Originating in China thousand years ago, known as the “tea of immortality”, Kombucha has been used by ancient cultures as a traditional remedy to promote gut health, clear toxins, improve mental health clarity, mood, stamina and increase energy, as well as boosting the immune system. Kombucha drink has been gaining popularity nowadays as a health drink due to its several claims. However, there are only limited number of studies and literatures that backed up these claims and consumption of this drink is not so prominent in the Philippines, especially the locals. Teas from the Camellia sinensis plant which are internationally sourced, where commonly, black tea or sometimes green tea is traditionally used in making Kombucha. This study focused on functional properties in terms of total polyphenol content (TPC) of the tea sources and fermented form and the sensory acceptability of the internationally sourced teas (black, green, white and oolong tea) and locally sourced teas (blue ternate, lemongrass, turmeric and moringa tea) in making Kombucha. A review of related literature was employed instead of an actual experiment in determining the TPC of each tea source due to the ongoing pandemic which limits the use of laboratory facilities while sensory evaluation was conducted among one hundred (100) respondents of various age groups in Tarlac City, Tarlac. Based on literature review, most locally sourced teas have higher TPC in their raw form wherein moringa tea has the highest with 15216.0 mg/L while black tea with 183.1 mg/L has the lowest among all tea sources. Also, Kombucha-making which involved fourteen (14) days of fermentation increased the TPC of some internationally sourced teas. For the sensory evaluation, results showed that oolong tea is the most acceptable tea source among internationally sourced teas while lemongrass tea among locally sourced teas has no significant difference with black tea which is the traditional tea source in Kombucha-making. Also, results revealed that local tea sources, particularly moringa tea, did not appear to be a good tea source, as evidenced by their low acceptability and overall preference ratings. Hence, these antioxidant-rich, locally grown
iv teas might not be ideal Kombucha components. Nonetheless, they may be used to create drinks that are both nutritional and beneficial to health. This study serves as a guide in choosing acceptable tea sources in making Kombucha for present and future Kombucha producers.