Kombucha research - can you help? And a workshop update!

If you’re a Home Kombucha Brewer, you Certainly Can Help!

When you make kombucha, even at home ( or maybe especially at home!), you’re running a mini biotech operation; the transformation of sweet tea into delicious sparkling tart deliciousness via a controlled natural fermentation process. As bacteria and yeasts in the cellulose SCOBY ulitise the the tea and sugar, they create new compounds - metabolites - that give kombucha its distinctive taste, smell and potential health benefits. Some examples are organic acids (acetic, gluconic, glucuronic), phenolic compounds, vitamins, amino acids, and a whole range of flavour compounds.

Now, the composition of a kombucha varies according to just about every factor you can think of; starting tea used, other additions, type of sugar, the water, temperature, the microbial profile of the SCOBY, humidity, light, which means that there’s likely to be a huge variation in those metabolites and flavour compounds too.

Traditional booch brewer Lou Dillon of Twisted Kombucha is collaborating with the London Metropolitan University and the S.T. Arts Initiative to undertake some research into the composition of both home-brewed and commercial kombucha. They will be examining the samples by mass spectrometry, which will reveal what is going on in those jars.

Now this is where you come in….

If you live in the UK and if you will have about 500ml of drinkable kombucha ( the point at which you enjoy drinking it) to spare in the next week or so, Lou would love to send you a couple of bottles to fill with your kombucha, which you could then return to her ( postage covered and return in the packaging).

All you have to do is message your the address to me below

They’re hoping to send out 10 sets of bottles this week, and then lots more going forward! When the project is completed you’ll be able to get the results. Please do share with any home kombucha brewers you might know that don’t subscribe to this Substack (they don’t know what they’re missing, clearly)

PS try out Lou’s Kombucha if you are not a fan of home made, it is very delicious.

NEXT WORKSHOP

If you didn’t make it to the last Kombucha Workshop, fear not. Another one is afoot. This will be on Saturday May 3rd, again with Jo Webster, again at my home in Bristol, and again with samples, lunch, cake, tasters, testers, and the opportunity to take away your very own Kombcuha to love and nurture. More info HERE .

SUBSTACK LIVE Friday 14th Feb at 1 pm

I shall be joining the inimitable Jo Webster for a subscriber Q&A live over on her substack - we love a question, especially a difficult one so do send us any you’d like answered.

In the meantime, Happy Fermenting until next time,

Caroline x