Local Elixir

I love kombucha, an energizing, fermented tea product. It’s basically lightly sweetened tea, plus a blob of culture (bacteria and yeast)—if this sounds like an acquired taste, it is, but you get used to the almost vinegar tang. Kombucha has existed in Chinese culture for several thousand years, advocates claim, and is supposedly great for digestion and boosting the immune system. (I’ve always thought the high vitamin B content is probably why it makes me feel well, but who knows.)

I’ve been drinking a California brand called G.T.’s, but was happy to find a local version from Maui Kombucha, based in Makawao. Founder Chris Burke says he uses a special mix “of white teas that I blend myself and the tea quality is the highest I could find, and of course, organic.” The beverage is sweetened with organic cane sugar. I found Maui Kombucha at Down to Earth on South King Street; Burke says a statewide distributor should soon have the brand (around $5 a bottle) at all major health food stores. http://mauikombucha.com/.