Have you ever heard of kombucha? You might have started seeing this beverage in your local health food stores in recent years. It is becoming so popular among everybody for all its potential health benefits.
More recently, many athletes have started taking an interest in the beverage. We will discuss what kombucha is, its unique taste, how it’s made, and why it is becoming so popular. Additionally, we will tell you about the amazing commercial opportunities by creating your own kombucha brand to deliver all the benefits to kombucha enthusiasts.
What is Kombucha?
Kombucha is a fermented tea beverage that has an effervescent and slightly sweet taste. Depending on what you want the final thing to taste like, many manufacturers often infuse it with different fruits and botanicals to impart unique flavors.
The tea fermentation process means that there is a mixture of things in a single serving of kombucha, including organic acids, vitamins, live acetic acid bacteria, and yeast cultures. Many commercially produced kombucha beverages have added flavors, sugars, or fruit juices that enhance the final flavor of the product.
What Does it Taste Like?
If you take pure kombucha made with tea and original ingredients, the beverage has a slightly sweet taste that has a hint of sour vinegary notes that might not sound nice but are pleasant. Due to the process of fermentation, kombucha can have a varying level of fizziness as well. Depending on the length of fermentation, kombucha can have varying sugar levels.
The longer the process of fermentation, the more the yeast and bacteria can convert the sugar into acids. Longer fermented kombucha has a less sweet and sour taste. Kombucha infused with herbs or fruits also takes on the flavor of all the additives.
How is Kombucha Made?
The basic principle behind creating the beverage is combining black or green tea with white sugar, starter culture called Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast (SCOBY), and a small amount of unflavored kombucha from a previous batch.
The mixture is left to ferment for several days while the SCOBY gets to work on converting all the white sugar into organic acids. You can consume the kombucha after a few days of fermentation as it is. You can also combine it with herbal tea, roots, or juices to add more flavor and make the drink more interesting.
Benefits of Kombucha for Athletes
Some people have started calling kombucha nature’s sports drink because of its potential to help athletes. We will take a closer look at the benefits that the beverage can have for your health. It will help you get a better understanding of why kombucha is excellent for athletes.
It’s low on sugar content
The initial process of producing kombucha involves using a lot of sugar. White sugar is a common part of the fermentation process, and it needs to be there for the SCOBY in the kombucha to create all the organic acids that provide health benefits. Depending on how long the fermentation process is, a kombucha beverage can have a very low sugar content.
The exact amount of sugar left behind after the fermentation is complete can vary in the beverage. This is the reason why many kombucha manufacturers are now printing the amount of sugar they used for the fermentation process. It is typically no more than 8oz.
As an athlete looking to hydrate themselves by replacing their sugary drinks, kombucha can be an excellent alternative. However, we recommend sticking to drinking water for hydration and drinking kombucha in moderation to reap its benefits.
It’s rich in probiotics
The SCOBY creates a healthy combination of probiotics in the beverage. The result is a perfect way to add probiotics to your diet. Many people who do not eat or drink dairy products can fulfill their requirements for healthy probiotics by adding kombucha to their diet. The dozens of probiotics contained in kombucha are excellent for your gut health that can improve digestion and decrease the amount of bad bacteria.
It provides immune support
Speaking of decreasing bad bacteria, probiotics also support the immune system because of its high Vitamin C content. Adding another source of Vitamin C and probiotics to your diet through kombucha can increase your body’s resistance against inflammatory and various seasonal diseases.
In addition to probiotics and Vitamin C, it also contains a range of B vitamins, organic acids, and amino acids. These components help with the overall metabolic and health functions by providing natural support to your body’s own immune system.
Joint relief
Some kombucha can contain glucosamine. This ingredient is an amino sugar that has been attributed to alleviating joint pain. Ancient Chinese people used glucosamine to help people suffering from arthritis. As an athlete, drinking kombucha after workouts and practice can help with a faster recovery and relieve joint pain.
Do You Want to Start Making Kombucha for Athletes?
It’s no secret that kombucha has become one of the most popular beverages among health-conscious individuals. With all its potential benefits, everyone from athletes to regular people are drinking more and more kombucha to adopt a healthier lifestyle.
The beverage industry is expanding, and several opportunities are rising up. From being a home-brewed beverage, kombucha’s popularity has also made it a widely available commercial beverage. If you are planning to start making kombucha for athletes yourself for its potential in the beverage industry, you should work with the right partner that can help you set up a scalable operation for making kombucha.
If you are ready to take advantage of our expertise and experience in the industry, contact us to find out how we can help.