Yes, I’m one of those people who makes my own kombucha. To be honest though, it didn’t start because I wanted to “take control of my health”, it started because I wanted to take control of my wallet.

Kombucha. Is. Expensive.

Seriously, just like I started making my own cappuccinos and lattes at home, I had to start making my own kombucha because I drink it so much. Kombucha is an acquired taste, and can be a bit too sour and acidic for some, but its wellness benefits cannot be ignored. Plus, it’s got a bit of a fizz as well and that really helped me significantly reduce my consumption of soda (which I drank for the fizz — plus I HATE soda water and fizzy water). You probably have a few questions so let’s get to it.

What is Kombucha tea? It is a fermented food product (like kefir and kimchi), thought to have originated from Northeast Asia (Manchuria region) over 2000 years ago. It is made by adding sugar to SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) aka “mother”, which leads to the fermentation process. The SCOBY microbial population can be variable but usually includes Gluconacetobacter xylinus, and the yeast component is usually Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

What are the health benefits? Kombucha can aid in regulating digestion. This is the primary reason I drink it, besides the fact that I like the taste. There are many other claims out there about how it cures diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis. I don’t know about any of that. Like many probiotics, I think its gut health benefits are more than enough. There was a small study in early 2000s with 24 adults with non-insulin dependent diabetes who drank Kombucha for 3 months who reported stabilization of their blood sugar, although the study was not randomized or controlled. There is currently a clinical trial (Trial number NCT04051294) in the recruitment phase that is looking at The Effects of Kombucha on Blood Sugar Levels in Humans. We will have to wait to see the results on that.

What is Jun Kombucha? Jun kombucha, at least the way I make it, is with honey, instead of sugar, and green tea (I usually use jasmine), instead of black tea. I find the flavor to be lighter and less sharp than traditional kombucha.

I love how my gut feels when I drink kombucha. I’m more regular and less bloated. I’ve been drinking it for several years and I love introducing it to friends and giving them a bottle of my homemade batch. I’m learning more and more about probiotics and I’ll definitely continue to post about benefits, as well as risks, as I come across them.