Julia and Jason’s Oak Barrel Kombucha brews a wonder drink that has been around for centuries and is actually turning some heads within the scientific community.
Kombucha is a fermented tea beverage that has been served in China and Eastern Europe purportedly for thousands of years as a cure-all and medicinal tonic.
It tastes somewhat like carbonated, liquefied Sour Patch Kids with a dash of vinegar. And the more you drink it, the more you find yourself wanting more.
“I crave it,” said Julia Carr, co-owner of Julia and Jason’s Oak Barrel Kombucha.
“Sometimes when I’m midway through my day or something I’ll drink kombucha to give me a boost for the rest of the day. But then I’ll go days without it.”
Similar to other probiotics like kefir or sauerkraut, the drink is stocked full of microorganisms that contain DL-lactic acid, a well-known agent of proper liver and kidney function. Carr and her business partner Jason Kelly, along with most of the kombucha-loving crowd, stipulate that the beneficial effects could reach as far as cancer prevention and treatment.
“I looked at a thousand lab studies and the components of what’s been found in those batches and what effect it’s had on tumor cells. One thing is when you go into a precancerous state, your body stops producing DL-positive lactic acid,” Kelly said.
The lactic acid content in kombucha may account for some consumers’ application of the beverage as a pH level regulator.
Increasing the body’s pH level, which is usually slightly acidic due to consumption of foods high in acids, to a more mildly alkaline level increases immunity.
Although acidic itself, kombucha is an alkaline-forming food; upon digestion, the substance is released into the bloodstream as an alkaline.
And while kombucha’s supposed benefits aren’t supported by the FDA, some big name brands are moving in on the kombucha wave.
GT’s Organic Raw Kombucha was started in 1995 after its founder, George Thomas Dave, witnessed his mother’s successful recovery from breast cancer while simultaneously incorporating kombucha into her diet in the mid ’90s. Since then, the kombucha line has taken off, subsequently attracting beverage giants such as Red Bull and Honest Tea, which is partially owned by Coca-Cola, to start kombucha lines.
Julia and Jason’s kombucha is about as close to home in Eugene as you can find. They offer more than 10 different flavors sweetened with premium organic juice, aged in their characteristic oak barrels — a more natural alternative to steel, glass or copper aging vats. For these sustainability-minded owners, plastic was completely out of the question.
“We differ because we chose oak barrels. It seemed like a viable alternative … the oak seemed to flavor it nicely,” Kelly said.
Because every batch is produced on the micro scale of 25 gallons a barrel, every batch is different and one of a kind.
Kombucha production kind of looks like a fourth grade science experiment gone atrociously wrong. It starts with a SCOBY (Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast), which resembles a giant pancake, floating atop a barrel of sweetened tea for a set fermenting period, usually around 30 to 40 days.
After the tea has fermented, the SCOBY is removed, juice is added, the kombucha is bottled and thus begins the second fermentation in the bottle, where the drink develops its carbonic acids and effervescence.
Another unique aspect of Julia and Jason’s business is their collaboration with Eugene artists on their drink labels. Local artists such as Shanna Trumbly, Nancy Bright and Mara Friedman have had their artwork displayed on a section of the labels reserved especially for the artists.
“I think it helps the artist get their work out into other realms,” Carr said. “One of the things we wanted to stick with was to just leave that space wide open so we’re not putting our logos over it. We gave them the opportunity to have their Web site (on the label) so that they can hopefully solicit business as well.”
Conserving energy is also on Kelly and Carr’s to-do list.
They started their bottle deposit and return system that enables their kombucha bottles to be reused without having to go through the recycling process.
“It created a couple jobs,” Kelly said.
Addictions usually aren’t the best things to be acquiring, but in the case of kombucha, addiction never tasted or felt so good.
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