By Elena Coe-McNamara
Staff Writer
Mira Costa freshman Alexandra Bedingfield sets herself apart from her peers by growing live bacteria and even more so by drinking it.
Bedingfield pursues her love for kombucha by brewing it herself, putting in both time and money to complete a process that she finds to be extremely worthwhile. Kombucha is a drink made by fermenting a certain bacteria, with yeast and tea flavor. Bedingfield grows her own scoby, which is a symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast that is mainly used for kombucha.
“I wanted to start growing my own scoby in my closet or pantry because then I know exactly what I am putting into my body,” Bedingfield said. “It truly makes me feel good when I do something beneficial for my body.”
After planting the scoby for four weeks, Bedingfield heats a gallon of water and adds any tea flavor, usually green tea. Bedingfield then adds a cup of sugar and the scoby and moves the drink to a dark, undisturbed room where it sits for a week to a week and a half. The entire process takes about six weeks.
“A super cool part of drinking kombucha is the creativity that goes into it,” Bedingfield said. “You can go so many different directions with it, from flavors, to how long you let it ferment for how fizzy you want it to be.”
Bedingfield began brewing her own kombucha because she wanted a challenge and she wanted to avoid the charge per bottle in stores. Bedingfield said it was expensive to start the project but the value evens out with how much it is to buy a bottle a day.
“Our whole family is delighted with Ali making kombucha,” said Mrs. Bedingfield. “She has introduced a wonderful addition to our lives by showing us a drink that affects her so much.”
Bedingfield began drinking kombucha two years ago. She heard of kombucha from her uncle who’s daughter was brewing kombucha herself. She started brewing kombucha over summer when she had more free time than during the year.
“Drinking a bottle every morning gives me a fresh start to my day, because I know I just drank something that’s really good for me,” Bedingfield said.
Kombucha has many health benefits, including its ability to detox the body, boosts immune systems, prevents depression, and prevents arthritis. However, Bedingfield says that brewing kombucha is a careful activity because the scoby can be unhealthy, and can lead to sickness if consumed while unhealthy. Bedingfield says she has never experienced negative side effects and all of her batches have turned out successfully.
“The kombucha Ali drinks not only shows her healthy side but also shows us her creative and curious side,” freshman Nicole Barnes said. “It is really cool to see Ali doing something she feels so passionately about.”
As of right now Bedingfield does not sell her kombucha, because she has just started making it and she would not have a wide market to sell to, because she does not know many people who regularly drink kombucha. Bedingfield says that when she gets better at making it she will begin to sell the drink.
“If or when I start selling kombucha, I would definitely make it cheaper than it is in the stores,” Bedingfield said. “Five bucks a bottle is a lot to pay every day.”
Bedingfield claims that her favorite part of making her own kombucha is being able to mix up the flavors and choose what kind she wants to make that batch. The hardest part, she says, is having to wait so long for each step to conclude.
“I get so eager to move the process along that it makes waiting impossible,” Bedingfield said. “Being patient is the key to the whole process.”
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