Kombucha: The Fermented Tea Drink

Kombucha is a sweet, effervescent fermented black tea drink.

Kombucha is made using a culture of bacteria and yeast.

The culture is called SCOBY or tea fungus but is a biofilm.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Komagataeibacter xylinus are key microbes.

Bacteria convert alcohol into acetic acid, giving kombucha its tang.

A new SCOBY forms on tea surface after 10 to 14 days.

Kombucha contains enzymes, acids, vitamins, and less than 0.5 percent alcohol.

Hard kombucha contains over 5 percent alcohol by volume.

Kombucha health claims lack clinical proof and remain unverified.

Home brewing kombucha carries contamination risks if not done carefully.

Kombucha is a fermented black tea drink made with a symbiotic culture.