By Jennifer Adler

Popping the cap off a bottle of Kombucha — or “mushroom tea” as it’s known by some — is a complete sensory experience. There’s the snap, crackle, fizz of carbonated bubbles, the mysterious slimy globules that slow-float like a psychedelic lava lamp throwback, and the sharp vinegary tang that hits the nose like a slap.

While fizzy, vinegary and slimy are not exactly the most tantalizing food descriptors, this trendy tea has a peculiar allure that’s winning devotees nationwide. At Google’s California corporate headquarters, the cafeteria slings upwards of 100 cups of homemade brew a day, and GT Kombucha, one of the most popular bottled brands on the market, reaps annual sales in the millions.

Kombucha may be the latest fad, but the stringy, tan-colored concoction has a lengthy history. Experts are divided on its cultural origins, but agree that Kombucha’s roots stretch back to ancient China, where, as early as 221 BC, a tea called “the remedy for immortality” was brewed from fungi said to have magical properties. Kombucha eventually made its way into the natural health world of Germany in the early 20th century, before debuting in the United States among the willing and health-thirsty flower children of the 1960s.

The Mother Sip

To clarify, Kombucha is not a mushroom at all, but a symbiotic colony of yeast and beneficial bacteria that grows in sugar-sweetened black tea. As in any yeast, a “mother” creates or buds a new “baby” with each new batch. Yeast-budding makes it very convenient to share and “pass on” the Kombucha craze. Owners of the brown, pancake-sized Kombucha mother have the option to start their own colony by placing the newly budded babes in a mixture of black tea and sugar. Left to rest in a warm, peaceful place, the colony grows until the black tea liquid reaches its desired flavor, in a few days or weeks.

“I can see that Kombucha has live-culture benefits,” offers Sandor Ellix Katz (aka Sandorkraut), guru of fizz and author of Wild Fermentation. “But when you can ferment vegetables, milk, beans, honey and so many more wholesome foods, why focus your fermentation practice around sugar and tea?”

Maybe it’s the ancient folklore, maybe it’s the “mother” infatuation, or maybe it’s the name — Kom-Booo-cha. Whatever it is, this bubbly beverage is a certified craze, and even Katz admits to drinking and enjoying it.

“I do believe that Kombucha is full of beneficial live-cultures and enzymes,” he says. “But I am skeptical of the many miracle health claims that people make on its behalf.”