September 30, 2013 | Short Order

Getting Cultured: Kombucha Tasting in Brooklyn
Blair Wilson

It’s alive! Jars of kombucha are brewing in this Brooklyn office.
It’s alive! Jars of kombucha are brewing in this Brooklyn office.

          Holding the slimy, dense chunk of raw, concentrated probiotic culture in my hand, I hesitate before bringing it to my mouth. So this is where food curiosity has brought me. At first bite, the alien-like blob is bitingly sour, followed by an intense candy sweetness. It is impossible to chew – the cellulose is too strong to be broken by mere human teeth. I mash it into a pulp in the back of my mouth so I can swallow it.


Office manager Will Donnelly prepares SCOBY (raw kombucha culture, bottom left dish) and veggie tempura.

          “It’s something between a starburst and squid,” explains Jessica Childs, one half of the married authors of “Kombucha! The Amazing Probiotic Tea that Cleanses, Heals, Energizes, and Detoxifies” (Avery, $20). Crusaders for all things fermented, Jessica and her husband, Eric, are celebrating the upcoming release of their cookbook with a tasting of selected recipes, all featuring the intimidating, living blend known as kombucha.


Oddly tangy, this carrot-ginger soup was worth a return trip to the buffet.

          I’m here to be converted. Or at least to enjoy a healthy meal with a nice view from the old Pfizer building in South Williamsburg at their book party. Typically served as a fizzy, tea-like drink filled with bits of floating live culture, kombucha has long been hailed as a digestive aid, loved by health-crazed liberal arts students nationwide. What’s newsy here is that Eric and Jessica are actually cooking with kombucha, even in clots like the one I gamely swallowed raw.

          Here to taste are 8-Grain Sourdough Kombucha Bread with Spicy ‘Buch Mustard, Kombucha Rub-N-Sauce Tofu, Blueberries Pickled in Kombucha Vinegar. As I slog my way through a plate of tartly flavored kombucha-braised kale with almond slivers, Eric cheers me on. This isn’t just food – it’s a lifestyle. He promises clearer skin, weight loss, energy boosts.


This tequila cocktail promises a hangover-free tomorrow.

          I move on to carrot ginger SCOBY soup. The unmistakable taste of tangy-sweet fermentation strangely complements the soup, and I find myself returning for seconds.

           Same with the cocktails – a new-age take on the whiskey sour using kombucha’s natural funkiness to replace sour mix is surprisingly good. But the real winner of cocktail hour is the “Dykotomy”, a tequila drink with lavender kombucha, cinnamon agave, a squeeze of lemon, and a few floating raspberries. Allegedly, kombucha helps to counteract the effects of a hangover.

          So, am I the next ‘buch missionary? Jury’s out. I leave feeling sated, warm, and full of energy to pick up some bacon grilled cheese makings for breakfast.

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