It seems like every other person you meet these days is drinking kombucha. You might have seen it in the grocery store or heard about it from a friend, and you’re curious to know what all the fuss is about. But once you take a closer look at the price tag, you put it back on the shelf and walk away.
Kombucha can be expensive! Why is that? Is it really worth shelling out your hard-earned cash for?
We’ll discuss that and more in the following article.
Table of Contents
What is Kombucha?
Kombucha is made by fermenting sweetened tea using a symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast (also known as a SCOBY). This process takes anywhere from 7 to 21 days, during which the SCOBY consumes the sugar in the tea to produce carbon dioxide and ethanol. The end result is a slightly effervescent, slightly acidic beverage that contains probiotics, vitamins, and minerals.
Why Does Kombucha Cost So Much?
Kombucha Has a Rich History
Although kombucha has a somewhat murky history, it is believed to have been invented in China and distributed along the ancient Silk Road trade route. The rich history and culture behind kombucha certainly leads to a markup in price.
Brewing Kombucha Requires Special Equipment
Brewing kombucha requires sophisticated equipment. These include a brewing vessel similar to a glass jar, a cheesecloth, a SCOBY, and a strainer. While some of these might be readily available online or at your local brewing equipment store, the total cost can still add up to a significant amount.
The high amount of initial investment plays a major role in the high price tag that Kombucha carries.
Kombucha Takes Time to Brew
Brewing kombucha is a slow process that requires patience and attention to detail. First, you need to make a sweet tea base. Then, you must add the SCOBY and allow it to ferment for 7-21 days. After that, you need to bottle the kombucha and allow it to carbonate for another week or so. In total, brewing a batch of kombucha can take 4 weeks or even more.
Due to its lengthy production time, brewing kombucha is labor intensive, which explains its high price.
Kombucha is Made With High-Quality Ingredients
For kombucha to be effective, high-quality ingredients are an absolute necessity. This includes things like organic tea leaves and pure cane sugar. These ingredients are hard to source, and fetching original quality products can be pretty expensive. But since they are necessary for brewing top-quality kombucha, they are one of the top drivers of the high price of kombucha.
Kombucha is a Handmade Product
Kombucha is not usually mass-produced in a factory. Instead, it is much more likely to be handcrafted in small batches. This means that each batch is slightly different and takes more time to make. This also explains why kombucha is often sold in smaller bottles than many other beverages.
The lack of a mass means of production makes kombucha more of a luxury than a commodity, hence the hefty price tag!
So there you have it! Now you know why kombucha is so expensive. But despite its high cost, kombucha is a very healthy and delicious beverage worth trying. So go ahead and give it a try – your gut might thank you!