Can mint replace tea in kombucha?

Can mint replace tea in kombucha?

Kombucha, by definition, is fermented tea. And tea has a long history, originating in China, Japan, India and Sri Lanka. We wanted to see what would happen if we replaced the tea with a plant that can be found right here in Brussels. Here’s how we got to this point.

The tests that came to nothing

We’ve tried a few things: willow bark, nettles, lemon balm, cherry leaves, and others besides. It’s fun to experiment; you always wonder how it’ll turn out after fermentation. But this time, honestly, it wasn’t a success.

Then, one day, Henri, our brewer, had a very simple idea. We had some fresh mint at the brewery, bought to make mocktail recipes. He brewed a trial batch.Everyone was delighted. It had all the hallmarks of kombucha (the tartness, the complexity, the fizz) but with all the freshness of mint. Something none of our other experiments had managed to produce.

The supplier was already there‍

And the best part of the story is that we didn’t have to look far. Joachim, a market gardener at Herbéa in Anderlecht, was already delivering baskets of vegetables to the brasserie every Friday on a drop-off basis. Our mint supplier was right there.

His mint is Moroccan spearmint grown just a few kilometres from us, harvested before flowering when the concentration of carvone (the compound that gives it its flavour) is at its peak (1).

Henri even went along to help with the harvest. The result: mint that’s more intense, more aromatic and more flavourful than anything we could have ordered from afar.‍

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Why we couldn’t completely do away with the tea‍

We wanted to take the idea all the way. Starting with an initial batch of mint kombucha, we tried to make a second batch using the first one as a starter. The aim: to completely remove the tea from the equation.

It didn’t work. The second batch didn’t ferment properly; the acidity didn’t develop. There’s a reason why kombucha needs tea: The compounds in tea (polyphenols, caffeine, nitrogen) nourish the SCOBY in a way that mint alone cannot replicate (2).

So today, Mint starts with a tea starter, the same as for our Brut kombucha, to which we add an infusion of fresh mint. It’s not a compromise; it’s the recipe that works: the structure of the kombucha, the freshness of the mint.

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Mentha spicata: 3,000 years on and still going strong‍

Spearmint is not just a passing fad. It is one of the oldest medicinal plants cultivated by humans.

Mesopotamian civilisations were already using it to treat digestive disorders over 3,500 years ago. Cuneiform tablets mention its medicinal use as early as 1500 BC (3). In ancient Egypt, traces of mint have been found in tombs dating from around 1900 BC, and the Ebers Papyrus (1550 BC) recommends it for soothing the stomach (4).

What interests scientists today is primarily carvone. In vitro studies suggest that it may relax intestinal contractions and relieve cramps and feelings of heaviness after a meal (5). Spearmint is also rich in natural antioxidants and, Unlike peppermint, it contains very little menthol (less than 1%), which makes it milder and less harsh on the mucous membranes (6, 7).‍

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How fermentation affects mint‍

Making a mint infusion is simple: hot water, extraction of the flavours, five minutes, and it’s ready. A herbal tea, in other words.

Fermenting mint is a different matter altogether. You leave a community of bacteria and yeasts to work on a sweetened mint infusion for two to three weeks. During this time, the yeasts convert the sugars into ethanol, which the acetic bacteria then convert into acetic acid and a whole range of organic acids (2). The result is a lively, tangy, sparkling drink whose flavour profile bears little resemblance to a herbal tea.

Fermentation can also alter the bioavailability of certain plant compounds, i.e. the body’s ability to absorb them. This mechanism has been documented for tea polyphenols in kombucha (8), and it is reasonable to assume that compounds in mint follow a similar pattern, even though specific studies on fermented mint remain limited.

And then there’s the living component. Unpasteurised kombucha contains active acetic acid bacteria and yeasts (Komagataeibacter, Acetobacter, and others). Scientific literature suggests that fermented drinks may play a role in supporting the gut microbiota, although clinical studies in humans are still ongoing (9).‍

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So, can mint replace tea?

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Not entirely. Tea remains essential to kick-start the fermentation process: it provides the SCOBY with the nutrients it needs to do its job. But mint can take over as the main ingredient and give the drink its distinctive character.

We wanted a kombucha that was accessible (a flavour everyone recognises), local, vibrant and thirst-quenching. That’s what Mint is all about. A plant with a 3,000-year history, a fermentation process that takes its time, and a can ready to drink.

To make it even more locally sourced, we’d need to replace the cane sugar with Belgian sugar. We haven’t found any organic yet. If you know of any, we’d love to hear from you.

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Disclaimer:

Smile brews kombucha, not medical conclusions. This article summarises information from scientific publications. The links are there for further reading. And if you have a specific health question, your doctor remains your best ally.

Sources :

(1) Hussain, A.I. et al. (2010). Seasonal variation in content, chemical composition and antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities of essential oils from four Mentha species. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 90(11), 1827-1836.

(2) Jayabalan, R. et al. (2014). A Review on Kombucha Tea: Microbiology, Composition, Fermentation, Beneficial Effects, Toxicity, and Tea Fungus. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, 13(4), 538-550.

(3) Thompson, R.C. (1949). A Dictionary of Assyrian Botany. British Academy, London.

(4) Papyrus Ebers (c. 1550 av. J.-C.). Traduit par B. Ebbell (1937). Levin & Munksgaard, Copenhagen.

(5) Souza, F.V. et al. (2013). (-)-Carvone: Antispasmodic effect and possible mechanism of action. Fitoterapia, 85, 20-24.

(6) Brahmi, F. et al. (2017). Chemical composition and biological activities of Mentha species. In: Aromatic and Medicinal Plants - Back to Nature, IntechOpen, 47-80.

(7) Mkaddem, M. et al. (2009). Chemical composition of the essential oil of Mentha spicata L. from Tunisia and its biological activities. Journal of Essential Oil Bearing Plants, 12(6), 644-652.

(8) Chu, S.C. & Chen, C. (2006). Effects of origins and fermentation time on the antioxidant activities of kombucha. Food Chemistry, 98(3), 502-507.

(9) Villarreal-Soto, S.A. et al. (2018). Understanding Kombucha Tea Fermentation: A Review. Journal of Food Science, 83(3), 580-588.

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