Asian tea gains ground in West

Kombucha created by harvesting yeast and bacteria colony

Asian tea gains ground in West. Rob Blom of Grimsby displays a jar containing a kombucha "mother", a yeast and bacteria colony used in the creation of a traditional Chinese and Russian drink that is growing in popularity among the health conscious in North America. Pieter van Hiel/Staff Photo

The kombucha mother floats in a large glass jar, suspended in an amber fluid that renders it cloudy and indistinct. From various angles it resembles a mushroom, or perhaps a pickled science experiment floating in formaldehyde. It certain does not look like something one would drink, never mind drink for health reasons. And yet, this odd alchemy of oolong and bacteria produces a distinct effervescent tea, a beverage that generations of Russian grandmothers and Manchurian doctors swear is good for you. Kombucha's healthy reputation has spread to the west, and it is now possible to purchase bottled examples at many health stores. Purists, however, swear by the homemade variety. One such purist is Grimsby resident Rob Blom. Blom, 28, has been making and drinking his own kombucha for three years. He first learned of kombucha five years ago, after first embracing vegetarianism and later, veganism. Limited his intake of North America's primary source of protein meant he was searching for diet alternatives of all kinds.
"I found out about this simply buy going vegan. Once you go vegan you really have to struggle a little bit in finding things to eat and drink. But, a lot of doors opened to me. I started eat more foods than when I was a meat eater, simply because I no longer have meat as a primary dish. You have a huge door of potentiality," he said. "(Kombucha drinks) have been very popular in the health movement for the last five or six years…. especially for vegetarians and vegans looking for an alternative to yoghurt."
Kombucha is created through a fermentation process that utilizes a "kombucha mother," a dense mat of bacteria and yeast grows in a mixture of tea and water. This mat of bacteria is scientifically known as a zoogleal or SCOBY (symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast). When fully grown the kombucha mother floats like a cap atop the solution of sweet tea. As it grows, it feeds on the sugar, changing the tea into kombucha through the natural alchemy of fermenationt. While all kombucha shares some qualities, such as the acidic flavour, the actual taste and colour can vary widely depending on the tea used and sugar used to start the growth of the kombucha mother.
"Once you have the mother, you take any traditional tea, generally with caffeine. I like to use oolong or green tea. Other people use black tea. This creates different flavours. Then you add a sugar, nothing artificial. The sugar I like is brown sugar, cane sugar or palm sugar, but some people use white sugar," said Blom. "The mother grows to various sizes, depending on the length of fermentation and the amount of sugar. Some people who don't like acidic drinks only ferment it for a week, so it has a half sweet, half acidic taste. Putting the mother in the fridge causes it to become dormant and cease growing."
Some health food enthusiasts make remarkable, if sometimes vague, claims for kombucha. They say it detoxifies the body while "energizing" the mind and spirit. While few of these health claims have been proven by scientific research, it is known that kombucha contains gluaric acid, which can help with liver functions. Blom himself is no stranger to science - he has one degree in physics and another in education - but his view of the world is leavened with ideas more commonly attributed to the mystic. He drinks kombucha as much from a desire to feel more connected to the process of food and drink as for the health benefits.
"It has a lot of good yeast, good acetic, polyphenols and B-vitamins and perhaps probiotics. Generally, anything fermented is quite good," he said. "But the health benefits, for me, are more to do with regaining your own connection to food. What it has the potential to do is create a foundation for you to be really be more connected with your food. It's a whole process of kombucha, you really get into the work. You spend time with the kombucha in the kitchen, it's a very meditative experience and the community is really sharing. It's those benefits that help you to be more mindful."
One of the attractions of kombucha is how easy it is to create and customize. In addition to selecting different varieties of tea, some also choose to double ferment their tea, or infuse it with fruit or spices, such as cinnamon. However, for Blom, the real attraction is the communal feeling it encourages. The kombucha mother grows and buds and produces "daughters," which may be use to start new batches, in a never-ending cycle.
"You can create your own mother through a drink, but the easiest way is to find a person with a mother. The mother produces a daughter, which becomes a new mother. That's what's really nice about the drink for me, because there is this sharing that goes on as well. The more you use it, the more you can produce, and the more you produce the more mothers you have, and the more mothers you have, the more you can give away," said Blom. "It's an inexhaustible supply."