Why Kombu Cha?

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JustJoel

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When I lived in Japan, kombu was just big pieces of dried kelp used to make broth, and kombu cha was just another variety of Japanese tea, like ban-cha.

Lately, I’ve been seeing blogs and ads and recipes touting the benefits of kombu cha, and how to culture it and feed it and grow it, it’s become the new sourdough! What’s up with this? Is it really that beneficial? Is culturing it an art? Most importantly, does it taste good, and is it worth the trouble?
 
Kombucha has been popular for some years now. IMO its not a fad, since its benefits are real.

Its main benefit is as a probiotic. Its also an antioxidant.

It tastes a bit sour and odd... a bit fizzy. I don't mind it and drink it once in awhile.

But I make water kefir at home, which does much of the same for you and tastes much better.

Read the book THE ART OF FERMENTATION
 
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When I lived in Japan, kombu was just big pieces of dried kelp used to make broth, and kombu cha was just another variety of Japanese tea, like ban-cha.

Lately, I’ve been seeing blogs and ads and recipes touting the benefits of kombu cha, and how to culture it and feed it and grow it, it’s become the new sourdough! What’s up with this? Is it really that beneficial? Is culturing it an art? Most importantly, does it taste good, and is it worth the trouble?

It's one word - kombucha. Like roadfix said, it's just another food fad. In the last 30 years, people in the United States have obsessed about nutrition and micronutrients and the food industry takes advantage of that. First, it's fat, then it's gluten, then coconut oil is all the rage, blah blah on and on, something new every year and everyone's a biochemist with a degree from Google University. Eat a balanced diet and your gut flora will be fine, you will get enough vitamins and minerals and protein and fat, and unless you have a medical condition that prevents it, your liver, blood, kidneys and digestive system will detox your body all on their own.

There is very little scientific evidence that it has particular beneficial effects in people, and it can be dangerous if consumed in large amounts (more than 1/2 cup per day) or if it isn't properly prepared at home. It can easily become contaminated with harmful bacteria.

For more: Kombucha Tea- WebMD
 
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It's one word - kombucha. Like roadfix said, it's just another food fad. In the last 30 years, people in the United States have obsessed about nutrition and micronutrients and the food industry takes advantage of that. First, it's fat, then it's gluten, then coconut oil is all the rage, blah blah on and on, something new every year and everyone's a biochemist with a degree from Google University. Eat a balanced diet and your gut flora will be fine, you will get enough vitamins and minerals and protein and fat, and unless you have a medical condition that prevents it, your liver, blood, kidneys and digestive system will detox your body all on their own.

There is very little scientific evidence that it has particular beneficial effects in people, and it can be dangerous if consumed in large amounts (more than 1/2 cup per day) or if it isn't properly prepared at home. It can easily become contaminated with harmful bacteria.


+1

If you are fixing to culture something, I would stick to yogurt that has at least 3 strains of friendly bacteria.
 
It's one word - kombucha. Like roadfix said, it's just another food fad. In the last 30 years, people in the United States have obsessed about nutrition and micronutrients and the food industry takes advantage of that. First, it's fat, then it's gluten, then coconut oil is all the rage, blah blah on and on, something new every year and everyone's a biochemist with a degree from Google University. Eat a balanced diet and your gut flora will be fine, you will get enough vitamins and minerals and protein and fat, and unless you have a medical condition that prevents it, your liver, blood, kidneys and digestive system will detox your body all on their own.

There is very little scientific evidence that it has particular beneficial effects in people, and it can be dangerous if consumed in large amounts (more than 1/2 cup per day) or if it isn't properly prepared at home. It can easily become contaminated with harmful bacteria.

For more: Kombucha Tea- WebMD
I pretty much thought it might be a fad. It’ll stick around for years with a cult following.
In Japanese, in which I am fluent, “kombu” is the name of a dried kelp, and “cha” is tea. So “kombu cha” is only one word if “green tea” is only one word. We Americans may have turned it into one word, just like we turned “kara-oke” into that abominable “carry-okie,” but that’s what we Americans are good at, among other things - slaughtering languages!
 
Kombu-cha when pronounced correctly is two words. I've heard it pronounced kom-boo-chuh as one word by the uninitiated.

And yes, it's been around in NY and NJ for a long time, at least in health food stores and Asian markets.

I think it's pretty nasty. I had some last summer at the beach in a vegetarian restaurant that was doctored,up with agave syrup and fruit, and it was still nasty, and I like most fermented foods and sea veggies.
Just my two cents.
 
My wife's been buying Brew Dr. Kombucha in different flavors lately and I noticed kombu is not in the list of ingredients.

I've only eaten kombu regularly as a side dish or in fancy varieties on New Year's Day in Japan.
 
I pretty much thought it might be a fad. It’ll stick around for years with a cult following.
In Japanese, in which I am fluent, “kombu” is the name of a dried kelp, and “cha” is tea. So “kombu cha” is only one word if “green tea” is only one word. We Americans may have turned it into one word, just like we turned “kara-oke” into that abominable “carry-okie,” but that’s what we Americans are good at, among other things - slaughtering languages!

Have you ever heard of Chinglish? We had an exchange student who was friends with another student from China. I'm surprised she was admitted to high school because her English was so bad. Americans are not the only ones who adopt words from other languages and adjust them to suit our speech patterns.
 
+2 the stuff is nasty!

Folks `round these parts drink kombucha for gut health,
don't understand why, I agree with GG, eat right and your
amazing human body will take care of the rest.

JJ, I sooooooo agree with you on how we Americans
can take certain words from other languages, and
butcher them better than any meat-guy-with-the-cleaver out there ;)

But back to the topic, two of my gal-pals took this 'class'
from some other person who charged them an-arm-and-a-leg
to learn how to make their own kombucha, `cuz they didn't
want to pay the high price in the supermarket.
Well, that science project went horribly wrong!
Again, as GG mentioned, bacteria can be a strange bed fellow,
suffice to say, one of them got very ill.
I have yet to see anyone who does drink that stuff have
an positive results, other than empty their pockets to give to some
large conglomerate, it's like $3+ per bottle, GEEZ!!

edit: I forgot to add, these are just my own observations,
you may see things with a different set of eye-glasses than mine ;)
 
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It's prety normal on Japan to take American words that have no direct translation and give them a Japanese sounding name.

For instance, McDonald's is Makudonerado.
 
It's prety normal on Japan to take American words that have no direct translation and give them a Japanese sounding name.

For instance, McDonald's is Makudonerado.
Actually, Japanese people who have never learned English (and many of them who have) can’t pronounce “McDonald’s.” They can’t pronounce my name correctly either, but that’s not a Japanese thing.
 
A buddy of mine lived in Japan for several years as an Engrish teacher, and married a Japanese woman while there. When they moved to America, he couldn't stop laughing every time his wife got upset about the erection of Donard Trump.
 
^^^ :LOL:

I also find it somewhat funny when people in the US say "tsunami wave" or "ahi tuna". (word redundancies)

Also, a few Japanese words have turned into English words, for example, the word "skosh".
 
Its not been mega-sudden, really. Especially in LA! LA is sort of the epicenter of this kind of stuff.

Its been popular here for 6 years at least. You find it everywhere

Well, that's LA.

Here in Texas, I had not even heard of it until sometime this past year. I am only now starting to see it locally -- although, the new Toyota US Headquarters move from LA to ten miles from me might have something to do with that. All kinds of "LA" kinds of stuff is showing up lately.

CD
 
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