Gotta Get Kombucha

The inside scoop on this not-so-new, healthy beverage

By Mary Fons
CTW Features

Some say it tastes like fruity beer. Some say it tastes like vinegar. Some swear it can cure cancer and some won’t go near the stuff. Whether or not they’re drinking it, people are certainly talking about Kombucha, a beverage that first fizzed up in China around 250 B.C.E.

“Kombucha is a cultured or fermented beverage that contains enzymes, probiotics, organic acids and natural detoxifiers,” G.T. Dave says, founder and bottler of popular Kombucha brand, GT’s Kombucha. The drink is essentially made by allowing yeast cultures to grow in a container with added liquid –sweetened tea being the most common. But according to Dave (and the throngs of people who swear by the stuff) Kombucha is more than a bubbly drink – it’s a miracle. “It works with the body to flush out toxins and restore the ‘balance’ that is essential to a health system,” Dave says.

GT Dave speaks with serious authority about Kombucha, after all. His direct experience with the beverage’s healing, detoxifying properties led him to begin bottling his own Kombucha in 1995.

“I discovered Kombucha when I was 15 years old,” says Dave. “My parents were making it at home and drinking it for overall strength and vitality. I noticed improvements with their energy levels, skin and hair. But what really blew me away was when I witnessed the dramatic effect it had on my mother’s battle with breast cancer. It played a huge role in her body’s resistance to the cancer and kept her strong throughout her treatments. That’s when I became inspired to make Kombucha available to others who might benefit from it.”

That story, which is printed on every bottle of GT’s Kombucha, is one of the reasons Chicago Kombucha drinker Steve Misetic picked up a bottle over a year ago. “I had heard about the stuff,” says Misetic, “but I thought it smelled awful. Then one day my girlfriend had a bottle of it and I decided to give it a try.” Misetic says that the taste of Kombucha didn’t make a very good first impression. “It tasted like it was fermented, real vinegary.”

Few would argue; all those pro-biotics and natural acids don’t come without a funky flavor, but fans and experts agree that you grow to love the odd taste experience. “Kombucha is definitely different than what most people expect a drink to taste like,” says Dave. “It has virtually no sugar so it is more tart and tangy than it is sweet. Plus, it has a cider like flavor note to it that is initially surprising for most people.”

The FDA has no findings on the effects of Kombucha but sometimes, anecdotal evidence is all the public needs to hop on the beverage bandwagon. As Misetic says, “When I drink it, I feel rejuvenated.”

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