FAQs
Q. What is Kombucha?
A. Kombucha or booch is a beverage made by fermented tea with a live-culture of bacteria and yeast, called SCOBY.
Tea is fermented by adding the starter liquid and/or cellulose mat (synonym for Symbiotic Culture of Yeasts and Bacteria) or ‘mother’ to sweet black, Green, White, Oolong or Pu-erh tea derived from Camellia sinensis species. It is similar to how curd is made with milk and a small amount of culture is added to kickstart the fermentation process.
Mother nature works her magic in the fermentation vessel and converts the sweet tea into light, bubbly, tart kombucha. The nutrients in the tea like tannin and caffeine from the tea leaves and sugar are converted into beneficial organic acids, probiotics, antioxidants and B-vitamins.
Q. What is in my Kombucha bottle?
A. Mountain Bee Kombucha contains finest quality loose-leaf teas and organic local produce used in our exciting flavours. Our Kombucha is unpasteurized and handcrafted in small batches.. Our brew cycles are long making sure most of the sugar is broken down making the final drink low in sugar and high in bioavailable nutrients.
Q. Why does it taste different every day?
A. Kombucha is a live drink, it contains unharmed good bacteria and yeasts which are continuously at work feeding on the sugar and other nutrients and making it richer every moment. It is only normal that if you do not drink up the whole bottle and decide to keep some for later, you will find it a bit stronger. You can drink it up provided you like the taste. Remember, your liking of kombucha depends on how tart and acidic you prefer. Some like it on the sweeter side of the spectrum and some like it really tart. Find your preference and share with us!
Q. How much should I drink?
A. Start with small quantity, anywhere between 80ml to 120ml and work your way up once your body gets used to it. You might experience quicker digestion etc in the beginning. Dilute it with water/ice cubes if you do not like the acidic flavour but till want to goodness of natural organic acids. It is best served chilled and can be consumed at room temperature. Do not heat it.
Q. What is the best time to drink kombucha?
A. Short answer: it is best to have kombucha any time of the day.
Long answer: Kombucha is a probiotic that works well in combination with a balanced diet. To make probiotics work we need a constant supply on 'prebiotic' aka the food for the good microbes in our gut. So a meal with salads, leafy greens and fruits aids probiotic's functional capabilities. Whether we drink it first thing in the morning or pair it with a carb-laden dinner, making sure of roughage supply in everyday meals is a key.
Q. Can Kombucha go bad?
A. Kombucha minions, i.e the bacteria and yeasts work on the nutrients and makes the tea fizzy, once the nutrients are exhausted kombucha starts turning more and more acidic and ultimately vinegary which is unpalatable but has many other uses.
Q. Why sugar, can Mountain Bee Kombucha be made without sugar?
A. Sugar is a food source meant for the scoby to eat and produce all the nutrients Kombucha is known for. If you do not use sugar, the scoby will eventually die and your tea will not turn into awesome goodness called kombucha. Most of the sugar is converted into nutrients in the final drink. So enjoy your booch without the guilt-trip.
Q. How much sugar is in one bottle of Mountain Bee Kombucha?
A. Our kombucha is long-fermented to allow maximum disintegration of sugar (sucrose) into glucose and fructose making it a well-fermented and low-glycemic index kombucha. The residual sugar amount in our various flavours ranges between 3.2 gms per 100ml to 5 gms per 100 ml. The Original Booch, 'Flower 'N Spice' and 'Daily' are some of the flavours with lowest sugar.
Q. What are those blobs and strings in my bottle?
A. Hurray! you just found out the living organisms hard at work in your booch bottle. These floaties are the bacterial cellulose and yeast strands, by-products of fermentation that happened in your bottle. They don’t mean no harm to you, filter out and compost them or before drinking if you like your booch clear. Absolutely safe to consume.
Q. How should kombucha be stored?
A. Our kombucha is unpasteurised which still has all the bacteria and yeasts feeding their heart out on the tea and sugar. In order to slow down fermentation and keep the good-bacteria population in harmony with the yeasts, it is advised to refrigerate kombucha.
Q. Why should I drink Kombucha, isn’t it just a fad?
Kombucha has been around for centuries. It is only recently it caught the limelight due to its touted health benefits and was made popular about fermentation lovers and Kombucha enthusiasts. Kombucha provides for a great alternative to coffee, tea, sodas as it has lesser caffeine and sugar when brewed properly.
Q. How can I get a bottle for myself?
Please visit our page if you would like to order. Or find us in The Organic World Stores across Bangalore.