What is kombucha, and who is Bhu?
by Amrit B
Say hello to kombucha, an ancient, delicious, thirst quencher that’s good for you.
This fermented drink or elixir as it’s known on the wellness streets, is made from tea, black, green, white or mixed, and sugar. Kombucha is a “functional” beverage that contains vitamins, amino acids and multiple nutrients full of health benefits. Deceptively simple to brew but hard to perfect, human beings have been fermenting this probiotic rich tea for centuries.
Sans BS, Bhu is honesty in a bottle
We are all about clean ingredients chosen for their benefits, good flavours and a meticulous brewing process. But what we really like to focus on is how Bhu is simply a *fun drink to have.
The Tea of Immortality
Set your clocks back thousands of years to 221 BC, at the start of China’s Qin Dynasty, to Northeast China (then called Manchuria) where brewers figured out how to use a gelatinous disc called SCOBY or a Symbiotic Cultures of Bacteria and Yeast to ferment sugared tea. They called this the “Tea of Immortality”. Other origin stories point at kombucha being named after Dr. Kombu, a Korean physician who brought the tea to Japan as a remedy for Emperor Inkyo.
221 BC is also how 2/21 became the date for World Kombucha Day. 🤓
In the early 20th century our drink made it to Russia (“Kambucha”), Germany (“Kombuchaschwamm”), where it was consumed during WW1, and eventually other parts of Europe.
It was often compared to yogurt for its health benefits (hi! probiotics), and while there was no medical proof, research still claimed that the drink could detoxify the blood, regulate appetite and help keep your intestines well-maintained. A good gut, being the largest immune organ in your body, equals a healthy immune system, smoother digestion (plus a blooming gut flora) and even helps with your mood. Somewhere in the 1990s, Sandor Katz, the Godfather of Fermentation and author of The Art of Fermentation, made kombucha his special raison d'etre, and his research helped teach interested folk more about this magical tea. Modern media sadly persists in calling kombucha “new-agey” and “trendy”, but the tea is prehistoric, similar to other forms of fermentation.
Pour that funky bucha, baby 🎷
Kombucha has a natural effervescence, a by-product of fermentation, that is more delicate than soda. It has a slight funk from the fermentation, the good James Brown/Stevie Wonder/Sly and The Stone kind, and a bite that comes from all the organic acids formed as another by-product of the fermentation that help detoxify and cleanse our body.
At Bhu, we use 100% real, natural and (wherever possible) organic ingredients. Our fermentation cycle is an average of 21 days, give or take a few. Winters make our bacteria and yeast sluggish, and summers make them active. Healing botanicals and herbs are then used to flavour the base, intelligently, with care. Our batches are small, hand bottled and as much as possible, made fresh. And of course, Bhu kombucha is 100% raw, vegan & preservative free.
Feel good~ muscle recovery (Vitamin B got you)
~ increased energy (hear hear, Iron)
~ mood & sleep (our love, Serotonin)
Have fun
Bhu Kombucha is a fun, yum drink that makes for a healthier, smarter alternative to sugary soda pops and is also a great, no-fuss mixer for cocktails. Download our spirit guide here to have more fun at the bar. Bhu also blends beautifully in smoothies, dressings and marinades.
Most importantly, Bhu Kombucha tastes like a party in your mouth.
