Kombucha in Anchorage

[Guest guest]

Kombucha culture grows in more ways than one

By JULIA O'MALLEY

Anchorage Daily News

http://www.adn.com/life/story/7555476p-7467059c.html

Published: March 22, 2006

Last Modified: March 22, 2006 at 03:47 AM

The stuff smells like old socks and vinegar. A science-fiction-looking blob

sometimes skims its surface. Still, Kombucha, a fizzy, cultured tea drink,

is flying off Anchorage's natural-food grocery shelves.

Once a hippie health beverage home-brewed in foul-looking pitchers, the

drink, made from adding lactobacilli and yeast cultures to sweetened tea,

has in the last several years been bottled by a few companies and aimed at

the health-conscious. Though health foodies up the West Coast have been

lapping it up for a year or two, the craze is just hitting here.

There are two brands available in Anchorage: Kombucha Wonder Drink, by the

maker of Stash and Tazo teas in Portland, Ore.; and G.T.'S Kombucha and

Synergy drinks, made by Millennium Products in Beverly Hills, Calif.

The Wonder Drink, which comes in several flavors, is a milder version

sweetened with cane juice. G.T.'S raw Kombucha, which comes plain or

sweetened with fruit juices, is more pungent and true to its hippie roots.

Because the culture continues to grow in the bottle, it can have some ugly

clumps of culture floating in it.

G.T.'S is a consistent favorite, outselling the Wonder Drink, said Vikki

Solberg, owner of Natural Pantry. Wonder Drink also had some fermentation

problems. The natural fizz caused the tops to pop off, she said.

" (G.T.'S) does a lot better, because it tastes so much better, " Solberg said

" I'm always asking why there's holes over there in the drink case. People

are going absolutely ape over it. "

Kombucha (pronounced kom-BOO-cha) isn't cheap. G.T.'S retails there and at

Organic Oasis for around $4 for a 16-ounce bottle. Wonder Drink sells at

Natural Pantry for $2.19 for 8.5 ounces.

The Natural Foods Merchandiser, a trade publication in Boulder, Colo., named

it one of the hottest new items for 2006. Sales of raw Kombucha especially

were " the stuff of legend, " it said.

" I wouldn't say it's a mainstream beverage, but the people who are into it

are really into it, " said Laurie Budgar, senior editor with the publication.

" On both of the coasts for sure, we are seeing rapid, rapid growth. "

G.T. Dave, who started bottling the raw, cultured tea 11 years ago, said his

company has had trouble keeping up with the demand and recently moved to a

new facility that can produce hundreds more gallons for expanded

distribution to the East Coast.

Dave maintains an almost completely raw vegetarian diet, which Kombucha is

part of. He hopes its popularity might make more people think about where

their food comes from. He admits the slimy strands of culture floating in

his drinks are " kind of graphic. " But really, it's all about your frame of

mind, he said.

" I go to my friend's house who eats meat, and I see an animal carcass in the

refrigerator, " he said. " If that doesn't turn you off, a little slime in

your bottle should be nothing. "

As if the texture wasn't enough, Dave says the newest flavor of the drink

will contain spirulina algae, making it slime green.

Makers of G.T.'S and Wonder Drink assign mythical, spiritual qualities to

the bubbly beverage. Wonder Drink's bottle calls it an " exhilarating tonic "

that promises " serenity, endurance and clarity. " G.T.'S lists a dozen health

benefits, including appetite control, anti-aging properties and " cell

integrity. "

Though its health and spiritual benefits can't be verified, G.T.'S

especially packs a buzz -- something along the lines of Red Bull for the

veggie-burger set.

" I can't do caffeine at all, " said Matt Vanderbilt, a server at Organic

Oasis, who drinks it several times a week. " To me, it's just a clean energy

drink. The taste isn't the greatest, but the energy it gives me is great. "

http://www.adn.com/life/story/7555476p-7467059c.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Original Kombucha Mailing List

Over 1700 People Worldwide Sharing Kombucha Information and Resources for

Brewing Your Own Kombucha.

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/original_kombucha/