Why is Kombucha Tea so Popular?

Bubbly, slightly sour, and full of healthy probiotics, you’ve likely heard a lot about kombucha recently. It seems to have blown up from almost nowhere, finding its way into health food stores, grocery stores, and even gas station fridges. With such ubiquitous access to this fizzy drink, it’s only fair to ask why kombucha is so popular right now.

What is Kombucha?

Put simply, kombucha is a naturally fermented tea drink and has been popular with cultures around the world for thousands of years. Kombucha can be made with any variety of tea, with green and black tea being the most popular among regular kombucha enjoyers. Using the natural fermenting and carbonating power of SCOBY (a Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast), sugars in the kombucha mixture are eaten and turned into carbon dioxide and acetic acid, which gives kombucha lovers their favorite acidic and bright flavors. This process also grows more SCOBY, which can be re-used to create even more kombucha in other tea batches. Making kombucha is a simple and fun process, with the results of one batch supporting and perfecting the next.

The Benefits of Kombucha

There are a wide variety of benefits that contribute to why kombucha is so popular today. From health to lifestyle boosts, these may be reasons to bring kombucha into your own life!

1. A Great Source of Probiotics

One of the first, and likely most well-known factors to kombucha’s popularity, is the concentration of probiotics and healthy bacteria. Probiotics are naturally occurring colonies of healthy bacteria that serve to boost gut health, creating a healthy environment for all of the microorganisms that help you process your food. Probiotics can also improve digestion or stomach inflammation, and may even assist with weight loss.

2. Rich in Antioxidants

More than just probiotics, kombucha is also incredibly rich in antioxidants, another nutrient that serves to improve the health of your body. Antioxidants work by helping the body maintain healthy levels of “free radicals,” a chemical in the body that is used to combat pathogens and diseases. High levels of free radicals, however, cause cellular damage that increases the risk of cancers, heart disease, and other cardiovascular issues. By maintaining healthy levels of these free radicals, the antioxidants in kombucha improve your heart health, reducing risks for cancers, stroke, and a variety of other heart diseases. 

3. Easy to Make at Home

Ease of access is a great way for something to become popular, and kombucha is no different. Kombucha is a simple beverage to brew at home, making it a great way to experiment and explore the world of home brewing without excessive spending on high-end equipment, ingredients, or safety protocols. It’s also great for sharing with friends, as the SCOBY can be reused for new kombucha batches, enabling several kombucha brews from one parent scoby.

4. A Variety of Flavors

Finally, the variety of choices available with kombucha is a big reason why it is so popular. With varieties like prickly pear, lemon ginger, peach, and hibiscus, it is easy to pick a favorite kombucha flavor and keep things fresh by having a variety of different experiences available to you. Kombucha brewers are big fans of experimentation, and the drink can support a large variety of unique flavor combinations.

For Health of Heart and Mind

Kombucha is clearly a popular beverage for a reason, and there’s no reason you shouldn’t try it too! With great health benefits, a large variety of flavors, and a veritable ocean of experiments to delve into, kombucha is a phenomenal beverage that can be a great addition to anybody’s day-to-day routine.