An ancient fermented tea drink that’s fizzy, funky, a little sweet and and a little bit sour is continuing to spread its way through the Bay Area. We’re talking about kombucha, which is brewed locally by a number of producers, including Boochman and Koast Kombucha in San Francisco, Wise Jun-Kombucha in Hayward and Soul Patch Kombucha in Santa Clara, to name just a few.
Nationwide, interest in kombucha peaked in 2018 according to Google trends, but in an era of growing interest in better-for-you beverages, the drink may be undergoing a resurgence, according to local brewers and teachers.
Lindsey and Ramis Ahrary, owners at Soul Patch Kombucha, found their way into brewing kombucha more seriously during the COVID-19 pandemic.
At the time, the Santa Clara couple, a middle school teacher and middle school administrator, respectively, had developed a few kombucha flavors, then secured the permits to try selling their kombucha at a local farmers market.
“No matter how much we would take to the market, we would consistently sell out,” Ramis recalls.
They continued to workshop their flavors, testing out their kombucha brews on friends and family — including their two teenage children. Previously, Ramis had only brewed beer a couple of times, but as Soul Patch’s head brewer, he learned more, diving deeper into the technique of fermentation, from maintaining certain levels of acidity and sugar to learning how to scale production up.
As he refined the flavors and pivoted into rotating seasonal flavors, he says, “We kind of just blew up.”
They rely on premium ingredients and playful flavor combinations that have drawn interest from a growing Gen Z and young millennial crowd of mocktail drinkers.
“We’re on tap at several bars as their mocktail option,” Lindsey says.
One challenge of producing kombucha in the Bay Area is the overhead cost — from rental space to equipment, “and just everything else that goes into running a business,” Ramis says.
They also have to contend with a need to educate some people about the drink, and sometimes, show them it’s not the acidic or vinegar-y beverage they might have tried before, Lindsey says. (Or a drink that triggers the facial reaction sequence that made the internet’s “kombucha girl” Brittany Broski go viral).
Generally, people are a lot more familiar with energy drinks and soda than kombucha, she adds. Plus, kombucha contains probiotics, which can help to keep one’s gut, digestive and immune systems healthy.
As for what’s next? They’re hoping to keep growing Soul Patch, but are in no rush. “It’s been just so rewarding that we actually have a hobby that pays,” Ramis says. “We’re just going to grow steadily and continue to have fun with it.”
In Hayward, kombucha brewer Sherry Hoang, who founded Wise Jun Kombucha, uses honey from her own bees to produce jun kombucha. Using tea blends and local honey, which varies in flavor from batch to batch depending on the flowers the bees are pollinating, the flavors are anything but standard, she says, and she enjoys experimenting with blending Eastern and Western influences. She’s looking to open a taproom soon.
Meanwhile, in Oakland, Lila Volkas teaches a range of nutrition and wellness-based workshops, including on how to make kombucha. Her journey to crafting these quirky varieties began when she first tried the beverage while volunteering on a farm in Canada.
Undeterred by the SCOBY (symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast) in her drink — which she describes as “a weird slimy pancake that floats in liquid” — the tea made her feel good and gave her energy, she says.
Interest in Volkas’ kombucha workshop has ebbed and flowed over the years since she started offering it in 2012, but overall, she says, she’s seen widening acceptance and availability of the drink. It’s now even available in 7-Eleven stores, she says.
The kombucha brewing class is not quite as popular as her nonalcoholic mixology classes, but there’s a reawakening underway, she says.
Both mocktails and kombucha are “better-for-you” beverages and offer a satisfying alternative to drinks containing alcohol, especially to people who are interested in drinking less, she says.
The process of brewing kombucha is pretty simple, she says: You make tea, add sugar and add the SCOBY.
“It’s a great gateway ferment,” she says. “I love empowering people to make things they’d normally buy in the store.”
Don’t want to deal with brewing it? You can also try kombucha on tap at spots like MeloMelo Kava Bar in Oakland and the Cultured Pickle Shop in Berkeley, she says.
Details: Find Soul Patch Kombucha at weekend farmers markets in Santa Clara, Saratoga, Los Gatos, Livermore and Oakland’s Montclair Village; soulpatchfoods.com. Meanwhile, Volkas is offering a virtual kombucha brewing class on Feb. 6; more info at lilavolkas.com/class/virtual-kombucha-brewing.