Afterglow Kombucha by Cultur'd Mnl

TASTING NOTES FROM THE CURATOR

Local brand Cultur’d MNL makes healthy drinks appealing. Their Afterglow Kombucha is made with Jasmine Green Tea, mixed with Passionfruit and Calamansi, giving it a deep yellow color—almost orange. It’s floral and fruity, with a crisp and vibrant quality. Filled with tropical flavors, it transports you to a relaxing day in a hammock, being caressed by the warm tropical breeze.

PREPARATION AND PAIRINGS

The fruit bits found in your kombucha are real fruits, preserved within the fermented drink. They are 100% edible, and will have a softer quality, with a slightly more acidic taste.

Kombucha is a fermented drink, and thus, will do very well when paired with fellow fermented and pickled foods. Enjoy it with sauerkraut, kimchi, atchara, or pickled onions; it’s brilliant with tart, sour foods. It also does very well with spicy foods, with the refreshing qualities a soothing balm to the food’s kick.

Avoid pairing kombucha with highly acidic foods. It is not recommended to consume it after coffee. Instead, you can make it your coffee substitute in the mornings.

WHAT IS KOMBUCHA?

Thought to have originated in China, kombucha is a drink that has been consumed for hundreds of years. It’s fermented and lightly effervescent, and usually made with sweetened green or black tea. The tea is fermented using a “symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast” or SCOBY. The SCOBY forms a gelatinous, mushroom-like disc, known as a “mother.” The mother is also why kombucha is also sometimes called “mushroom tea.”

Kombucha is now known as a super drink, popular in health and wellness circles for its probiotic functions, which provide your gut with healthy bacteria, which, in turn, aids in digestion, reduces inflammation, and aids weight loss. It also has many antioxidants, as well as properties that improve cholesterol levels, and help reduce heart risk.

Storage Instructions

Because kombucha is a living drink, it technically does not expire, but the taste will alter. Cultur’d MNL kombucha has the dispatch date on their bottles, and are best drunk within 1 month from dispatch. Store it in the refrigerator, and keep it cold; it will last 6 months. If kept at room temperature, it will keep fermenting, and the flavor and alcohol will mature. Keeping it refrigerated is the best way to slow down the fermentation process.