Real Antwerp kombucha from Minka
Kombucha is definitely on the rise in our little country, and not surprising! This drink with Chinese origins is not only tasty, but also has some health benefits. Two things we got to find out for ourselves a few days ago. Minka Kombucha paid us a visit with some very interesting information and lots of taste testers. And taste testers certainly are the way straight to our hearts.
What is kombucha?
Might be good to know what kombucha actually is. Essentially, kombucha is fermented tea originating from China. The only ingredients that are necessary in the production of kombucha are tea, water, sugar and scoby. You will probably have scrolled passed some videos of scoby on your TikTok or Instagram discovery pages already, but for those of us who are completely lost, we’ll give you a very basic explanation.
SCOBY, Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast, is the ingredient that kickstarts the fermentation process. A scoby contains two kinds of bacteria and yeast. The bacteria and yeast take the sugar that’s added to the tea and turn it into Glucuronic acid, lactic acid, vinegar and various vitamins, giving kombucha its distinctive sour flavour.
Minka kombucha
A little over a year ago, during a nice Easter brunch, Minka Kombucha started out as a fantasy in the heads of Matthias and Philippe. Matthias had been experimenting with the production process for a while and immediately found an enthusiastic business partner in Philippe. Only a little while later, the business was up and running and they launched their first product, the spicy kombucha.
Production process
Unlike the countless beverages that are closer to pop than to kombucha, Minka adheres to the original fermented tea as closely as possible. You can easily see that from their production process, where every step is being done completely by hand.
The process obviously starts with the brewing of the tea. Next, the sugar is added. The amount of sugar is carefully calculated to kickstart the fermentation, but not make the final product sweet. To achieve the different flavours of their products, the Minka team then adds various fresh ingredients in strainer bags. These ingredients are left to ferment with the tea for about a week and a half, releasing all their flavours into the brew.
You see, Minka’s kombucha does not contain any added sugar or flavouring, the product is entirely natural!
Minka products
The product that started it all, the kombucha with pineapple, ginger, habanero and cinnamon. This unique combination of ingredients gives the tea a slightly sweet base with a nice spicy aftertaste. If you ask us, this spicy kombucha is the perfect drink to sip on a patio on a sunny summer’s day or when you’re looking for something different from the usual cocktail or pop.
Their next creation is The Original No. 46. This is the essence of kombucha. You get the pure, slightly sour taste of fermented tea. No extra added sugar, no flavouring, you get the real deal.
The third and most recent Minka product is the sweet kombucha with mango and basil. The fresh mango and basil leaves are added during the fermentation process and release their wonderful flavours into the final product. This beverage is perfect for those that don’t handle spice well but do want something a little more flavourful.
How healthy is kombucha really?
There’s a lot floating around the internet about the supposed health benefits of kombucha. Whether this fermented tea really is the miracle cure it is said to be is something we can neither confirm nor deny. But what we do know for sure is that the Minka kombucha is much healthier than your average can of pop. Their products contain no additional added sugar or flavouring. Moreover, kombucha is full of probiotics and amino acids, which have many benefits for your digestive and immune system.
