my friend Jesse Miller was staying at my house for about a month before moving to Brazil. He was learning to make kombucha and put a beautiful jar on my kitchen countertop with this slimy weird thing in it (the SCOBY), with sweetened tea. I was curious about Jesse adding white sugar when he is so health conscious. He explained that the scoby eats tea and sugar, so kombucha ends up with very little sugar remaining. The yeasts consume sugar and ferment it into ethanol, then the bacteria consumes the ethanol to make gluconic and acetic acids, as well as other nutrients and B vitamins. Some people are wary of alcohol content, it's usually 0.5% or less,  far less than non-alcoholic beer or even fruit juice that is a little old. I tend to tell people that it is the same amount of alcohol that you would consume in an over-ripe banana. The buzz that some people report after drinking kombucha is sometimes explained as release of toxins that bind to kombucha, so they are temporarily back in your bloodstream before you excrete them with the kombucha. For me, I feel that after having drunk alcohol the day before, or if I haven't had kombucha in several days, so I believe it. It's a clean and clear uplift though, not the fuzzy or exhausting high like from alcohol. It may also be the effect of B vitamins, or probiotics influencing the gut-brain effect. Kombucha has all the benefits of antioxidants and polyphenols that are in tea, in addition to the probiotics, nutrient acids, and B vitamins produced by the scoby. Caffeine from tea is reduced but may be present, anyone sensitive to alcohol or caffeine should consume with care or avoid. One study cited in The Art of Fermentation by Sandro Katz found that caffeine was reduced to around 25% the amount of caffeine that is in tea.

Back to Jesse's scoby, my kids and I watched it grow, with tentacles reaching down and a film over the surface. It looked disgusting at the time, though now I find it beautiful, so alive! When it was ready, he offered me a taste. No way I said, I tried kombucha years ago and it was awful. He flavored it with crystallized ginger and gently urged me to try it again. I trusted his bright eyes, good heart, and the man who loves good tasting food as much as I do, so ok, one sip.