• Kombucha is a naturally carbonated beverage made from fermented tea, to which a mixture of yeast and bacteria has been added.
  • Advocated for its benefits on the intestinal flora, the drink already in vogue across the Atlantic has been arriving in Europe for about ten years.
  • With the rise of Dry January and the desire for healthier eating, kombucha growers are touting it as an "alternative to traditional sodas."

Already in vogue in the United States and Canada for twenty years, kombucha is growing in Europe and is gaining more and more followers in France. But what exactly is this surprising fermented tea-based drink presented as "the wellness alternative to sodas"? According to Antoine Martin, co-founder of the French organic kombucha brand Jubiles, born in 2017 and based near Nantes, the manufacturing process consists of "tea fermentation, to which cane sugar is added and sourdough: a symbiosis of different species of yeast and bacteria".

Two fermentation phases are necessary: the first is used to develop the "microorganisms" present in the sourdough (which looks like a translucent and viscous algae), in stainless steel tanks "like a beer brewery", according to the producer. The second, after adding "juice or infusions to give taste and color to the drink", is used to sparkle the beverage.

A "living" drink

After fermentation, we end up with a liquid that is not very sweet, naturally carbonated and a little acidic, presented as a good alternative to alcoholic beverages, "ideal for an aperitif without alcohol", according to Antoine Martin. A particular taste that can surprise the uninitiated: like a sparkling tea that would have been left in the open air a little too long. "There is a well-being and artisanal side that seduces more and more, to replace hyper sweet sodas," says R-Kombucha, a Strasbourg brand that appeared in 2016. It is a so-called "living" drink: if it is not cooled to stop the fermentation process, yeasts and bacteria continue to grow indefinitely. At Jubiles, an associate jokes: "In itself, you could drink a thousand-year-old kombucha!"


This drink is indeed far from new: if its origins are unclear, we know that it is a thousand-year-old beverage that would have appeared in Asia on the Silk Road, between China, Mongolia and Korea. Traditionally consumed in several Asian cultures, kombucha would serve as self-medication and help digestion.

Good for your health?

If its benefits are not scientifically recognized, kombucha producers extol the many merits of this liquid: according to Jubiles, acetic acid created during fermentation "helps the body eliminate toxins". The R-Kombucha brand adds: this process generates "a multiplication of polyphenols present in tea and the creation of probiotics and vitamins", which would help regenerate the intestinal flora.

Food fermentation and its benefits are not only found in kombucha: according to Kyo Kombucha, another brand that markets the drink, "there has been a boom in all fermented products in general" over the past decade. We can think of lacto-fermented vegetables, which even had the right to a festival in their honor last year.

Dry January obliges, Jubiles saw a boost in sales at the beginning of the year, which was part of an overall good dynamic, just like Kyo Kombucha or R-Kombucha. Antoine says that "despite the organic crisis, the fermented beverage market is doing well". Widely present in organic stores such as Biocoop or Naturalia, the various brands that market the beverage are increasingly visible in French supermarkets. Curious or lovers of alcohol-free alternatives, if the fermented taste of the drink doesn't scare you, kombucha may be for you.

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