Growing Kombucha and Kefir in Korea

When we moved to Yeongjong island, near the Incheon Airport,we found that we would be deprived of two of our three favorite miracle foods, Kombucha and Kefir. But we were pleasantly surprised to find we could order our third favorite health food item, wheat grass for home delivery. Have not seen it in the stores but have seen it in some smoothie places as well as home delivery. best to mix it in a smoothie. Wheat grass juice does not taste that great!

Kombucha

Living in Oregon was great. Kombucha is everywhere. Costco carries Kombucha everywhere except in Korea. The best brand we found was the gingerade. But I liked sampling the kombucha everywhere, a number of bars brew it on site and you can fill up a growler and take it home.

What is Kombucha you ask? It is fermented tea, filled with powerful probiotics and it is so good for your health. It does contain 1 percent alcohol so that should not get you into trouble with the new draconian drunk driving laws here in Korea!

Since neither the Commissary nor Costco or anyone else carried it, or even knew what it was, we decided that we had to brew it ourselves. The starter kit we brought with us had gone bad. So we bought kombucha from Amazon and used that and the left over starter kit to get started.

We used green tea as the base. Straight black tea and jasmine tea will work but not earl grey due to the bergamot oil in the tea.

We brewed up several gallons of tea, added sugar, the starter kit and the cans of kombucha. Then we put it in a sprouter warmer kit ordered from Amazon and wrapped another gallon in an electric blanket. You got to keep the kombucha at about 80 degrees F (26.67 Celsius).

Then we waited for six weeks. Finally ready to go today and we bottled it and started our next batch!
Here’s what it looks like with the scuzzy taken out of the kombucha.

Kefir

Making Kefir was easy, we’ve been making it for years. We had started kits we bought in Oregon before we left. Just got some organic milk and we were in business. If you have to use Korean milk, make sure it is full fat milk, 2 percent makes watery kefir. There are recipes for using almond milk, coconut milk, rice milk but we have not used them because we heard it would be pretty watery. Might want to try Goat milk sometime though. The Commissary’s organic full fat Milk is perfect. You can also buy Kefir at the Commissary just to see if you like it but their Kefir has extra sugar in it and I am not sure it would be a good starter mix. Best to order the starter kits from Amazon (they will deliver to a local address) and you should not have any problems. But with both be sure you sanitize your containers with hot boiling water before making either kombucha or kefir. Need to keep stray random non-cultured bacteria out of the mix.

See below for articles on the health benefits of Kombucha and Kefir, articles on how to make it, and where to buy it locally.

As a personal testimony a few years ago I noticed that I did not have hay fever in the Spring. I used to have to make a trip to the urgent care/ER because I got so inflamed that I could not even open my eyes and I was sneezing so bad. The medicine they gave me worked a bit but I mostly just suffered. Then I started eating kefir for breakfast and drinking Kombucha and my hay fever disappeared.!

External Links

Health benefits of Kefir

health benefits of Kefir

Health benefits of Kombucha

health benefits of Kombucha

How to make kombucha at home

how to make kombucha at home

How to Make Kefir

how to make kefir

Where to Buy Kombucha in Seoul

where to buy kombucha in Seoul

Note:

Kombucha is now widely available in Korea. My brother-in-law even has a side hustle, making Mama Kombucha. You buy it in stores and some coffee shops. Endiya caries it, Star Bucks does not. The US commissaries carry it and larger Korean grocery chains carry Kombucha now.

Bing AI provided some places where you can find Kombucha and Kefir in Korea. The commissaries carry it, a few larger grocery chains now carry both.

Kombucha is a fermented, lightly effervescent, sweetened black tea drink that is popular for its health benefits ¹. In Korea, you can find kombucha in various forms, such as:

CORE BIO is a company that produces organic kombucha with different flavors, such as lemon, ginger, and berry. You can order their products online from their website ² or find them in some health food stores.
TEAZEN is another company that offers kombucha in powder stick form, which you can mix with water or juice. They claim to be the world’s first to introduce this convenient way of consuming kombucha. You can also order their products online from their website ³ or find them in some supermarkets and convenience stores.
Homebrewing is an option if you want to make your own kombucha at home. You will need a SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast), tea, sugar, and a glass jar. You can buy a SCOBY online or get one from a friend who already brews kombucha. There are many online tutorials and recipes that can guide you through the process of making your own kombucha.

Kefir is a fermented milk drink that contains probiotics, which are beneficial for your gut health ¹. In Korea, you can find kefir in different ways, such as:

Buying ready-made kefir drinks from some supermarkets, convenience stores, or online shops. Some brands that offer kefir drinks are CORE BIO, TEAZEN, and Lifeway. They have various flavors and types of kefir, such as organic, low fat, or powder stick ² ³ ⁴.
Making your own kefir at home with kefir grains and milk. Kefir grains are a mixture of bacteria and yeast that ferment the milk and produce kefir. You can buy kefir grains online or get them from someone who already makes kefir. You will also need a glass jar, a cloth, and a rubber band to cover the jar. There are many online guides and videos that can show you how to make kefir at home ¹ .
Visiting a kefir cafe where you can enjoy fresh kefir drinks and other products made with kefir, such as smoothies, ice cream, or cheese. Some examples of kefir cafes in Korea are Kefir Lab in Seoul, Kefir House in Busan, and Kefir Story in Daegu .