Chaga Bärbucha is a part of our Special Line of Kombucha.
This line features Kombuchas that are made without tea (hence no caffeine).
Also, our Special Line features medicinal substances that are traditionally consumed in the form of a "tea". And Chaga is no exception. But that is not the only criteria.
Those medicinal substances have to taste good, and they can not have any side effects.
Chaga is a medicinal mushroom.
In places like Siberia, Lapland or Canada, where this Chaga is abundant enough, people who collect this mushroom, break it into smaller pieces and steep it with hot water.
Then, they drink it as a hot tea (Chaga tea).
Chaga as a tea is great, but in the form of a Kombucha, is absolutely delicious!
Plus, because of the presence of tannins, beta glucans and polysaccharides, it sustains the natural growth of Scoby, and you can make a Chaga Kombucha without using regular tea (Camellia sinensis).
Wikipedia even mentions the fermentation process, as one of the preparation processes for Chaga, quoting:
"Fermentation is the most time-consuming and most expensive. Because fermentation methods are not standardized (many types of bacteria and fungi can be used in the process), the outcome is also not standardized."
The best Chaga is found on white birch trees in cold regions of Siberia, Alaska, northern Canada and Finland.
But Chaga can be found in many other places, even here in Berlin.
Here's one of many specimens that we have found in forests around Berlin :
The only difference is that Chaga which grows in milder climates (like Berlin) is NOT as powerful, as the one found in regions, where the temperatures drop to even - 60 degrees Celsius.
It takes 10, 20 or sometimes 30 years for Chaga to reach its full maturity, and during that time Chaga forms a symbiotic relation with the host tree that it grows on.
During this time Chaga picks up the life energy from the tree, and when it grows in a very stressful environment (very low temperatures), it develops all the beneficial substances in order to survive.
So the quality of Chaga can very a lot.
The best ones come from northern part of Siberia (like the ones that we use) or Lapland in Finland. Because of those varied qualities, the price of the Chaga mushroom can differ a lot.
As with our other Kombuchas, we do not use any additional flavoring to make our Chaga Bärbucha. We are also quite generous with the amount of Chaga that we use to make it.
So those two factors make our Chaga oh, so delicious. And also, oh so dark!
The concentrated flavor is a bit like a mixture of light molasses with hints of coffee, cherry, vanilla and wood.
The vanilla flavor comes from naturally occurring vanillin, just like in a vanilla bean.
And what's more, Chaga does not taste like any mushroom!
The whole process, at least how we make it, requires more time than in case of any other of our Kombuchas.
We start with pieces of Chaga, which we break into small chunks, which we grind to almost a fine powder.
Next, we steep the Chaga powder for at least an hour, making sure that the temperature stays below 65 C.
When that process is done, and the "Chaga tea" cools down, we strain it.
Next, we add sugar to it and then our Kombucha cultures, with some starter liquid.
And then, the journey begins.
About a week later, when we take the cloth off our jars, we get treated to this sight:
With some happy bubbles, telling us that all the conditions were perfect!
Next step is labeling and bottling, or vice versa
When that's done, it is time for the so called second fermentation process (F2).
That takes another week, and the reason for it is to build up sufficient carbonation inside the bottles.
The F2 also further reduces the sugar level in the Kombucha. Carbonation in this Kombucha is never as strong in our other Kombuchas, but it's still there. What matters the most, is the great flavor that we always enjoy!
If you visit our Kombucha Café in Berlin, you'll be able to learn more about Chaga, while sipping on our Chaga Kombucha.
We have 4 books about it in two different languages
And finally our Chaga Kombucha with a bit of sun!
And the label.
Ingredients: Filtered and Revitalized Water, Live Kombucha Cultures, Unrefined Brown Sugar and Chaga
To find out more about Chaga mushroom, please check the the next blog entry here:
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