Perusing the drink coolers at health food stores, you’ve likely seen kombucha, a probiotic drink made from growing a bacterial culture in sweet tea. The bottled reds, yellows, greens, and purples make a rainbow of different flavors, and the name and concept of the drink can both intrigue and intimidate. Tahoe City native Kellan Adams is sharing the goodness of craft kombucha with the community through Bella Bucha, her homebrewing business. With several Tahoe food spots serving her bucha by the glass, a new growler fill-up program, plus more plans in the works, Bella Bucha is just getting started.
Kombucha — or “fermented sweet tea” as Adams calls it — and its active culture have been celebrated for centuries, yet the drink is just gaining popularity within mainstream food culture. In addition to kombucha’s probiotic perks, it replenishes the body of amino acids and B vitamins, boosts the immune system, and promotes detox, according to Adams.
One of the most unique aspects about Adams’ Bella Bucha is the flavors. From rooibos chai to honey hibiscus rose to bergamot berry, Adams combines different tea flavors — all from Davidson’s Tea Company in Reno — with fresh-squeezed juices and extracts to create an approachable kombucha that is both healthy and flavorful, all sweetened with a hint of raw honey.
“There’s something about my kombucha … it’s not just that weird drink that you force yourself to ingest; it’s classy and boutique,” Adams said. “My kombucha is naturally carbonated so it’s more refined; you get a little bit of effervescence but it’s not overpowering. I like to describe it as kind of elegant … And there’s a lot of flavor layers to it, kind of like a wine.”
Adams started drinking kombucha eight years ago while developing a passion for sustainable agriculture and nutrition, and it was love at first sip. “I was becoming more conscious of my own health and wellness, and I think that’s how I first discovered [kombucha],” she shared. “I was just amazed at how it made me feel: super balanced and, I didn’t know this then, but it was alkalizing me … In a way, it’s removing that acidic nature within your system and enabling you to process things easier by restoring healthy bacteria.”
Adams was gifted her first starter culture in 2009 and began her homebrewing journey. As she continued to expand her knowledge of nutrition, wellness, and the science behind kombucha, she was nicknamed “Bella” and soon after, the idea to create Bella Bucha popped into her head. “This was never what I thought I would aspire to do,” she said. “I decided to softly start the business in the summer of 2012. I did a little music festival [with] my kombucha on tap, and it went really well.” From there she continued to develop flavors and perfect her recipe, and she said that the positive feedback and encouragement she received from the community has propelled her forward.
Bella Bucha is currently on tap at Coffeebar (the first place her bucha was served), Whole Treats Bakery, the Electric Blue Elephant food truck, Studio Reno, and Moody’s Bistro — in fact, Moody’s serves a cocktail of Bella Bucha’s honey hibiscus rose flavor with choice of vodka or gin for $8. Adams recently started an ongoing CSK program, or Community Supported Kombucha, and holds weekly growler fill-ups on Thursday evenings at Coffeebar. And she’s working towards bottling her own kombucha for à la carte sales at local shops (look for blue Mason jars with “Bella Bucha” on them).
Adams is getting new equipment — replacing her current 5-gallon glass jars with 200-gallon stainless vats — and planning to relocate to Truckee, possibly in the Whole Treats Bakery kitchen. (She has been brewing at Hi Point Coffee in Reno, but has already grown out of the space.) She also plans to acquire a small aluminum trailer so she can install taps along the sides and serve her Bella Bucha at summer festivals and events like Truckee Thursdays.
“The reason I started making kombucha is to help people become more aligned with their true nature and follow their path. And it definitely starts with what we ingest,” Adams said, the passion audible in her voice. “My dream is to take this business to where it needs to go, but also in that time to be a compass for people to help them become healthier and achieve total wellness with body, mind, and soul.”
To learn more about Bella Bucha or the CSK program, visit bellabucha.com.
~ Have you tried Bella Bucha? Have you enjoyed the benefits of drinking kombucha? Let us know below.
