UNPASTEURIZED • The Role Of Microorganisms
Kombucha is simple and complex at the same time. BOUCHE's kombucha consists of just four basic ingredients, which are enhanced in taste with other ingredients: filtered water, black and green tea, regional beet sugar and the starter culture we developed ourselves, which is made up of yeast and bacteria. The starter culture is a concentrated form of kombucha and works similarly to a sourdough starter when baking bread. The starter culture creates the basic acid in the kombucha and triggers the fermentation process. So much for the simple-sounding side of fermented tea. For us, the complexity lies in the taste and its development - that's exactly what makes it so exciting.
The bacteria and yeast contained in the starter culture are the most important unit in the fermentation tank because, as living microorganisms, they control the entire fermentation process and thereby significantly define the taste of the end product.
Our goal is to preserve the microorganisms not only during fermentation, but also after bottling. The reason for this is that we want to create a product whose complex flavor structures can change continuously. This happens after the bottle is opened because the oxidation causes the bacteria and yeast to start working more intensively. This makes the taste of the drink more sour and yeasty. This becomes particularly interesting, for example, when our kombucha is served as a pairing with food.
In order to be able to work continuously, the symbiosis of yeast and bacteria needs the right environment; this means that the fermented tea must be unpasteurized. If it weren't, but were heated after bottling, i.e. pasteurized, the end product would be more like lemonade without any living microorganisms.
Since our kombucha is unpasteurized, we strongly recommend always storing it in the refrigerator at 2–7°C. Cooling causes the bacteria and yeasts to slow down their work and only become active again as soon as the kombucha is stored at room temperature or has been opened.
