Where is the kombucha hiding in Austin?

Attention, world!

Where have you hidden my kombucha?

And the rest of you: Austinites, are you all drinking your kombucha?

Because if not, you need to hop on that train, my friend.

One of my pals, Stephanie, used to shake her head every time I bought a bottle of kombucha from Whole Foods.

"What's that stuff floating around in it?" she asked.

"Parts of the culture!" I chirped, like that explained everything.

Another friend of mine, Sarah, who is part human, part mystical healer/forest nymph/fairy, introduced me to kombucha in 2005. This was back when the only game in town was GT's, and their product lined numbered exactly three: Original, Ginger, and Gingerberry.

When she unscrewed the lid for me, I took a deep sip.

"They make it from fermented tea," she said. "And it does all these amazing things for you."

In addition to detoxifying your liver, enhancing your metabolism, bequeathing you with lustrous hair and skin and other benefits proudly printed on the label, kombucha apparently cured GT's mom of cancer.

All I know is, it gave me a buzz.

"Why does this drink make me feel AWESOME?!" I wondered. And then I realized: it had a trace amount of alcohol in it.

This is precisely the reason that GT's - and apparently other kombucha brands - are being pulled off the shelves in grocery stores all over the country. Which makes me very, very sad.

Since my mom and I are both hooked on kombucha, it wasn't long before she and Dad learned how to make it themselves, and then gifted me with a "mother," i.e., the scary-looking bacteria you use to create homemade kombucha.

It's a little frightening, isn't it.

Ross and I made some last Fall, and as much as I love GT's, our version is considerably more economic. That's because it literally requires four ingredients: the bacteria, sugar, tea bags, and water.

This got me thinking: To hell with the Farmer's Market, I'm joining the black market!

Buddha's Brew already makes kombucha right here in Austin. As does the Museum of Ephemerata, this insane, delightful gallery of oddities that every Austinite should visit once in his or her life. (Think toenail clippings from Marilyn Monroe and what not).

Now Buddha's Brew is for purchase obviously, and to my knowledge Museum of Ephemerata lets people sample theirs for free. So both of those are legal. But here are my questions:

*do you know where to find kombucha (store-bought OR homemade) in austin?

*would you like a recipe posted, to learn how to make your own?

*if i threw a kombucha tea party, would you come? 

That last one's not a promise. But I'm seriously thinking about it! I think we should call it: The Tea Party Movement: Kombucha Style. And it'll be like the Annual Hot Sauce Festival or the Chili Cook-Off, except ours will feature a delicious, magical beverage.