The Wild

A week ago, I embarked on a new endeavor: home kombucha brewing. A friend convinced me to give it a shot and generously provided me with a SCOBY to get started. On my end, I spent somewhere in the neighborhood of $100 assembling the necessary equipment:

• A large glass container with a spigot
• Cheesecloth to cover the mouth of the container
• Several flip-top bottles (some new, some from thrift stores)
• Black tea, sugar, and fresh organic ginger and turmeric

To be fair, $100 buys quite a few bottles of store-bought kombucha. Some quick napkin math suggests I’ll need to brew about 10 liters to break even — and with my first batch coming in at around 5 liters, we’re already well on our way.

So why kombucha?

First, I believe (rightly or wrongly) that kombucha is genuinely good for gut health. Second, depending on what you add to the mix, it can function as a general wellness tonic. My first batch, for instance, incorporates ginger and turmeric — both well known for their anti-inflammatory properties.

There’s also something to be said for sharing a hobby with a friend. Left to my own devices, I never would have taken the plunge. Now I find myself excited to see what my efforts produce — and to share the results with my brewing buddy.

And of course, I’ve been drinking kombucha for years and simply enjoy it. With store prices creeping ever upward, the economics of brewing my own only sweetens the deal.

Cheers!

Image credit https://blogs.imperial.ac.uk/molecular-science-engineering/2023/08/16/kombucha-more-than-just-a-drink/