BOUCHE Kombucha has embodied a collective understanding from the very beginning that the development of complex flavor profiles is the key factor driving our craft kombucha production. Our goal is to create unmistakable products with a distinct signature.

Through a gradual approach and extensive experimentation, we gained the foundational knowledge that shapes our kombucha production in Germany today. It was important for us to first establish a perfect foundation before delving into the creation of flavor profiles and refining subsequent processes.

Initially, we fermented a mix of black and green tea, beet sugar, and SCOBY (Symbiotic Cultures of Bacteria and Yeast, also known as the kombucha "mushroom") in small, open containers. This was kombucha in its most classic form, without anything different or new. And the kombucha tasted good; theoretically, we could have continued from that point. However, we noticed that open fermentation led to flavor fluctuations with each batch. Environmental factors like inconsistent room temperature meant each fermentation produced different results. To achieve consistent outcomes in kombucha production, we wanted to find a way to ferment kombucha in a closed system without using a SCOBY.

Closed fermentation without SCOBY accomplishes exactly that: it creates a stable, repeatable environment that is easy to regulate. Oxygen can be added or removed as needed, and temperature regulation through the tank’s insulation allows us to speed up or slow down fermentation. Instead of a SCOBY, we guide the fermentation using our own specially developed starter culture.

With these fundamental changes to our innovative brewing process, we began to move away from a home-brewing approach. The resulting kombucha now forms the flavor foundation for all our varieties. What now seems simple in hindsight is actually the result of a lengthy development phase with countless fermentation runs and adjustments to various parameters. However, our kombucha optimization is far from finished—rather, it’s an ongoing process that expands as we continue to learn more about kombucha and its production.

The ingredients in our liquid starter culture, like our base kombucha, consist of black and green tea as well as locally-sourced beet sugar from Germany. It is kombucha in a concentrated form and establishes its acid profile. Its high concentration of bacterial and yeast cultures makes the kombucha a truly living beverage.

Our quest for complex flavor profiles and the extensive research associated with it eventually led us to integrate traditional methods into our kombucha brewing. The flavoring process we developed is similar to maceration and gives each of our kombucha varieties its unique taste.