კომბუჩას ბლოგი Archives - Namu

კომბუჩასადმი ჩემი სიყვარული

Ana Tikaradze — Thu, 11 Aug 2022 17:45:43 +0000

2016 წლიდან კომბუჩას სახლში ვამზადებ იმ რწმენით, რომ ეს ჯადოსნური სასმელი აუმჯობესებს ჩემი და ჩემი ოჯახის წევრების კეთილდღეობას. ყოველი ქილა დიდი სიყვარულითა და რუდუნებით მზადდება, რომლებზეც ნახავთ პოზიტიური სიტყვების წარწერებს – “სიყვარული”, “ჯანმრთელობა”, “მადლიერება”, “კეთილდღეობა”, “სიუხვე”, “ჰარმონია”… მინდოდა კომბუჩას სარგებელი ბევრ ადამიანს გამოეცადა – დავიწყე მასტერკლასების ჩატარება, თუ როგორ მზადდება ეს სასმელი, ამავდროულად ვაზიარებდი კომბუჩას […]

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კომბუჩა – სასარგებლო სასმელი

Ana Tikaradze — Thu, 11 Aug 2022 17:46:46 +0000

All you need to know about kombucha

Kombucha, a fermented sweet tea, is a delightful umami taste fizzy drink. The name kombucha is actually Japanese, and it literally translates to 'kombu kelp tea', or tea made from kombu kelp, a seaweed which has umami flavour and is rich in minerals. The fermentation begins when the microorganisms from a mother SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast) are added to a mixture of tea and sugar. Yeast and bacteria consume the nitrogen from the tea and carbon from the sugar to produce an easy drinking “tea vinegar”. Unlike vinegar fermentation, the aerobic fermentation of Kombucha is shortened to make its flavour profile more complex and palatable.

Kombucha is praised for its broad flavour profile as well as for the health benefits. Worldwide and for centuries, Kombucha has been consumed for medicinal purposes and has been called “The Tea of Immortality” and “The Tea of Long Life” by those who cultivated it. Nowadays, as consumers seek more minimally processed and nutritionally-dense options, kombucha sees its renaissance. This drink falls into the category of functional food (a food or beverage that benefits one or more target functions in the body) because its nutrient profile includes water soluble vitamins, acids, minerals, and beneficial microorganisms.

Kombucha promotes gut health. Fermented foods (yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchi or tempeh), along with fermented drinks like kombucha and kefir, in general, have been accepted by the public and the scientific community as functional foods. Fermentation, a process in which bacteria feed on the food's sugar and starch to create lactic acid, is an age-old tradition for preserving food. Fermented food contains naturally occurring beneficial bacteria known as probiotics, which are thought to improve digestion. Having a proper balance of bacteria in gut improves digestion, blocks dangerous organisms that can cause infections, and boosts the immune system. It also helps the body absorb vital nutrients from food.

Kombucha is rich in antioxidants. As known, antioxidant compounds are naturally produced by the body but also may be supplemented through diet. Foods with antioxidants have the specific compounds that protect against the oxidative damage that leads to the onset of age- and diet-related diseases. Oxidative damage caused by free-radicals can cause inflammation and impair the metabolism of proteins and lipids. During the fermentation process, the symbiotic microorganisms in kombucha break down complex carbohydrates, aka the sugar, and convert them into organic acids. For example, such acid can be a precursor to vitamin C. The specific types of bacteria in the brew makes a difference in how and which antioxidants are formed. The microbes are key to enhancing the nutritional profile and flavour of kombucha.

Another contributor to kombucha’s functional food status is tea. Tea (Camillia sinensis) is naturally rich in polyphenols, a group of plant-derived active compounds that have been well-documented for their antioxidant properties. Active compounds like polyphenols protect your organs from damage and cell death. Studies show the concentration of tea polyphenols increase during fermentation. The free radical scavenging abilities of Kombucha increase anywhere from 20 – 200% after 15 days of fermentation depending upon fermentation conditions. Different teas contain differing amounts of polyphenols. Kombucha fermented with green tea has the highest increase in free-radical scavenging ability when compared to black tea or powdered tea demonstrating that whole leaf teas yield a more nutritious product. Many kombucha producers, including Namu Kombucha, use a blend of different teas in order to take advantage of these natural differences and to create unique flavour profiles.

Without having a notion of “antioxidant” or “functional foods” our ancestors intuitively and lovingly cultivated foods and beverage that were nutrient dense. Unpasteurised, artisan type of kombucha is indeed a delicious elixir of fizz and function.

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კომბუჩა სახლში მზადებას სცდება

Ana Tikaradze — Thu, 11 Aug 2022 17:56:08 +0000

In the last decade, Kombucha - this fizzy, fermented drink has jumped from the domain of home brewers and health food boutiques to artisanal producers and supermarkets. A number of factors contribute to kombucha’s enduring allure: the fermented beverage is said to have a health benefits, and on top of this - it is delicious.

Kombucha is trending now, but it is certainly not new. Its roots can be traced around 220 BC. In Europe it entered in the early 20th century. In USA it gained popularity in the 1990s as enthusiasts began sharing their SCOBY-s (kombucha culture) so others could brew the tea themselves at home. In 1995, George Thomas Dave started the kombucha industry and began selling his brand of the cultured tea in local health stores and gaining widespread popularity. Today, GT Living Foods is the largest purveyor of kombucha in the United States. There are few outstanding Kombucha brewers in the UK, such as Fix8, Jarr, Remedy, Boo Chi and Equinox. The GUTsy Captain Kombucha, established in 2016, with headquarters in Lisbon, Portugal, is a #1 Kombucha brand in Europe awarded with “Winner of best new organic product” at the Natural & Organic Awards Scandinavia.

During the last years kombucha is trending in Georgia as well. There has been FaceBook groups of enthusiasts brewing at home, sharing the recipes, experiences as well as SCOBYs. Currently we see Kombucha is brewed in few, mostly vegan and health-conscious cafes. Also, commercial production is starting.

Since 2016 we brew kombucha and sell online. After opening Namu cafe in 2019 we sell it there. And from 2021 Namu Kombucha has moved to HACCP approved large brewery and has appeared at various selling points.

Namu Kombucha brewing is happening in small batches, using the bland of Georgian black and green tea, sugar and SCOBY. It is unpasteurised and full benefits of this amazing functional beverage is kept. For the flavouring, only natural ingredients are used.

As the drink entered the mainstream market, it became a challenge to identify a good quality of product. In many cases commercial brewers of kombucha started to introduce syrups and sweeteners to bring the taste closer to soft beverages. Moreover, to stabilise and standardise their product, many pasteurise and kill all the beneficial bacteria. But there are companies, such as Namu Kombucha, that allow traditional fermentation technology. Their product has well-balanced taste and presence of useful acids without sharp, acidic notes that is delicate, as good wines.

To identify good quality kombucha you should look for the following:

Murky, not clean, floating strands from the kombucha culture
Be refrigerated, should not be shelf-stable as probiotic bacteria starts to die when kombucha spends too long at room temperature
Unpasteurised to keep the live bacteria and its benefits
Inconsistency - as the kombucha is alive, you cannot have it exactly the same taste all the time
Tangy flavour - that is a natural byproduct of the fermentation process.

So, the growth in kombucha production worldwide has been exponential and we can state that it is becoming an influential player in the global beverage economy.

The post კომბუჩა სახლში მზადებას სცდება appeared first on Namu.

კომბუჩა – ალკოჰოლის ჯანსაღი ალტერნატივა

Ana Tikaradze — Thu, 11 Aug 2022 17:57:40 +0000

Imagine you are having a dinner at the restaurant with loved one or friends. You have ordered delicious treats - wild mushrooms roasted in tarragon infused sunflower oil, asparagus with basil and roasted pumpkin seed pesto. But this evening you are not in the mood for alcohol. What options are on the menu? Cola, juices, lemonades or other highly sweetened drinks? These days abstinence from alcohol has become quite common - a healthy lifestyle has become a mainstream, many of us, consciously simply do not "drink" - the following day we have yoga, or we want to keep alkaline-acid balance in the body, or we are just lazy to cope with hangover. Many restaurants have noticed this emptiness and introduced kombucha to the menu, which is a super alternative to alcohol, it has much in common with good quality white wine, has a rich fermentation flavour, it can remind us sparkling chardonnay or light prosecco. Alcohol has no flavour, all of the complexity in wine or whisky is a by-product of the fermentation process. Same is happening with kombucha except that there is not alcohol in the final product.

Kombucha is now available in number of Michelin star restaurants. With complex aromatic profile and a sweet-sour taste, it blends well with food. Like wine, kombucha is easy to pair with fine dishes. Sommeliers say that kombucha opens a whole new palate receptor, so the possibilities for combination are limitless. Ideally it should be served chilled and in a glass for white wine. For example, light kombucha is great with salads, fresh fruits or Asian dishes. Stronger, more mature kombucha - works well with heavier and spicy foods.

Kombucha is also a great base for creating alcoholic, low or non-alcoholic cocktails. Due to the low sugar and high acidity it lifts flavours of gin, whiskies, rums and other spirits.

So, restaurant looking for a way to improve their low or non-alcoholic offering, kombucha is a great solution. It can easily be on the space of champagne, wine or craft beer.

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