The ‘kombucha’ connection

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I had been staring at the pale liquid in a large glass jar for some time when my host came up and said, “Kombucha.” An appropriate response would have been, “Can I borrow some SCOBY?” Instead, I said, “What?” He looked almost disappointed. Would I like to try it? he asked. I didn’t really. It sounded like tea with seaweed. Not for me.

This was a while ago. Now, when I try every tea I can lay my hands on, kombucha is back in my life. And, it turns out, it is fermented tea.

Kombucha’s origin seems to lie in that vague mix of fantastic stories and anecdotes that are retold so many times they achieve quasi legitimacy. According to one story, Dr Kombu, a Korean doctor, took this fermented tea to treat his patient, the Japanese emperor Inyoko, back in 414 AD. Another origin story points to Russia, where it was popular in the 1800s. By the mid-20th century, it’s said fermented tea was popular in Europe (google Italian song about the “Chinese fungus”).

In its current avatar, its rise in popularity has been linked to gut health. Like yogurt. The magic word is “probiotics”, and many sellers of kombucha list it under this category.

SCOBY, or symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast, is an essential ingredient in kombucha. And from what I understand, home brewers are always on the lookout for it, or generously sharing from their own store. Sourcing seems to be a much sought after activity among the kombucha, or “booch”, lot.

“It’s a living culture,” says Gaurav Saria, whose Infinitea Tea Room and Tea Store in Bengaluru launched a Darjeeling tea kombucha range last year. Like a pet, I ask. Less pet, more baby, he clarifies.” You have to look after it, feed it, burp it…”

Kombucha is made with tea, sugar, water and SCOBY. It takes a few weeks to make a batch; it’s checked and tasted every day. The fermentation is controlled. Undoubtedly, there is a lot of science to getting it right.

Once I decided to try it, I found there is quite a choice out there, from bottled blends to home-brewed options. Much of the kombucha seems to be about fruits and other flavours. Pure tea kombucha seems to be limited, which is a bit disappointing.

I tried a black tea kombucha, green tea kombucha and one with apple-ginger flavours. The green tea and black tea versions were carbonated and reminded me of a light beer. The flavoured kombucha was not carbonated; without the fizz—and despite the fruit flavours—it tasted vaguely medicinal. I could tell my gut had been shocked out of its stupor but to see any benefit, I am told, it must be an everyday choice.

If you are new to it, off-the-shelf options may be the simplest. Alternatively, check if your favourite café is brewing some or see if there’s a booch brewer among your friends.

My checklist: Does it hero the tea or is it flavoured (I would prefer the former)? And is it carbonated or non-carbonated (Saria tells me carbonation is a cosmetic addition and does not dilute the benefits)?

For a tea drinker, this is of course one more way to enjoy tea. It may or may not be your preferred choice but it’s certainly worth a try.

Tea Nanny is a weekly series steeped in the world of tea. Aravinda Anantharaman is a Bengaluru-based tea blogger and writer who reports on the tea industry.

@AravindaAnanth1

Top November restaurant openings in London

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World’s First Authentic Chai Brewer Now Available On Indiegogo

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BURLINGAME, Calif., Nov. 19, 2019 /PRNewswire/ – Chime , world’s first authentic chai maker, today announces its product launch and availability in North America on Indiegogo. This pre-order campaign will last for 30 days until December 19th at the early bird price of $199, increasing as the campaign continues. The suggested MSRP for Chime is $399. Chime has already shipped to hundreds of early customers to test its production and manufacturing. New orders from the Indiegogo campaign will ship in June 2020.

Chai is a beverage enjoyed by over a billion people around the world. While there are numerous coffee makers on the market, chai lovers have to spend money at their local cafe to buy a cup of chai or prepare it manually on the stove. This time-consuming and laborious process hasn’t changed in over 100 years. Now, busy professionals, moms, teens and elders do not need to stand in front of the stove to watch their chai brewing. With Chime, anyone can make a custom-made cup of chai to suit their taste at the push of a button, in about three minutes.

“Chime automates the messy and time-consuming parts of chai making, such as boiling water and milk, while maintaining quality ingredients and letting you customize your recipe based on your preference. We’ve already shipped our product to many customers with enthusiastic feedback and are excited to make it available in North America with this new Indiegogo campaign,” said Gaurav Chawla, Founder and CEO of Chime.

Product features include:

Patented dual-boiler system to brew authentic chai.

High quality tea from Assam and Darjeeling and natural spices from Kerala packed in nitrogenflushed caps to maintain freshness for every single cup. Available in 5 different flavors and adding more blends and kinds of tea regularly.

Connected app for iOS and Android that lets you customize your recipe — or take it with you to another Chime.

Compact design in a charcoal grey color.

Two chime packs containing 10 caps each will be sent with each brewer for Indiegogo customers. To purchase more chime caps, visit shop.brewchime.com for flavors and pricing.

“Chime is an absolute game changer in my home. It has eliminated my least favorite thing about chai — which is that it takes a long time to make and clean up — while keeping and even improving upon the unparalleled taste of the desi chai. I cannot recommend Chime enough!” said customer Romana Pawar of Sunnyvale, CA.

To purchase Chime on Indiegogo, visit: chimechai.com

About Chime

Founded in 2014 by Gaurav Chawla and Samip Bhavsar, Chime is the world’s first chai maker that fuses the traditional, hand-crafted process of making chai with our passion for product design and technology. Chai is special and it deserves its own unique experience to make the perfect cup. We want to make this a delightful experience for every chai lover. For more information, visit: https://www.brewchime.com/

SOURCE Chime

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