Meaning & use
kombucha
Last updated
Meanings
noununcountable
A slightly sour, fizzy drink made by fermenting sweetened tea with a culture of bacteria and yeast.
Grammar: Usually uncountable for the drink: a glass of kombucha; countable for a bottle or flavor: two kombuchas.
Patterns
- a bottle of kombucha
- brew kombucha
She drinks a glass of kombucha with lunch.
He brews kombucha at home in a large glass jar.
The cafe sells ginger and lemon kombucha.
nouncountableinformal
The jelly-like culture of bacteria and yeast, often called a scoby, used to ferment the tea.
Grammar: Used by home brewers for the culture itself: feed the kombucha.
Patterns
- a kombucha culture
My neighbor gave me a piece of kombucha to start my own batch.
The kombucha floats on top of the sweet tea.
Keep the kombucha in a clean jar away from direct sun.
Word forms
| plural | kombuchas |
|---|
Common combinations
- brew kombucha
- They brew kombucha in the kitchen cupboard.
- kombucha on tap
- The bar has kombucha on tap.
- ginger kombucha
- Ginger kombucha has a spicy, fresh taste.
- a bottle of kombucha
- I bought a bottle of kombucha after the gym.
- fermented kombucha
- Fermented kombucha contains small amounts of alcohol.
- homemade kombucha
- Her homemade kombucha was a little too sour.
Synonyms and how they differ
- fermented tea
- Fermented tea is the plain descriptive phrase, while kombucha is the established name of the drink.
- scoby
- Scoby is the culture used to make kombucha, not the drink itself.
- iced tea
- Iced tea is unfermented chilled tea, so it is neither fizzy nor sour like kombucha.
Word family
- ferment verb
- to change by the action of yeast or bacteria
- fermentation noun
- the process of fermenting
- probiotic noun
- a live microorganism said to benefit health
Commonly confused: kombucha or kimchi? kombucha or kefir?
kombucha vs kimchi
Kimchi is a Korean fermented vegetable dish, not a drink, though both are fermented foods.
kombucha vs kefir
Kefir is a fermented milk drink, while kombucha is made from tea.
Practice
Kombucha is made by fermenting ____.
Choose one answer.
Kombucha is fermented sweetened tea. Milk gives kefir and cabbage gives sauerkraut or kimchi, which are tempting but different.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “kombucha”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.