Tea: The best choice for fermenting kombucha

Which tea you can use for the fermentation

A lovingly balanced kombucha and high-quality tea are inseparable. We give you a few simple rules to avoid making the wrong choice of tea. Then you will find an interesting interview about tea from the tea experts at Sensaterra.

Why do you need tea for kombucha?

The Kombucha Scoby consists of various yeasts and bacteria and various small microorganisms. It needs nutrients such as caffeine, nitrogen and theanine to grow and thrive. These are found in the Camellia Sinensis teas described above. The tea also contains vitamins C and B and provides the Scoby with various antioxidants and polyphenols.

The right choice of tea for Kombucha:

1. For kombucha beginners, use black tea or a blend of green and black tea for fermentation.

2. No tea with a high proportion of essential oils or with artificial flavors (e.g. tea made from sage or lemon balm).

3. Preferably use loose tea rather than tea bags.

4. Do not use fruit tea or other exotic, fruity teas on their own - just mix them!

Which water to boil tea for kombucha fermentation?

It's hard to believe, but the quality of the water plays a major role in Kombucha production. The rather inconspicuous ingredient can affect your Scoby positively and negatively. Conventional tap water may have residual chlorine and chemicals, as well as fluoride. These substances can harm the Scoby. It is therefore best to always use filtered water.

In an interview with the tea experts from Sensaterra - the magazine for all current topics related to tea and coffee

What makes a really good tea?

The nice thing is that everyone can perceive something different as “good”. It is therefore difficult to make an accurate statement here. First of all, I would recommend not to consume tea with artificial flavorings or added sugar . The ingenious thing about tea is that you can enjoy the fermented substances and aromas from the plant in a wide variety of combinations. If you let yourself in for what nature has to offer, you will be surprised. What can definitely make a huge difference in terms of taste is the way the tea is prepared. It is very important to pay attention to the water temperature and brewing time . The hotter the water and longer the steeping time, the more likely it is to extract unwanted bitterness from the tea leaves and this then distorts the sweet and delicious flavors that would otherwise be tasted.

What is the difference between black and green tea?

With black and green tea, the further processing after picking makes the difference. It is actually very similar for both teas, except that the leaves of black tea then ferment and those of green tea do not. Therefore, the black tea is also dark. In general, one can say that green and black tea can be obtained from one and the same bush. But as with everything, there is so much creative scope in further processing that it is possible to obtain a variety of special tastes.

What are the health benefits of regular tea consumption?

It depends a lot on which tea is consumed. But one thing is for sure: tea consists exclusively of water and our body needs a lot of it. (Everything in moderation, overdoing is never good). For example, certain teas with fruit also contain vitamins that can do us good. Many herbs in tea stimulate our metabolism or relax us.

Is the theine in tea better tolerated than the caffeine in coffee?

Theine is very similar to caffeine. However, it is not that "aggressive". Caffeine has the property of waking people up for a brief moment with full power. Teain, on the other hand, slowly wakes up the body. But it also keeps you awake much longer. My professor at the university therefore always recommended that I drink tea rather than coffee during exam phases, since the long-term effect of staying awake is better with theine than with caffeine.

You have several articles about kombucha on your blog. What makes a good kombucha for you?

Since we are not specialists in kombucha, the credibility of our partner makes a big difference for us. We are firmly convinced that in discussions with our partners, it will quickly become clear whether these are industrial products or high-quality products that have not been pasteurized .

Who is behind Sensaterra and what is your mission?

Behind Sensaterra is a diverse, small, young team. Our CEOs Maxence Béguin and Camille Rodriguez are both French. However, the whole team also consists of Germans and Italians, since we want to start our e-commerce in these three countries at the same time. Our mission is to launch an e-commerce that only offers high-quality hot drinks. That means we want to bring the attention back to small local businesses, traders and roasters and at the same time give them a voice through our webpage in a modern way. We do not want to support industrial products and remain authentic in the information we deliver to customers. So more people will soon appreciate how much work can be behind a hot cup of tea, chocolate, coffee, etc.

Where do you get your tea from? Do you respect fair trade?

We do not have our own production and therefore no products of our own. All the teas that we offer on our platform belong to small suppliers from France, Italy or Germany . Everyone has their personal specialties and natural production methods. It is also important to us that our partners share the same values ​​as we do. We attach great importance to transparency, fair trade and sustainability .

Thanks to Eleana from Sensaterra for the interview!

You can find more exciting articles by Eleana on topics related to tea and coffee here .