Category: Kombucha Culture

The Art of Brewing Kombucha as a Mindfulness Practice

1/13/2020

Bringing mindfulness to a kitchen ritual, like brewing kombucha, can help us direct our attention and cultivate more peace, gratitude and joy in our life. We may often catch ourselves in a storm of thought loops and reactions. If we are caught up in the past or the future we are not tuned into what we are sensing in the present. We can use the power of feeling, touching, seeing, hearing, and tasting to settle in the current moment.

paper that says mindfulness resting in a window

One tool to find more peace in our internal world is to deliberately focus on an activity.
Whether it's our breath, walking or cooking something, we can bring our awareness to our body sensations to draw us back to the now.

The process of making a primary fermentation of kombucha is the same every time. You brew the tea, add sugar, let it cool and pour it into your brewing vessel. After you get the hang of the process, you can relax and enjoy into the dance around the kitchen. From listening to the sound of the water boiling to stirring sugar in the pot with a spoon, there are so many small rituals to pay attention to.

The relationship I have with my slimy jellyfish-like kombucha brewing organisms (known as a SCOBY - symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast) is also one that reminds me to slow down and check in with myself.

woman pouring kombucha into cup with tea, sugar and kombucha on a counter

4 Ways Brewing Kombucha Facilitates Mindfulness:

Observing my kombucha SCOBY’s growth. Every few days I remove my cloth cover and peak into my kombucha brewing vessel to check how my slightly strange, but also somewhat endearing SCOBY is growing. Is a new layer growing? Are there any bubbles building underneath the mat of cells? The simple action of observation can be a mindfulness practice because it helps me focus my attention on the present moment.
Feel the web of connection. Brewing kombucha reminds me that we are all connected. I was gifted my kombucha organism in 2012 and have given pieces to hundreds of people all around the world through my kombucha brewing workshop. Everytime I make kombucha I am taken out of my own story and am reminded of how many people are doing the same thing in their kitchens across the country (and around the world). I feel a loving presence in my heart and like my sense of self expands to encompass all the people who have attended my workshops.
Accept the imperfections of the SCOBY. Sometimes the top layer of my SCOBY is a beautiful milky white and is as smooth as an ice skating rink. Other times my SCOBY is bumpy, textured, or fused in a strange way with the layer underneath. Unless the SCOBY has furry mold growing on it or is totally dried out, then its a healthy SCOBY. This practice helps me be less critical of visual “imperfections,” which positively ripples out to a less judgemental way I talk to myself about my own thoughts.
Express gratitude for the gift that keeps giving. The kombucha organism is a humble mat of cells that doesn’t really need very much. A nice brewing vessel, tea, sugar and a dark place to live. I have been brewing kombucha regularly since 2012 and have enough SCOBYs to share with my hundreds of workshop attendees. Everytime I make kombucha I give a deep bow of gratitude to this organism that embodies bountifulness (sometimes too many SCOBYs!) and I am reminded of all the abundance in my life.

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How Brewing Kombucha Connects People in the Isolation of the Digital Age

1/11/2020

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Check out Lila Volkas N.C.'s blog post: the Top 4 reasons it is important to brew kombucha in the age of convenience.

Food illustration of person looking at their phone on the left and group of people holding kombucha SCOBYs in a jar

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The Birth of Kombucha to the People

4/8/2019

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Hello Kombucha Brewers!

My name is Lila Volkas and I am the founder of Kombucha to the People, bringing kombucha brewing workshops and resources to the Bay Area and beyond.

My vision for Kombucha to the People is to empower people to make their own kombucha, develop a deeper relationship with their food, and create a community that celebrates nourishment.

hand pouring rows of kombucha samples in cups

Kombucha workshop samples at Boba Guys in San Francisco

pitcher of homemade kombucha with a scoby

My very first batch of kombucha.

The origin of my first SCOBY (Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast)
My first SCOBY was given to me the Summer of 2012 when I WWOOFed on a blueberry farm on Vancouver Island. Everyday Joanne, the owner of the farm, would pull out a jar of liquid with a slimy pancake floating on top and pour herself a glass. I was slightly disgusted, but very intrigued. One day I got the guts up to ask her what she was drinking. She said that it was 'kombucha' and offered me a glass. After the first sip I instantly fell in love! This drink was bubbly, sour, sweet and slightly strange. The perfect combination.

As a parting gift she gave me a piece of her SCOBY and I traveled back to California for the rest of the Summer. I started brewing the moment I got home and never stopped. I have traveled all over the world with my SCOBY making kombucha along the way.

two women posing in front of truck with pruning sheers

Pruning Scotch Broom

How I got started teaching workshops
In college I'd bring my home-brewed kombucha in recycled jam jars to sip on during my art history classes. More and more of my friends started asking me what I was drinking (because duh! most people thought I was making my own moonshine). Once they learned it was fermented tea and tried some of my brew, they insisted that I teach them how to make kombucha too! I taught my very first kombucha brewing workshop in 2012 through Sprouts, the Student Food Co-op, I volunteered at on campus.

woman sitting on counter in front of group of people teaching kombucha brewing class

My first kombucha brewing workshop in 2012 at Sprouts

Kombucha workshop for 40 people in 2016 at Boba Guys in San Francisco

How kombucha changed my life
Before making kombucha myself I never thought that I could make anything that I'd find in a store. I became inspired to make other foods items like jams, nut butters, bread and sauerkraut. I also started to make the connection between the food I eat and how it makes me feel. Drinking kombucha and eating vegetables made me feel good, while eating a bunch of vegan brownies and peanut butter for dinner did not.

Not only was kombucha delicious to drink and made me feel good physically, but I also loved connecting with people about how to make it themselves. I found my love for teaching people about nutrition and how to make nourishing food. This enthusiasm for wellness was one of the things that inspired me to go to Bauman College to become the Certified Nutrition Consultant I am today.

woman sitting on counter in front of group of people teaching kombucha brewing class and pouring kombucha

Doing a kombucha demo for a Japanese TV show at Melo Melo Kava Bar in Berkeley

The slimy SCOBY connection
My SCOBY's name is Shiela. While she came into my life from Vancouver Island in 2012 this kombucha organism originally came from San Francisco in 1992! I have personally given pieces of my SCOBY to hundreds of people over the last 7 years. Though my workshop attendees don't know each other, we all connected through the invisible web of sharing the same kombucha starter.

woman sitting at kombucha brewing table talking to another woman

Are you brewing kombucha from attending a workshop of mine? I want to see how it's going!
Follow @kombuchatothepeople and then tag me in your instagram pictures so I can celebrate your kombucha successes or answer any of your booch questions.

Happy Brewing!

Warmly,
Lila

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The Art of Brewing Kombucha as a Mindfulness Practice

How Brewing Kombucha Connects People in the Isolation of the Digital Age

The Birth of Kombucha to the People

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