What Is Kombucha? A Hong Kong Beginner's Guide

If kombucha has recently appeared in your local Hong Kong coffee shop, hotel minibar or particularly ambitious friend's fridge, you may have wondered what it actually is.

The short answer is fermented tea.

We start with real tea, water and raw cane sugar. Then we add live kombucha culture and give it time to ferment. The finished drink is lightly tart, naturally sparkling and properly refreshing.

At On The Wagon, we brew everything in small batches at our Kennedy Town brewery. There are no artificial sweeteners or preservatives. It is honest, home-style kombucha, made commercially, whilst respecting what Kombucha is supposed to be. We are quite proud of that. Actually no, we're crazy proud of that!

What does kombucha taste like?

Good kombucha should taste lively and balanced. You will notice a little acidity, a refreshing sparkle and, most importantly, the tea.

Different teas take the drink in completely different directions. Earl Grey is smooth and fragrant, with bergamot and stone fruit. Hojicha is warm and toasty. Lychee Oolong is bright and juicy. Malt & Hops brings creamy malt and hoppy grapefruit, and is my personal favourite when I have a hankering for a beer.

If your only kombucha experience was an aggressively vinegary bottle from the back of a supermarket fridge, we understand the hesitation. That is a little like judging all beer by one warm can of Tsing Tao left on a junk boat.

How is kombucha made?

First, we brew the tea and add raw cane sugar. Once it has cooled, we add the kombucha culture, often called a SCOBY. The yeasts and bacteria then get to work, creating the acidity, aroma and character that make kombucha taste like kombucha.

Our bottles go through a second fermentation too. This happens inside the bottle and creates natural carbonation. It is a slow, traditional way of building sparkle, closer in spirit to bottle conditioned beer or sparkling tea than to an ordinary soft drink with gas added at the end.

Because the drink is alive, each bottle can have a little personality. One may be slightly livelier than the next. That is not a production fault. It is what happens when a drink is made by fermentation rather than assembled from flavouring, sweetener and a blast of gas.

Is kombucha the same as sparkling tea?

Kombucha sits very comfortably in the growing world of sparkling tea, but fermentation gives it a character of its own.

Both can be elegant, food friendly alternatives to alcohol. Kombucha tends to bring a little more depth and natural variation. It is not just a recipe, nature gets involved too, a little like wine where different vintages yield slightly different results.

In HK, of course we already have a serious tea culture, and restaurants are putting much more thought into what they serve guests who are not drinking alcohol. A good kombucha can sit beside any nice meal really, hot pot, spicy noodles, seafood or a tasting menu without feeling like the consolation prize.

Does kombucha need to be refrigerated?

Ours does. On The Wagon kombucha is raw and living, so it must be kept refrigerated. We deliver it chilled and recommend putting it back in the fridge on the same day. Properly stored, it typically has a shelf life of around three months from bottling. Check the date on your bottle and keep it cold.

Where can I try kombucha in Hong Kong?

You can order from our online shop, collect from the self-service fridge outside our Kennedy Town brewery, or enjoy a bottle at one of the restaurants, cafes, bars and hotels we supply across Hong Kong.

Our locations page is the best place to see where we are currently pouring. If you are new to kombucha, simply start with a flavour that sounds good to you. Tea lovers might choose Earl Grey, Hojicha or Assam & Darjeeling. For something bright and fruity, try Jasmine Green Tea or Lychee Oolong. Craft beer drinkers, I would point you towards Malt & Hops.

Have a look through our online shop, find a stockist near you, or join our email list for new brews and seasonal releases from Kennedy Town. Then put a bottle in the fridge and see what all the fuss is about.

Cheers and enjoy,

Ash