What is kombucha, how to make it at home, and where to find it, from Aromaticus to Latta

What is kombucha?

Among fermented beverages, there's one called the "elixir of long life." It's kombucha, a tea-based drink (originating in China) whose origins appear to date back to 220 BC. It was primarily used for its beneficial properties on the stomach, spleen, and liver. Speaking with Luca De Marco of Aromaticus, we discovered first of all that many mistakenly think of it as a specific beverage, when in fact it's an entire category of functional beverages. Furthermore...

, even if it is normally declined in the feminine.

The flavor is

sweetish, the consistency slightly

sparkling. Luca from Aromaticus explains: “At our Trastevere location, we specialize in kombucha. This drink

probiotic vaguely resembles a relative

vinegar, in the sense that it is a gelatinous disk that forms on top of the fermenting tea,” says Luca.

At Aromaticus they sell the

kit (35 euros) to make kombucha yourself, at home (which costs locally

4 euros). We have already told you about it

How to make Kombucha

Following the traditional preparation method, fermentation occurs in sweetened black or green tea for about 10 days in a glass jar or bottle. Plastic and metal containers are not permitted. The jar is then left closed with a piece of cloth secured with a rubber band, allowing only air to pass through.

After that, you can strain the liquid through a sieve and drink it. The process isn't complicated, but it is quite lengthy. For this reason, the drink is not easily available.

Kombucha in Cocktails by Latta

In addition to Aromaticus, kombucha can be found on the drinks list at Latta, the new venue opened in Ostiense (in the basement of the Ex Mulino Biondi), led by the guys from the Jerry Thomas Project together with Leonardo Di Vincenzo and Paolo Bertani.

Soon, towards the end of February, the bar's centerpiece will be ready: the open-view laboratory dedicated to studying fermentation, complete with a large machine for canning products so customers can enjoy them at home or on the go. Through fermentation, explains Alessandro Procoli, "we want to recreate the flavor of some traditional cocktails, like the fermented gin sour in a can on tap or the Manhattan (€6). We don't redistill the cocktail, but instead go directly through the fermentation process. Among the alcohol-free options is also kombucha, used in the Mojito Kombucha, with mint and cane sugar (but we also have an alcoholic version)."

Fermentation according to Latta

According to Alessandro, fermented kombucha is a very simple home process that anyone can try to replicate: "The heart of it all is the activation disc, the SCOBY (Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast), a symbiotic culture of yeasts and bacteria that allows fermentation to begin. All you need is a glass jar, a flavored tea with or without sugar, and the SCOBY. Then you just have to wait for it to do all the work. What I like about kombucha is its very light, distinctive, and fizzy acidity. Fermentation also produces a new culture, a useful self-reproduction that overcomes the difficulty of finding and reproducing kombucha."

Addresses:

• Aromaticus Trastevere, Via Natale del Grande 6/7, Rome. Tel. 06-88798381. Website (Open daily except Mondays, 12:00 PM to 11:30 PM).
• Latta Fermenti e Miscele, Via Antonio Pacinotti 83, Rome. Tel. 06 8892 3791. Website. (Open daily except Mondays, 6:00 PM to 2:00 AM).