I found my first Kombucha nestling in a fridge in Shanghai. Home-brewed by my Chinese medicine tutor to help boost her liver and stomach ‘qi’ (energy), it was love at first taste for me. That brief but brilliant buzz was the beginning of a positive obsession, + kombucha became a life-saver during my year in the fast, full-on, fanatical city that is Shanghai.
Back home, the craving called, + a corner of my kitchen became a fermenter’s paradise. Where kombucha led, I followed: from the farmers’ markets of Hawaii to the yoga beaches of Bali; from the healing heart of India to the tap rooms of Portland, Oregon. Before long, I was interning at one of the world’s most forward-thinking fermentarians – a humble pickle shop in Berkeley, California, getting to know my obsession a little better.
There are a million reasons I love kombucha, + not all of them bacterial: I’m drawn to the warmth of all the people who ferment, their desire to share ideas + taste together; I love the spontaneity of the process, its weirdness, + aliveness
I’m also inspired by the discovery of new techniques + experimental ingredients, a journey that never ends.