My current obsession is kombucha, which is a fizzy, slightly sour tea. The drink has been around for 1,800 years, but thanks to 2017’s fermentation fad, it is now making a big comeback. While I do not yet brew my own home “booch,” I do still talk about the process to anybody that will listen:
Kombucha is made by adding a combo of yeast and bacteria to sugary tea. The combo is called a SCOBY, which stands for “symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast,” and is said to resemble a mushroom. But if you ask me, it looks like a slimy pancake.
“Don’t worry,” I tell my friends and co-workers, “that’s strained out before the tea is served.”
Still, the imagery does not help sell the idea of kombucha during my enthusiastic endorsements.
“Come on, try it!” I insist, waving my glass beneath their noses.