From ancient Manchuria to your glass: 2,000 years of a living drink that travels across cultures and centuries.
Kombucha is the result of a double fermentation of sweetened tea by a culture called SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria and Yeast). This living, gelatinous disc transforms sugar and tea into organic acids, B vitamins, enzymes, antioxidants, and carbon dioxide.
The result: a naturally sparkling, lightly vinegary drink with an aromatic complexity that can be endlessly shaped depending on fermentation time, the type of tea used, and the ingredients added during a second fermentation.
Kombucha is nither a soda (2,8g of sugar per 100ml in average against 10g approx for sodas, nor a beer, nor a juice (it’s alive and ever-evolving). It’s a drink in its own category, sitting at the crossroads of fermented cuisine and craft brewing.
Kombucha’s history is as rich as its flavor. The earliest documented traces date back to China during the Qin dynasty, around 220 BCE, where the drink was nicknamed the “tea of immortality” and prized by emperors for its revitalizing properties.
Fermented “ch’a” was consumed at the Qin emperors’ court as an elixir of longevity, reputed to rebalance qi and purify the blood.
According to legend, the Korean physician Kombu brought the fermenting culture to Japan to treat Emperor Inkyo. This is one possible origin of the word “kombucha”.
The SCOBY traveled with merchants along trade routes. In Russia, it became known as the “sea mushroom” and a popular folk remedy.
Kombucha spread across Central Europe. Scientific studies began exploring its digestive benefits.
GT’s Kombucha popularized the drink in the United States. The “gut health” movement propelled kombucha into mainstream culture.
Kombucha established itself as a soda alternative. In France, craft breweries like Hopfield are pushing the boundaries with hops.
The most widely accepted theory is Japanese : the word would come from kombu (kelp) y cha (tea) — even though traditional Japanese kombucha is actually a kelp infusion, with no fermentation involved.
The Korean theory suggests the name comes from the physician Kombu, who is said to have introduced the drink to Japan in the 5th century. In the West, the term became established in the 1990s to refer exclusively to the fermented tea drink.
Not all kombuchas are created equal. A quality kombucha can be recognized by:
It’s within this artisanal renaissance that hopped kombucha was born. A category that blends two worlds: brewing (with hops, but no malt and no alcohol) and live fermentation (with the SCOBY). The result is a floral, herbaceous, slightly bitter drink, with the tangy depth of kombucha.
At Bio Brasseurs, we started from a simple question what if we brewed kombucha with the same rigor as a craft beer?
We select our hops the way a brewer selects their varieties; for their aromatic profile, origin, and intensity. We then ferment everything using the “dry hopping” method. The result is a hopped kombucha that’s alcohol-free, gluten-free, vegan, and organic!
Discover our hopped kombuchasIn 2025, kombucha represents a new way of drinking : living, traceable, low-sugar beverages produced through artisanal methods. The “no & low alcohol” trend puts kombucha at the forefront, offering the aromatic complexity of a fermented drink without the effects of alcohol.
Article written by the Bio Brasseurs team