The Microbial Universe That Makes Kombucha
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 28 сен 2024
- This episode is sponsored by Squarespace. Go to squarespace.co... to get a free trial and 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.
When you think of kombucha, you might think of a nice, refreshing, healthy drink, one that’s exceptionally good for your microbiome. What we here at Journey to the Microcosmos think of is a terrarium…a place where a whole ecosystem exists, trapped in glass.
Follow Journey to the Microcosmos:
Twitter: / journeytomicro
Facebook: / journeytomicro
Shop The Microcosmos:
www.microcosmo...
Support the Microcosmos:
/ journeytomicro
More from Jam’s Germs:
Instagram: / jam_and_germs
RUclips: / @jamsgerms
Hosted by Hank Green:
Twitter: / hankgreen
RUclips: / vlogbrothers
Music by Andrew Huang:
/ andrewhuang
Journey to the Microcosmos is a Complexly production.
Find out more at www.complexly.com
Stock video from:
www.gettyimage...
www.gettyimage...
www.gettyimage...
www.gettyimage...
www.gettyimage...
www.gettyimage...
SOURCES:
www.vox.com/ad...
www.ncbi.nlm.n...
www.thekitchn....
This video has been dubbed using an artificial voice via aloud.area120.... to increase accessibility. You can change the audio track language in the Settings menu.
This episode is sponsored by Squarespace. Go to squarespace.com/microcosmos to get a free trial and 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.
Squarespace is sponsored by Hong Kong
Yogurt bacteria
Yeast
1:03 Kombucha was also massively popular in USSR (allegedly after WW2), known as "tea mushroom" and "tea kvass", among other names.
OH SHIT is that what they drink in metro 2033?! Everybody in the underground drinks "mushroom tea" and it's set in the moscovite metro underground!
Very fun fact "kombucha" is a Japanese word, but Japanese "Kombu-cha" has nothing to do with what English speakers now call "kombucha." "Kombu" or 昆布 is a kind of kelp, and "cha" or 茶 is tea, so "kombu-cha" is a kind of tea-like drink made with kelp, not a fermented drink. I've had it, and it's quite light in its flavor, very pleasant. At some point I read that the person who started popularizing the drink we now call kombucha in the west was inspired by the Japanese kelp drink, but didn't know what it was actually made of so wound up making a different drink. I think that might have been speculation though, as I can't find reference to it now. Alternatively, there may have just been some confusion among westerners in Japan at the turn of the last century where they thought kombu-cha refereed to fermented drinks. Some sources say this very fishy story about a Korean doctor called "Dr. Kombu" which I don't buy at all, or suggest that maybe the Japanese had at one point also called fermented tea drinks kombucha, because the yeast looked like kombu. I find even that explanation not well supported, because no Japanese source I can find mentions such a usage of 昆布茶.
It's a disputed origin! It may be a coincidence. It's pretty cool. One theory for instance is that Kombu is a Korean surname. Dr. Kombu brings a magical tea to the Chinese emperor.
@@arrbos As I said in my comment, that Dr. Kombu thing is really fishy. The story as it's usually told is that this Dr. Kombu healed the Japanese Emperor, but "Kombu" is not a Korean name. It's recorded in the kojiki that there was a doctor from Korea who healed Emperor Ingyō. His name put into Japanese was コムハチムカムキム or Kompachi Mukamu Kimu, and this is the closest possible match for this "Korean Dr. Kombu," but again, that story assumes that the term "kombucha" was used for the fermented tea drink in Japan, and I don't see any solid evidence that it was. It really seems to have always only ever meant "kelp tea," and westerners misapplied the Japanese term.
If you search this topic in Japanese, you find that there is another fishy story that Japanese articles will give. They very much noticed how English speakers etc use their word "kombu-cha" for a very different drink, and came up with a theory of their own as to why, saying that that this "kombu" comes from the Korean word "kon," which, according to the theory, is how the Koreans read the character 菌 "fungus." Except, that's not how the character 菌 is read in Korean; that character is read as 균 "gyun," not all that close to "kon," and anyway why would "bucha" be added?
@@rdreher7380 Fair enough, I hadn't read the whole comment!
Kelp tea sounds awesome
The first kombucha I ever had was the literal Japanese word, and I spent a lot of years being super confused by the western one (not having tried it) and completely not understanding any conversation about it. Thanks for this peek at the etymology, I’m glad I wasn’t actually out of my mind 😂
I wonder if there's people who have been keeping the same Scoby family for more 100 years. Its literally a living recipe, absolutely fascinating
Like those crazy pots of soups that have been cooking constantly through family generations!
Kombucha is still consumed in Russia, it's called tea mushroom. We "feed" it with strong sweet tea, as said in the video. We usually don't add other flavorings and drink it on summer as a refresher or as health supplement
It's still consumed all over the world. I've brewed it in my closet in Oklahoma.
Amazing, I didn't know that ruskies drink non-alcoholic beverages
@@mfhex1398 kombucha is slightly alcoholic 😂😂😂
Kombucha has become very popular all over the world in the last 5 years or so.
yet not intoxicating! yes, some report a "buzz" and "flush" yet that is most likely due to the Niacin (B2) content as it creates an identical reaction. The alcohol is a preservative just like rubbing alcohol on a wound kills the bad guys so you can heal. It keeps the crud from colonizing the brew.@@StopItGarrison
Please also consider making a video on "Water Kefir" as it is also a very interesting fermented drink that is has many of the same benefits as Kombucha and many of the same quirks, yet from another part of the world.
We love water kefir too!
Everytime I open a kombucha I will now feel like a god of destruction.
or a host to mazillions of best friends!
Kombucha. Taste the ecosystem.
I knew there were living organisms in kombucha… But WOW, thats a crowded city! O.o =)
Thanks for reminding me I need to brew another batch of my own kombucha! Also a great episode seeing what goes on in there
This is great! please do more fermentation content using indigenous microbes or even just looking at aerobic/anaerobic soil microbiome profiles. Would also be really cool to see different endophytes in action one day.
I make my own Kombucha. It was ok when I mix in the kitchen. When I tried assembling it in my garden, hoping to document the process with the literal farm to table method. After I was done, I left the jar on the table outside. Although, covered with cheese cloth, it was still affected by the surrounding. It was too late before I remembered it. We have some strong Northeast wind atm and my basil alone grows everywhere plus the remnants of my war with the eukaryotes, pollinators carrying not just pollen, dust bunnies carrying whatever, foreign objects from trees, my neigbors' flying micro rubbish, etc. Knowing Darwin's primordial soup alone, my scoby was already unusable. Perfectly said on *7:50*
I developed a scoby from store-bought live culture brands - and got a couple/few batches of good kombucha out of it... But i live near a river and there's mold everywhere (as it is more damp here than your average home?) The batch after that was contaminated and I just gave up making my own... sad really - I love fermenting foods - and make a ton of naturally lacto-fermented pickles every year. Lacto fermenting seems to be more robust process. I think the pH drops more quickly so tends to ward off bad bugs better.
@@bill8985 I saw that process as well and will try it someday. Thanks for the insight.
There are recipies for the SCOBY that aren't tea related, I recall someone dried it out and made little chewy snacks out of it.
Yes! Our book has the recipe for "SCOBY Fruit Leather" that has since been turned into Epicurious content (The Big Book of Kombucha)
Long time fan of your channel.
Easily the best voice-over ...very peaceful
...of course in addition to the great video/microscope
And music!
I'm from Ukraine, and it's definitely a thing in post-Soviet countries. It's commonly called "tea mushroom" (or "tea fungus", it's the same word in both Ukrainian and Russian), referring to both the drink and the bacterial mat. I believe people just leave sweet tea to ferment (sometimes acid is also added) and hope that the colony will grow... Sometimes it happens by mistake) You can buy kombucha produced industrially nowadays, and it still weirds me out how different people associations with these two, while these are virtually the same thing.
Awesome video! I wanted to mention that the SCOBY is actually the liquid or “starter” that you add to the tea. The thing that sits at the top of the jar is called a Pellicle. If you want to brew kombucha at home, you don’t need a pellicle to start a new brew, just the starter. I’ve done a few batches this way since the pellicle get a little gnarly after a while 😅
Came here to make the distinction between SCOBY and pellicle as well!
I usually toss the pellicle every time rather than letting it get gnarly, but I have make fruit leather with it (pellicle + fruit + blender + oven) that passed my kids' taste test. So it's useful for more than just protecting the surface 🤣
@@DanScottCAN that’s amazing! I have been too spooked to try eating it, but I will give it a try now that I’ve heard it’s kid approved 😁🙌
@@DanScottCAN Would you share a more detailed process to achieve that?
Also how you guys take care of it? Is it ok to keep it for a long time in the pantry with the pellicle on top ? How do I know if nothing bad is going on, or if it has already happened?
Thank you!
Sorry to burst your bubble - the SCOBY is the pellicle not the liquid. Yes, the liquid can also ferment and KBI - the trade association for Kombucha does acknowledge Solid and Liquid SCOBY - but that term was invented in the 1990s to distinguish the pellicle from the fermented beverage. So funny how this has been distorted in such a short amount of time. Len Porzio invented the term. Also researchers at Arizona State University determined the SCOBY is the immune system of the brew - so if you want the most robust, healthiest brew, stick with a quality culture - you can toss the extras or use them in a variety of ways!
@@KombuchaKamp that’s super interesting, I had no idea! I gotta do more research 🤓 thank you for sharing!
Oh I am getting to be a zoo!
Come all you tiny ceatures, you belly puppys, you little onecells to live with me...
Tomorrow I brew a new combucha.
Belly puppy's🤭😆
Au contraire. When I think of Kombucha I think of the sweat of old stinky feet distilled into a liquid.
@jon9509 - With scrapings from between the toes to add texture. Pardon me while I go vomit.
Yum yum!!
A small correction: the pancake like thing is not the SCOBY, it’s the pellicle. The SCOBY is the yeast and bacteria distributed throughout the tea
Except if you type it into the internets it tells you that "In its most common form, SCOBY is a gelatinous, cellulose-based biofilm or microbial mat found floating at the container's air-liquid interface. This bacterial cellulose mat is sometimes called a pellicle."
Touché.
not sure where this false news started but the SCOBY is literally the term invented to distinguish the pellicle from the fermented beverage - google Len Porzio to learn the history of the term!
this was great, I'm an avid kombucha brewer so it's fun to see them up close and hear discussion about it, thanks
I would love to see this for home brewed ginger ale/ginger beer with no starter cultures. Just yeast, sugar, lemon juice, and warm water left in a closed but "warm" environment and burped once every day to prevent the bottle from exploding. I brewed many 2L bottles of this and after I felt the fermentation period was long enough I would add a tiny bit of salt and place in the fridge to more or less stop the brewing process.
So exciting, I was just asking my Bestie if she still had her Scoby this weekend!
I'm starting my kombucha this week!
I know you've been for a while, but I just want to say it is so good to have you back Hank!
1:32 looks like a segment from marinetraffic, showing all the boats in the waters around the globe.
It starts as tea, so kombuCHA
Kombo-Chai?
Watching my kombucha stir itself is one of my favorite pastimes.
Oh my God, I want a microscope so bad. Sometimes I use an 18-year-old plastic toy from my childhood and I'm still amazed at what ordinary things look like when enlarged.
You can get used decent ones quite cheaply.
I recently even saw an afdordable used hitachi electronmicroscope but I so not have the apace /building structure for that Format.
Getring an old langefield trinocular microscope still is fun today and it easily connects to a camera.
The better ones where modular in the 1960s already so building a few LED modules that Integration well is very easy too.
You get the predecessors of modern 6digit price models for 3 digits of you know how to look.
Of that's too expensive even one of theese simple field microscope from the early 1910s offers lots of fun, they cost 2digits.
Get somenZeiss or Leitz (Leica microsystems now) that at least isn't a ",brass veteran" and you'll be fine.
Shout out to the original dude who saw this funky liquid with a floaty scab and thought hmmm "I wonder what it tastes like."
i dont know what to feel about this, lol.
Aw man, this one's resolution is only 720p after 2 days, I was really hoping to check it out in 4k!
I just let my water kefir stand longer than normal and haventyouseen: A kombucha starts to exist on top of my water kefir.
I took the kombucha plate, put it into sugared tee and there it lives on and on...
This was very informative: first time I hear of Kombucha.
In my childhood, in the 80s in Russia, there was such a jar in the kitchen. I poured tea and sugar into it. It was very tasty and refreshing. But I wouldn't drink it now :)
Thanks Squarespace.
Small nematodes inaccurately called vinegar eels may end up in kombucha and other vinegar products if one does not keep it sealed properly. They're not bad for a person to eat, but they are macroscopic if very small, and there are at least thousands of them on the surface of the kombucha. They do have the benefit of being used as fish food though. I was hoping to see some under a microscope tbh
well now I just want to index and preserve all the different kombuchas
Now I’ll never be able to drink kombucha ever again
Suddenly discovered the channel, the narrator is so good.
The Narrator is Hank Green, consider looking into his other content too!
@@xalexpopalex It took me a while to realize it - he's so much more chill when he does this show!
I just rewatched "The Rick's Must be Crazy" (the Rick and Morty episode where Rick's microverse battery stops working), and now I'm a little hesitant to fuel my body with a microbial universe...
Can you make an episode focussed on cell division in yeast? It's fascinating. Best regards, Annie
I love that you guys are talking about kombucha! The kombucha I maKE IN MY HOUSE AND THE KOMBUCHA MY PARENTS MAKE IN THEIRS TASTE SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT (DESPITE SUING THE SAME RECIPE) DUE TO THE DIFFERENCES IN THE MICROBIOME OF OUR HOME. tHE SAME THING HAPPENS WHEN i MAKE KEFIR. sorry I didn't notice that I pressed caps lock part way through and didn't want to retype that.
Not wanting to retype that paragraph makes me think maybe your parents are just better at following a recipe
This was lovely and lively.
I love your videos and you guys are amazing! But the music in this one is way too loud and distracting! I can't concentrate on the wonderful, fascinating words that you are saying.
Is Hank Green still working for CC?
Your background sound is during a very effective job of masking your voice.
Hey! I am trying to start a youtube channel by posting microspoic videos. I wanted to do this for a long time and once I saw your channel I knew this plan wasn't impossible. If there is a way you can tell me where to start, I would really appreciate it!
does this make them kombuchins
I had an idea once and I was like if we keep losing so much of the healthy bacteria in our guts can't they just culture those bacteria and feed it to people to help them stay healthy and then I remember oh wait that already exists like yogurt and kombucha
I'd love to see an episode about sourdough!
are these the kombucha mushroom people that one guy keeps yelling about
Cool. Ty
I bet PFC Crafton loved this episode
Awesome awesome awesome
Terrariums are filled with dirt, aquariums - with water. This should really be called combucharium.
Kombucha gives me a feeling of a karate chop
I used to be an avid kombucha drinker--I loved it....but reoccurring digestive issues and getting very itchy skin forced me to stop....all my issues slowly went away eventually after quitting, but I had to eat a LOT of raw garlic and anti-candida herbs everyday....so who knows what the heck was colonizing my guts....by the look of that slide, it could be anything.
Some people's systems are so compromised they are not able to consume fermented foods, cheese and anything that contains histamine. Once the microbiome is fortified and stabilized (ie not leaky) then ferments can often be added back in. Its why we say "Trust YOUR gut!"
Are they moving because of Brownian motion or flagellum?
Refreshing?
If you think of it like that, our whole body is a terrium, an ecosystem. Don't make it sound bad when it's not.
"Kombucha microbes in, Kombucha tea drink out,
Kombucha microbes in, _aaaand_ ya shake em all about " ;3
Take a look at Yakult too?
Мм, чайный гриб 😩🫰
Scoping the SCOBY 🔬
so could a war take place inside your kombucha overnight, resulting in a different dominant species and flavor the next day?
this is the benefit of using the SCOBY - it is the "template" of the ideal harmonized culture. If the brewing conditions are off (not the right temp, weak starter liquid, no SCOBY - which is the immune system of Kombucha) then kahm yeast or other microbes (mold) could colonize. Good news, since its a food, just like other foods, it grows mold to warn you not to drink it
I wish he talked about the images on the screen instead of the history of kambucha. More microorganisms, this ain't the history channel!
Hell the fk yeah! i was just looking for tea mushroom under a microscope
I now know 100% more about kombucha than I did going into this video.
I now know for certain, 100%, that I'm never drinking kombucha lol
Fascinating in many ways but I don't even like yogurt, soooooo.... More for the folks who do like it!
Really is an interesting comparison to say that yogurt cultures seem like domesticated animals, though. I see several commenters mentioning lambic beer - I would add to that sourdough breads that rely on a similar method. And with our modern-day ability to quite literally isolate strains and breed up specific lineages of yeast and bacteria for specific uses - aren't they domesticated? I suppose husbandry definitions get fuzzier when you go micro.
it's not yogurt it's more like a cider lol you never watched the video carefully
I'll never understand kombucha enjoyers. It's like sweet vinegar
Ex-alcoholics have to be very careful to avoid kombucha, especially home-brewed. It can go up to 3% ethanol if you leave it long enough.
It seems pretty easy to avoid kombucha to me! It's not like it gets served to everyone all the time, lol. I've managed to avoid the stuff (mostly on accident) for my entire life! Avoiding other kinds of alcohol is more difficult, but I manage that easily, too.
@@MatthewTheWanderer You clearly don't know anyone brewing it. They always brew far more than they can drink and offer it to everyone they know.
@@MatthewTheWanderer - Not at all difficult to avoid kombucha. I only heard of it in the last 5 years or so. There's an absolutely zero chance of me brewing any in my house. It looks more like someone scraped the crud out of their bathtub drain and let it ferment. Ain't got no taste for *_that._*
@@pattheplanter Lmao
If you add too much sugar, and don't oxygenate it well enough, yeah. The yeast should convert sugars to alcohol, but the alcohol should instantly be converted to various vinegars. If there's too much sugar or if the pellicle restricts oxygen flow too much (remove it!) you get alcohol.
👁SCOBY👁
SCOPEY🔭🔭🔬🔬
Ia Yog-Sothoth!
Is yeast not a fungus?
DO YOGHURT I WANNA SEE THE LIVE CULTURES
background music too loud :(
Devastated to learn I've been pronouncing it "Scooby" all this time...
Very interesting. I will say that the word "scoby" is supremely unapetizing, probably because it sounds too similar to scabies or scab lol. 😂
@ravensnflies8167 - Supremely unappetizing. Yeah. And that's being kind.
Huh, that's unfortunate...only things that immediately come to mind for me are the names Coby and Scooby (as in -Doo) 😝
Hank Green, I'm such a fan. So glad you're back.
Now that I'm done being saccharine... Yeasts ARE fungi. Saying "Yeasts and fungi" is redundant. Kinda brings your basic understanding of microbes into question.
Hear me out...SCOBY Snacks
Scooby Dooby doo doo on you unfortunately
❤
Lol I sell Kombucha for Babe Kombucha
Probably mushroom people.
Sitting around all day.
I will just pass on that.
I welcome my alien invaders 👽
I hate kombucha it made me puke like crazy but you know yeasts are cool.
Kombucha is AWFUL.
I've never tried the stuff, but it sounds and looks revolting! I heard it smells and tastes nasty, so of course they have to make up BS about supposed "health benefits" to make people want to drink it.
@@MatthewTheWanderer I've only had bottled stuff, but it tastes mostly like slightly funky vinegar? Definitely something that not everyone is going to like, but I like my stinky foods, like kimchi and kefir, and some days I do just want to drink a bottle of vinegar...
I tried one once, just to see what the hype was all about. It was store bought in a glass bottle, and made locally.
I chose a passionfruit flavored one as I love passionfruit. It was horrible, almost made me dislike passionfruit!
Suffice to say, I won't be having another one.
☺
Anyone who can make good kombucha can be easily considered as brewer & biotechnician.
Good vid, but overall a little too fixated on the yeasts. There's other stuff in there that deserves some recognition, no?
I made it for a while. It's a fun experience, but it turns out that the health benefits are not proven,
💜💕
kombucha are the cats of fermented food products
How so?
@@SaschaUncia Agreed, that makes no sense at all!
Ya, yah!?! No? Yahs! Kombuchya
U and your sappy type can leave catz out of this little Covo. Yah!?! Thankyahs
TIL kombucha is rotting tea
No, no. It's just the beginning of the decadent processes of Kombuchya
Ooh soz.
Accidentally sent kombee drinkers to kombucha heck no! I'll pronounce it properly. Kombucha
Yah? Yah!😊
The main question I had about Kombucha was: Tea contains so many tannins and bitter-tasting compounds, how the hell would microorganisms thrive in that? Do they all share special traits or are those compounds not actually a hindrance? Sad you didn't address it.
I’m sad. I love learning new things from all that is Hank Green and Complexly and so many crazy intelligent people associated with the aforementioned peeps, but…this video should have been written/produced with the help of a persons more knowledgeable on the subject.
As always, the original scientists were women in the kitchen 💪❤️
The microbes and process interest me. The idea of tasting it does not!
What's the mark up when selling blood on the internet?
You can make coffee Kombucha.
that didn't really show me anything. Your microscope can't show the small yeast and bacteria. Like watching a football game from the sky
I've been there, and I've been square so many times...
please..
i don't want more square space anymore...
I thought there was going to be some fun lessons or something. Just some visuals and commentary? How does it oxide the alcohol? No mechanism? What are the pH at the different stages? Like, anyone could have just whipped this video together bro it's not teaching anything. There other videos on this subject that offer way more info allowing the view to decide if they wanna try it or pursue it. I expected more from you.
I can't think of anything less refreshing than Kombucha 🤢 Although I could definitely use a top up of digestive bacteria 🦠
Also, I never knew scoby was an acronym.