Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Kombucha Wonder Drink - Himalayan


This is my new favourite drink.

Kombucha is a mysterious drink. It is a sweetened fermented tea or tisane, using a Mother of mushroom, or mushroom, or SCOBY (Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast). Make it with black or green or white tea, add some flavour, like rosehip or ginger or lemon, brew it for a while, make it in the right way, and you get this carbonated different than anything you've tasted before wonder health drink. They first made it in old Russia, or perhaps in China, even Japan. Or, in the Himalayas.

The health part of it may come from various acids that are created; glucaronic or glucaric acid, a detoxifier; lactic acid, good for digestion and the blood; acetic acid, inhibit harmful bacteria; usnic acid, natural antibiotic; oxalic acid, for intercellular production of energy; malic acid, to help detoxify the liver; gluconic acid, effective against yeast infections; and butyric acid, protection against yeast infections.

Wonder Drink, from Portland, Oregon, makes a commercial version of kombucha, however, so I don't know the effects of the pasteurization of it, perhaps there are essential enzymes that are deactivated. Certainly, this drink must be made in the right way, even if not commercial; cleanliness is important, so they are being safe by pasteurizing.

The taste of Wonder Drink is, well, wonderful to me. I found myself trying to capture the last few drops in the glass, and again after a moment, when some of the carbonation coalesced into more liquid. If I were to describe the flavour and taste sensation of this drink, the best I can come up with is an elderberry champagne, Holundersekt, which I also find very delicious, and is a fermented drink, in the sun.

This one is their Himalayan Blend, a mix of oolong tea and lemon flavour, with cane sugar.

Other flavours in this line that I'm interested in, are Asian Pear Ginger, Jasmine Niagara Grape and Rooibos Red Peach.

Quite good.

Quite different.

A wonder.

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