What is Kombucha?
One of our customers, Alix Martin, spotted bottles of Left Field Kombucha in our chiller cabinet and decided to gave it a try. She was so impressed with the complexity of the flavour and how good it made her feel, that she took a trip to the Scottish Borders to find out more about it from Jo and Geraint, the couple who founded Left Field Kombucha in 2016.
How is kombucha made?
Kombucha is a solution of tea, sugar and water, that is fermented by a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast – a SCOBY. Alix learnt how Left Field Kombucha is made for flavour, which is hardly surprising as Geraint is a former beer brewer. The distinctive and unexpected taste is achieved by drawing on the aromatics of the finest ethically sourced teas. Geraint doesn’t add any fruits or spices, but rather works with the natural flavours of the teas. Find out more about the four different varieties below. Because kombucha is a fermented drink, it has a maturity of flavour that is far beyond the original tea.
Here are some photographs of the Left Field brewery, note the ‘Scoby Hotel’, where the cultures are cared for until they are set to work in the fermentation vessels.
Why drink kombucha?
The fermentation process converts much of the sugar into a host of healthy organic acids, making kombucha naturally low in sugar and calories. As a fermented drink it is full of living probiotics which are good for gut health.
Kombucha is a living, raw, unpasteurised drink. It is vegan and gluten free.
We stock all four varieties:
No.1 Yunnan Black kombucha tea
The Earthy One
Sparkling, craft-brewed and a Great-Taste-Award winner in 2017, the distinctively earthy and smoky Yunnan Black raw kombucha tea is naturally full of good stuff and it will also sit nicely beside you at the dinner table.
- Dark & smoky
- Full-bodied
- Distinctively earthy
Tea Origin: Yunnan, China
No.2 Sencha Green kombucha tea
The Zesty One
The sparkling No.2 Sencha Green kombucha tea has a complex flavour profile, and it is as fresh as the spring morning when the tea was harvested. That tea, which contains both the stems and the leaves, is enriched by the inclement coastal weather of Shizuoka.
- Zesty
- Fresh sea air
- Tropical friuts
Tea Origin: Shizouka, Honshu, Japan
No.3 Oolong kombucha tea
The Sassy Floral One
The diva of the brewery. It’s a little sassy, has notes of elderflower, yet also a tang, and it feels like sherbet on the tongue. People have said that this kombucha tea tastes like having a dry white wine or prosecco.
- Delicate
- Floral
- Refreshing
Tea Origin: Nantou, Taiwan
No.4 Darjeeling kombucha tea
The Fruity One
The No.4 Darjeeling kombucha tea is a refined and vine fruity kombucha. It is the one best enjoyed over breakfast before you start your day, or with cheese at the end of the day.
- Firm & tannic
- Amber
- Vine fruits
Tea Origin: Darjeeling, India
