Blog Review: Happy Kombucha, Eastbourne, Sussex, England
It’s been awhile since our last kombucha company blog review. Continuing down the alphabetical list of ‘Booch Blogs on the left, we’ve arrived at Happy Kombucha, based in Eastbourne, Sussex, on the south coast of England.
General Store
Happy Kombucha is not a brewer. They are an online store that supplies more than 200 products. They sell starter cultures, cheesemaking supplies, natural fermentation products and much more. Their range includes Hand Made Incense Holders and Burners; Coconut oils; oral hygiene products and even a eclectic range of books: ‘The [un]lucky Girl?’; ‘Aside From The Apocalypse’ and ‘The Reformation of Hugberry Mullett’. This makes sense when you discover the author is Marcus Holborn, the founder of Happy Kombucha. However, Kombucha-related products and information are a central focus. They list over 80 of these products, from teas to continuous brew containers and pH test strips.
Stats
Blogging since: July 29, 2012
Last Updated: June 27, 2019
Post Length: 300-1,500+ words
Aesthetic Appeal: Very informative with a clear ‘how to’ series of lists and product/video links for the home brewer.
Graphics: Product-related.
Categories: None I could see.
Comments allowed: No.
Alexa.com global traffic ranking: 671,612
Social Media: They have 117 followers on Instagram — a relatively low number which might be due to there being no link on their main website and having to use the address ‘
The Happy Kombucha Story
Founder Marcus Holborn explains the story behind the company in this YouTube video:
They have a strong commitment to quality ‘booch. Their SCOBY sales include the promise that
When you buy one of our cultures one of our Culture experts is available to via email or telephone or in person to help you with your brew. You can come back to us at any point for help. We will do everything we can to help you happily make wonderful Kombucha.
Informative Blog
The Happy Kombucha blog is a rich source of information, with articles linked to products that make it a one-stop-shop for anyone curious about making their own kombucha.
The comparison of batch vs. continuous brew methods of brewing ‘booch concludes with the assessment that
There is very very little difference taste wise, continuous brewed kombucha can be slightly less fizzy than batch and it can sometimes have a bit more of a twang. You can also blend and mix different tea’s in a continuous brew which can give you some really interesting tastes but really taste wise there is not a great deal of difference and from a probiotic point of view they are the same.
Other kombucha-related posts cover topics such as how to safely trim a SCOBY, what to do with excess SCOBYs, and even how to make your own natural deodorant with kombucha.
There’s also a host of articles on other fermented products, including kefir, rejuvelec, sourdough breads and sauerkraut.
Suggestions
It’s refreshing to see that this company that sells a range of fermentation-related products is named Happy Kombucha. However, a clearer way of finding kombucha-related blog posts using Categories would be a big help.
Unfortunately the drop-down list under ‘Blog’ on the menu does not help locate kombucha-related information:
If they aligned their brand names on the different social media channels they should see many more followers on Instagram (where our research shows the majority of kombucha companies focus). Their 11,500+ followers on Facebook would put them among the top 20 companies we listed back in November. Given this, it’s a mystery why they have such a low number of Instagram followers.
Overall, this is a useful blog and site for anyone interested in brewing kombucha and the wider world of fermented foods.
