At first glance, a cucumber, cabbage or cup of tea might not look like anything special.
But with a little patience and a few added ingredients, these three seemingly humble items are transformed. A crisp cucumber becomes a zesty pickle. Crunchy cabbage slathered with a bright red Korean pepper paste becomes kimchi. And a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast (SCOBY) turns an average cup of tea into the effervescent and pleasantly acidic kombucha. This is the process of fermentation, and it's been an integral part of Dylan L'Abbe-Lindquist's life since childhood.
Fermentation is "a way of preservation and just letting your garden feed you through the year," said L'Abbe-Lindquist, a Cape Ann Brewing Company alum who now runs Pigeon Cove Ferments in Gloucester.
While recent studies suggest that fermented foods may have positive effects on the gut microbiome, the craft is nothing new, as people have used it as a preservation for thousands of years. However, the market for fermented foods is expected to increase annually by a little over 7% by 2027, according to an analysis by market research firm Technavio. And with the abundance of breweries like Pigeon Cove as well as "fermentation-driven" restaurants like the Bay Area's Daytrip, the hunger for these probiotic-rich foods has started and will likely grow from here. Here's how a simple cup of tea transforms into a probiotic-rich kombucha, a beverage that's becoming more widely known and available.
Kombucha usually consists of water, tea, sugar and the SCOBY, a flaccid jelly-like mat containing yeast and bacteria that jumpstarts the fermentation process. At Pigeon Cove Ferments, however, L'Abbe-Lindquist makes an extremely sweet tea concentrate, which he pours into kombucha that has already been fermented and has the necessary yeast and bacteria. Using an already-fermented starter is essential to the process, and it's what differentiates the brewing process from beer. Pigeon Cove makes both alcoholic and non-alcoholic kombucha.
Anything that is fermented requires microbes, which are "essential components" of the process, said Kevin Bonham, a senior research scientist at Wellesley College studying the gut microbiome. Kombucha, he said, requires two different microbes — the yeast and the bacteria. The yeast breaks down the sugar to make alcohol, and the bacteria breaks down the alcohol to create acetic acid, giving the kombucha its characteristic, tart flavor.
Back in the brewing room, a slightly fermented smell hangs in the air. Twenty-seven tanks, covered in various colored sheets, line the Gloucester warehouse: red for hibiscus, green for jasmine tea and black for the plain base. To the left, the tap room has new flavors like ginger peach on tap, and kombucha, kimchi and sauerkraut for sale in the refrigerators.
L'Abbe-Lindquist pours 50 gallons of tea concentrate into 60 gallons of the old kombucha. Filtered water is then added to the tank, and the mixture sits with a sheet on top of it for at least one week, and sometimes up to six weeks.
The initial fermentation process yields roughly 200 gallons of kombucha, but it's not quite ready yet. The kombucha moves to another tank in the refrigerator, and all the flavors are added, marinating for around three days. The combinations are typically herbaceous and fruity: Frozen blueberries and cinnamon sticks make Pigeon Cove's blueberry cinnamon kombucha, and pineapple is paired with chamomile. Finally, L'Abbe-Lindquist adds the slightest bit of gas to push the beverage from the tank to the can, giving it the slightest hint of bubbles.
"We don't go too crazy with the carbonation," he said. The refrigeration also makes the drink less fizzy than other kombuchas, he added.
While other kombuchas sold at grocery stores might be more acid-forward with a flavor akin to vinegar, Pigeon Cove's has a higher pH level, which "makes the sweetness a little bit more noticeable," L'Abbe-Lindquist said.
"What I tried to do was make a more user-friendly kombucha," he said. "You notice that sort of more pleasing, smoother flavor."
The flavors vary, but the kombuchas are no longer a simple cup of black tea. The raspberry basil kombucha isn't overly acidic, with a distinct raspberry flavor and some light herbaceousness from the basil. The flavor is pleasantly muted, making it a versatile drink perfect for a sunny day or a light pick me up. The transformation in flavor is due in part to the SCOBY, which L'Abbe-Lindquist first bought in 2018, but he says it's now "mutated" to his ideal flavor profile.
“What I tried to do was make
a more user-friendly kombucha.”
Dylan L'Abbe-Lindquist
But while many insist that kombucha and other fermented foods have positive effects on the gut microbiome, Bonham cautioned that those claims are rooted in anecdotal evidence. The microbiome, he explained, is a "community of organisms that live in and on our bodies," from the skin to the gut.
"There is very little concrete evidence that any of these fermented products are having measurable benefits on the gut microbiome," Bonham said. "The thing that we know most about the gut microbiome is that basically, you should eat more fiber, and anything that's getting you more fiber in your diet is good for your microbiome."
Anecdotes suggest that probiotics and fermented foods help those with inflammatory bowel diseases, but a typical adult who consumes a healthy diet might not see any effects, Bonham said. However, the microbes in fermented foods are "possibly beneficial" and "can do potentially good things" once they make their way into the gut, he explained.
While many companies across the country have started making kombucha on a larger scale, it's a rarity in New England, and even rarer in Massachusetts, L'Abbe-Lindquist said.
L'Abbe-Lindquist doesn't see fermented foods as a trend that will pass, especially since it's part of the process for many widely-consumed foods like coffee, cheese, alcohol or yogurt. He started making sauerkraut with his parents, but his love for the craft goes hand-in-hand with his love for food.
"It's very tactile: you get to know the product you're making," he said. "It's fun to take that food — the world of food — to a higher level."
