Kombucha Curious: How a Drink Transformed My Life

by Duff McDonald (Narrator)

It originated in Asia, moved to Europe, and is now consumed worldwide—a slightly fermented tea that is purported to cure everything from indigestion to cancer. We’re talking about kombucha, which has exploded in popularity in the last quarter century. While the exact health benefits of kombucha remain unproven, it’s quite certain that the effervescent elixir provides its worldwide fans with a spiritual lift unlike any other drink.

Journalist and author Duff McDonald takes us inside the biological, physiological, and spiritual benefits of this beloved beverage, one of a remarkable category of liquids known as "living drinks." Packed with healthy probiotics, kombucha is, quite literally, alive and McDonald makes a very good case that the life in the drink adds to the life of the drinker. Threaded through that narrative is his own remarkable experience with the drink, one that started with a sip but has transformed into an entire home-brewing operation. Over the course of that journey, he discovers that kombucha has indeed transformed his life, pointing the way to the answer to many of life's vexing questions.

Genres: Audiobook, Health, Food, Nonfiction

3 pages, Audible Audio

Published October 12, 2023

About the author

Duff McDonald is a journalist and the author of Last Man Standing, a biography of JPMorgan Chase CEO and chairman, Jamie Dimon. A contributing editor at Fortune magazine and the New York Observer, he has written for Vanity Fair, New York magazine, Esquire, GQ, Wired, and Time, and has been awarded two Canadian National Magazine Awards. He lives in New York.

Reviews

[Laura May · Rating 1 out of 5]

Look, I'm occasionally down to listen to someone saying cult-y things, which this guy absolutely is. Unfortunately, his narration comes off sociopathic - he'd be better off getting somebody else to read his books, and perhaps see if he could lend his vocal talents to first-person true crime or something.

Nope-ing out at 12%.

[Charles · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting topic for a book. I found it just slightly overdone when describing the benefits of drinking the stuff all the time. My interpretation, while seemingly positive in result, felt like the author traded one addiction for another; in this case alcoholism for addiction to kombucha.

I personally, like kombucha, but I don't know that I would drink it all day long in the quantities it seems he is. I would be eager to see more science revealed in the future as I do believe it has great benefit.

[Patrick Flannery · Rating 3 out of 5]

Less a book about Kombucha and more a book and more a book about the author and his feelings about his life through the discovery and obsession about Kombucha.

I enjoyed the book it was interesting. I was a little like if Ferris Bueller wrote a religious text about his favorite beverage.

It wasn't quite what I was looking for but I also enjoyed it and I didn't get some of the info about the creation of Kombucha I was looking for.

I would recommend the book if someone was Kombucha Curious lol

2.5/5

[Juan Rivera · Rating 2 out of 5]

This short audiobook about Kombucha caught my attention. Duff was an alcoholic and when he gave up drinking he looked for something else that would give him comfort. He found Kombucha (which I've never tried). Despite Duff's efforts to talk about its benefits, I have no great intentions of trying it nor do I believe I will become a fan of it.

Maybe it would have been better not to listen to this audiobook.

[Kristin Warry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this a very enjoyable light hearted read, despite some of the content being about addiction and recovery. I have put this one on my mental list of books to recommend to others. A tale not just about making kombucha, but how you can take an unhealthy addiction and replace it with a healthy one. Yes, I was starting out to make my own when I found this, but think its a book beyond just that premise. Very much recommended with a good narrator.

[Luke · Rating 3 out of 5]

oddly preachy and full of woo-woo mysticism. I was looking more for a book of production techniques, fermentation science, and recipes, and this is mostly a memoir about overcoming addiction and developing a hobby. there is useful science and production notes inside, but they are definitely not the focus.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It's more of meditation on kombucha and a memoir than a strictly informational text. The author tells the story of how kombucha has transformed his life, and sprinkles in background information about the history of kombucha, the modern kombucha industry, and the nuts and bolts of how to brew it at home.

[Gregg · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good overview of the topic. This lost a star because every time the topic reached the unknown, it took a completely granola/drum circle harmony explanation. We can get to the point where we do not know without crediting mysticism. Here it gets a bit lazy.

[Tia Sinclair · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was introduced to Kombucha back when Whole Foods started carrying it. Like some others mentioned by the author, I cannot afford to buy it as much as I'd like to drink it. Thankfully, a friend has started making Kombucha at home. Perhaps, I can get in on it as I share ingredients from my garden 😉.

[A.M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve been making it for about 18 months now, and I agree with everything he says. It has changed my health and my life. I no longer drink alcohol but it had not occurred to me that kombucha might code to my head as beer.

Regardless, it is cheap, fun and delicious.

4 stars

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just love this stuff! The book was funny and engaging, and restarted me on my Kombucha journey!

[Stephanie Borges Folarin · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s great to hear about someone’s passion. Loved this.

[Colleen Berry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ever since listening to this audiobook on an airplane I’m insufferable and won’t shut up about kombucha

[Simona · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Kombucha Curious: How a Drink Transformed My Life" by Duff McDonald is a fun and enlightening journey into the world of kombucha. McDonald shares his personal experience with this trendy fermented beverage and how it made a positive impact on his life. The book is an easy read, blending personal anecdotes with useful information about kombucha's health benefits. McDonald's writing style is approachable, making it a great choice for anyone curious about this fizzy drink. Whether you're a kombucha enthusiast or just starting to explore its wonders, "Kombucha Curious" is an enjoyable and informative read.

[C · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first eight chapters are just the author’s backstory for why he got into kombucha (spoiler, he was an emotionally immature alcoholic whose wife left him) so I read through at break-neck 2.30x speed.

Chapter nine is finally where he shared some interesting information (albeit taken from someone ELSE’S book on kombucha) about the health benefits, like how the majority of our body’s serotonin is manufactured in the digestive system, and how fermented foods have been shown to reduce the inflammation that causes chronic pain and other diseases.

Unfortunately, other health claims from this point onward are embarrassing. For example, the author says that one of the benefits of kombucha come from our social satisfaction at ingesting, and therefore becoming part of, a bacterial colony, because we’re “tribal animals who like to be in colonies”. (I've never encountered something so made up.)

Elsewhere the author claims that in feeding and maintaining the SCOBY, we are caring for a living thing and learning empathy and connection, and compares it to personal development that comes from raising a child. “Life in a bottle, connection to all that is………..when you make kombucha, you are engaging in the act of creation, you are creating your own reality.” (Vomit)

This kind of overinflated spiritual prattle makes the medical and scientific communities pass over valid aspects of non-traditional medicine. Also note that the earlier mentioned (and reality-based) health benefits come from FERMENTED foods - it doesn’t have to be kombucha.

Then there’s the matter of the author’s ego. I couldn’t help but feel that the author/narrator had a bite in his speaking voice, almost condescending or sarcastic, and it gave me red flags for a man claiming to be enlightened and “transformed”. He name drops one of the founders of the Blue Man Group as someone he shares his homemade kombucha with, claiming the man credits his kombucha with “making him a better lover” and takes great pains to dictate for us the tech-bro-podcast word salad his friend vomits up about how the nuanced kombucha flavors reflect infinite creativity. 

Conclusion: drink the microbes, not the kool-aid.