Hello Bucha Crew!

We’re tapping into the local knowledge of the Bucha Brew community to inspire you to take a hike!  ;) 

Check out three great hikes below! 

First up, mountain explorer and gym owner, Meaghan Sutter recommends you to check out Rainbow Lake.

“Rainbow Lake is one of those not-so-hidden gems that is worth it's reputation. Hiking through the forest over rivers, past waterfalls and over beautiful bridges, this trail not only brings you to a breath-taking end destination but gives you views on the way up that are worth slowing down for and taking in.”   

Elevation gain: 850m
Distance: 8km
Duration: 3 hours to top
Rating: intermediate

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“One of my personal Favourite hikes/runs is the singing pass trail that leads you into the musical bumps and can take you right into the peak of Whistler mountain. It’s very special and rewarding starting right from the valley and trekking to the tippy top all on your own power.”

Location: Whistler
Elevation gain: 1,000 metres
Duration: 4 hours one way
Distance: 11.5 km                              
Rating: Difficult

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Abby Cooper  is a lover of all things outdoors - splitboarder, climber, hiker, adventurer, photographer, and writer and always has her trusty dog by her side. Abby's pick is Black Tusk.

“Black Tusk is one of my favourite hikes!   Now that there is permit system you can always count on a pleasant experience that makes it about you and nature. Not to mention the connection the first nations and the “thunderbird” - it’s the perfect hike for feeling accomplished, humbled by stunning glaciers, volcanos, alpine lakes, vast landscapes and feeling connected to the stewards of the land, the L'íl'wat and Squamish nations. Highly recommend reading up on the history before taking the hike for an extra dose of appreciation!”
 

Location: Garibaldi Provincial Park 
Elevation gain: 1740m
Duration: 11 hours
Distance: Round Trip 29km
Rating: Difficult


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Let us know if you try any of these out by tagging us @BuchaBrew on IG! And most importantly have fun outside! 
 

-Kara 

When Bucha Brew hits your lips, do you ever wonder how we make it?

Well... first we brew organic black and green tea. After brewing for about an hour it yields 1500 litres. Next we add organic cane sugar until its completely dissolved and then we add cold water to bring the tea broth down to room temp.

In the third step we get the SCOBY involved. This is where we add the symbiotic culture of (good) bacteria and yeast. The layers of this SCOBY float on top, break down the sugar and turn it into carbon dioxide, beneficial acetic acids and trace amounts of alcohol.

Fermentation is next, and this generally lasts 30-45 days here at Bucha Brew. The longer it ferments, the more time the SCOBY has to eat up any residual sugar that is left in the brew.  Longer fermentation = Less sugar.  It's a fine balance, if it's left too long the kombucha will be very acidic resulting in a vinegary unpleasant drink.  We test many elements as the kombucha ferments to ensure we don’t let the SCOBY overwork.

Once the kombucha hits our target acidity level and is below 1% alcohol we are ready to add our organic, in house juiced fruits to flavour our kombucha. At this point, we can chill it down to 2 degree celsius and add a small amount of carbonation.

The last step in the process is all about packaging it up so that we can ship it to stores near you.  Our kombucha (unlike our shelf-stable Fun Fizzy Water) must be kept refrigerated, otherwise it will re-ferment in the can and could burst right out of the packaging. So we keep our kombucha cold, and we suggest that you do  too! 

We put a lot of love into every batch, and now you know what we do at every step along the way!


Thanks for reading,


-Kara 

Fun Fact: We talked about how we get the alcohol content below 1%, but did you know that Arlo Hard Kombucha keeps it naturally boozy (around 4% alcohol) Check out their instagram page to find them in stores. @arlokombucha

Arlo ~ the life of the party ~ 

Ummm, did u hear 🎧 Arlo makes the best tasting, alcoholic boozy hard kombucha beverages on the market that elevate experiences and foster a culture of fun. 

🔜 Hard Kombucha ~ Low Calories 🔚

We created Arlo because we saw an opportunity to create a platform for something bigger, born out of a genuine passion for high-quality, thoughtfully crafted, damn tasty beverages. 

That’s why Arlo only uses real ingredients, you know, so mango, actually tastes like mango not the kind-of-generic sorta tropical-peachy-why-so-peachy always too sweet variety, and why the natural fermentation process of kombucha is preserved for optimal gut benefits.

🧑‍🔬 ~ boozy, naturally ~ 🧑‍🌾

Be sure to keep your eyes out this summer in Vancouver and the rest of BC (like Vancouver Island, Victoria, Lower Mainland, Burnaby, North Shore, Squamish, Whistler, Surrey, Kelowna, Kamloops, Prince George, and beyond!) for Arlo Boozy Kombucha, a Hard Kombucha.

You can follow our hard kombucha journey with @arlokombucha to #meetarlo and be sure to connect at hey@arlokombucha.com or just say hi w/ a text 604~303~1103 🤙

Come thru + meet Arlo over at...www.arlokombucha.com

Bucha Brew has a new best friend! #meetarlo

Bucha Brew is proud to be brewing Arlo Boozy Kombucha aka Hard Kombucha at our Delta, BC, Canada manufacturing facility! 

Arlo is an organic ‘Hard Kombucha’ naturally fermented to 4% ABV. Arlo Boozy Kombucha comes in sleek 355ml tall cans and is made with tea + real fruit ingredients ~ Arlo is the life of the party!

Arlo is ~ boozy, naturally ~ with naturally fermented alcohol to keep the calories low, low, low. 

Arlo is a delicious West Coast beverage ~ pairing the naturally occurring alcohol found in kombucha, with extraordinarily delightful flavours. The drinks are created to be enjoyed and shared with good people.

Be sure to keep your eyes out this summer in Vancouver and the rest of BC for Arlo. You can follow our hard kombucha journey with @arlokombucha to #meetarlo and be sure to connect at hey@arlokombucha.com or just say hi w/ a text 604~303~1103 🤙

Meet Arlo over at www.arlokombucha.com

Arlo Boozy Kombucha

~ the life of the party ~

Hi everyone!

Does anybody else out there have trouble drinking enough water in a day 🙋‍♀️? We consider ourselves problem solvers, and well, we have a solution to this dilemma.

Fun. Fizzy. Water.

That’s right, Fun Fizzy Water. That’s what we call it, and it’s launching in stores across Canada on May 20. We honestly couldn’t be more excited for you to try it!

It’s sparkling water with a hint of kombucha.

Just imagine it: the satisfying fizz of sparkling water with the health benefits of organic kombucha. We’re smiling just thinking about it.

Seriously, they are good any time of day! With only 1g of sugar and 5 calories per can, Fun Fizzy Water is an exciting way to stay hydrated throughout the day. #RefreshinglyReal

Don't want to wait to find it in your neighbourhood grocery store? Get Fun Fizzy Water delivered right to your door by ordering on our website? We love them and are pretty sure you will too. 

We would love to hear what you think of Fun Fizzy Water once you try it, so please, share your thoughts with us on social media or by replying to this email.

Have an awesome week!

I was recently reading an article written about the gut-brain relationship - which took me back to why I started Bucha Brew in the first place. 

Coming from the world of personal training I experienced all sorts of people in need of help, 95% of whom came in to lose weight, feel better and get more fit.  In this human lab of mine, I started noticing a trend in the individuals with particularly bad diets; most of them were suffering from some type of anxiety, depression, anger or sadness.  Back then there was not a lot of information on the connection between the gut and brain health.

When I first started researching kombucha, I found a lot of articles directed towards its digestive health benefits.  As a new mom, I was on the hunt for anything to help my temperamental digestive system (I'm sure all the moms out there know what I'm talking about)  Kombucha really helped me and many of my clients.

Stress can send your brain-gut connection way out of sync and can completely alter your gut physiology, contributing to IBS, IBD, acid reflux, heartburn, bloating, constipation and diarrhea.  Also, know, this is a two-way street; poor diet choices can significantly affect your emotional stability, stress levels, and anxiety.

What to do?

Drink kombucha, obviously.  Here is the real secret-the best and ultimate solution is to de-stress.  I understand it's not so easy these days.  Put aside time to take a few deep breaths, get more sleep, socialize, exercise and eat healthy. And given the overwhelming conclusion about the gut-brain connection, take care of your gut people!

Pre and pro-biotics are the heart of gut care. What's the difference? Prebiotics are the foods that feed the gut bacteria- think onions, bananas, garlic.  We are more familiar with probiotics- supplements, yogurt (try nondairy!), kefir and of course kombucha.  Drinking kombucha can positively impact not only your gut health but also your mental states!🤯 

Hi all,

This year I have been reflecting on why Earth Day is so important to me, and all of us in the Bucha Crew (and yes, that includes you reading this email). I am so lucky to live in Whistler - where it's easy to immerse myself in the world's beauty. Plus, at Bucha Brew we celebrate the earth by using fresh organic fruits in our kombucha.

Where We Thrive

Our community thrives in the outdoors. Thanks to the #BuchaCrew hashtag, I see you all getting outside and living your life to the fullest - and I love that. Never stop exploring, appreciating, and loving the breathtaking environments that we live in.

How we are committed

By switching to aluminum cans over the past year, we are showing our commitment to sustainability. We know that people are 35% more likely to recycle aluminum compared to glass or plastic. Plus, we emit less greenhouse gasses when shipping because our aluminum cans are lighter than glass. We recently switched our 1 liter glass growlers to 1 liter aluminum crowlers to deepen our commitment to our sustainability efforts. Try out our 1 litre crowlers, they are the perfect size to share with family and friends.

A toast to Earth Day

Wishing you a happy Earth Day and I hope that you get the chance to get outside today!
-Kara

If you, or someone you know has diabetes, then you’ll understand that paying close attention to diet is very important. As much as you try to keep your blood sugar levels stable, there are many different variables that can cause a spike. Sugar is something that must be closely monitored. When choosing a kombucha you need to be selective as many market brands have sugar content ranging between 10g - 20g per serving. 

Much of what is currently available on the store shelves has had additional sugar added post fermentation, for flavour. Kombucha is most beneficial to the body when consumed in its natural, raw, unpasteurized form, without any added sugar. At Bucha Brew, we ferment for a minimum of 30 days to ensure most of the caffeine and sugar is metabolized. We then flavour our kombucha with only freshly pressed fruit juice from 100% organic, whole fruit. This gives each one of our kombuchas an authentic taste profile with added antioxidant benefits and vitamins from real fruit.  No additional cane sugar or sweeteners are added post fermentation, leaving our sugar content at only 4-6g per serving. 

kombucha is said to have a number of effects that make it of interest to diabetics as it may help with moderating fluctuations in blood sugar levels. The combination of the fermented tea, B vitamins, enzymes, probiotics and high concentration of acid (gluconic, acetic, and lactic) appears to have a positive effect on the metabolism and digestive system, which could in turn help stabilize blood sugar levels.

However, there is little modern scientific evidence to support these claims, so while some kombuchas are certainly more diabetic friendly,  be selective and cautious before consuming. 

Authentic Kombucha, in its purest, raw form, contains live bacterial cultures that need to be refrigerated to maintain potency and.... “Shelf stable” kombucha means it has been through a pasteurization process, thus killing these live cultures and enzymes and stripping it of it's most beneficial properties. How would you feel about shelf stable yogurt? Would you buy it? Not likely. The same applies to your kombucha.

 

Shelf stable kombucha generally contains added preservatives and a higher sugar content and is manufactured this way to cut costs and extend shelf life. This manipulation puts the beverage into a whole different category and should not be considered a Kombucha. Real kombucha, its its raw, unpasteurized state should be stored between 4 and 6 degrees to keep the natural cultures alive and kicking and slow the continuous fermentation to almost nothing. If it is left unrefrigerated, it won't go off, but it will continue to ferment and after a short period of time, will build up too much pressure inside the bottle/can and explode (resulting in a very messy kombucha shower!)

 

The kombucha market is booming but there is confusion building for consumers. As the category continues to grow, more and more "kombucha' type beverages are appearing on the shelf. It is now more important than ever, to know the good from the bad.  
Spot the difference.

 

The tea

It is essential to use a caffeinated tea, high in tannins in order to ensure the scoby (mother/starter culture) thrives and ferments properly. The best teas are black or green as they are high in tannins, caffeine and antioxidants. When buying kombucha, if the labels reads “tea flavours or extracts” or contains no tea whatsoever (yes, there are some out there), then it is not authentic kombucha. 

 

Ingredients list

If "kombucha" is listed as an ingredient, then it is a good indicator that the beverage is made of more water and sweeteners/flavourings than actual brewed kombucha. True kombucha should list the live cultures in the first 3 ingredients and they will generally be gluconacetobacter or brettanomyces bruxellensis. 

 

Is it in the Fridge or on shelf? 

Is the kombucha you are about to buy stored in the fridge or on the shelf? We now know the importance of refrigerated kombucha, so if your chosen brand is sitting warm and snug on the shelf, rubbing shoulders with long life milk and room temperature soda, then don't waste your money. 

 

Expiry date

Raw, unpasteurized kombucha should display an expiry date no longer than 6-8 months. While kombucha doesn't technically expire if it is kept refrigerated, all market brands that are producing authentic kombucha will set an expiry date of 6-8 months to ensure maximum potency and flavour for the consumer. 

 

Sugar 

Two things to address here. 

 

1 - If sugar is not a listed ingredient then that kombucha has likely not been through a proper fermentation process. Sugar is needed to feed the yeast in the initial fermentation. During this process, the sugar (and caffeine) is metabolised and depending at what stage the fermentation is stopped, the residual sugar content should be very low. Typically, kombucha should be fermented no less than 30 days to reduce the majority of the sugar.

 

2 - Traditionally, kombucha is a healthy, immune boosting, disease fighting, gut building beverage. It is not a pop. If your kombucha contains over 10g sugar per serving, it is likely than additional sugar has been added for flavouring, post fermentation. This does necessarily question its authenticity, but a high sugar content does go against kombucha's healthy profile. If you are looking for a refreshing, better for your alternative to energy drinks or pop, then a kombucha that contains the same or even more levels of sugar is not your best option.  

 

The taste

Kombucha is a fermented beverage. Therefore, naturally it should have a slight tangy flavour. This shouldn't be overpowering or off putting, and some brands taste more vinegar-like than others. It’s all down to preference and kombucha category now offers quite a variety. However, if there is not even the slightest hint of tanginess, then it might suggest that either no tea has been used or it is made from a kombucha concentrate with too much added water.