I’ll bet most of you have heard of it, that trendy, strange, fizzy drink all those strange kale munchers have been guzzling like it’s going out of style. Kombucha.
What’s all the hype about? After all, anything you read about kombucha says the health claims “lack scientific evidence.” And have you seen a SCOBY? That mother is friggin’ creepy, man. Why the heck would anyone want to drink something farted out by bacteria?
Trust me, you definitely want to be drinking this weird stuff.
People have been making and drinking kombucha for thousands of years. There are a number of fermented foods many cultures enjoy, and we know that these foods are good for us because of the live cultures and enzymes. We need probiotics and enzymes in our gut. They’re a huge immune and digestive boost, because of the detoxifying properties and build up of flora they contribute to.
Kombucha is full of probiotics, essential acids, and vitamin B. This site contains a list of the acids found in kombucha, and the particular benefit of each. It’s powerful stuff! The site lists a quote from the book Kombucha Tea for Your Health and Healing by Alick Bartholomew. It says:
“Another feature of Kombucha is that, biochemically speaking, it is an adaptogen, that is a substance which has no harmful effects, but which works on a wide variety of conditions by normalising the metabolism of the body, and bringing it back into balance. So, for example, if you have high blood pressure, an adaptogen substance will lower it, and if you have low blood pressure, it will raise it. Kombucha's adaptogen effect is seen mostly through its effect on the liver, the blood and the digestive system, where it normalises the acidity or pH.”
All the goodies contained in kombucha balance your pH levels. That is amazing! One of the biggest problems we face with our health today is the body being too acidic from the crummy food we eat. Kombucha will actively combat that, and restore balance to your body. Sound holistic and healthy to you, folks? It sounds like a blessing to me!
What the heck are you waiting for? Brew up a batch of your own and start enjoying the benefits. It’s easy and cheap! Two of my favorite things!
These directions were written by my mother, who makes excellent kombucha. I also included some links at the end for flavored kombucha and some other brewing info.
(SCOBY: Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast)
(Pictured: SCOBY in kombucha liquid)
When you get your new SCOBY and its kombucha liquid, cover the jar with a clean cloth (or paper towel secured with a rubber band) until you are ready to make your tea. Keep it at room temperature, too. Kombucha needs to breathe, so never use a sealed lid. Also, never use anything that is anti-bacterial like soaps, bleach, etc., because they will kill the SCOBY’s bacteria and it won’t grow.
You will need:
1 glass gallon jar
Large metal pan to boil water
14 cups of water, dechlorinated (I just boil it and it takes the chlorine out.)
1 cup sugar
8 tea bags: try green tea, jasmine green tea, black tea, white tea, or a combination of them; all work great. Most herbal teas don't work because they have too much oil in them.
Clean glass bottles with stoppers for storing finished kombucha (I purchased these at a store where you get beer making supplies. Make sure you get bottles with stoppers that won't pop off or you will have a big mess everywhere. I use the bottles with the rubber and metal stoppers.)
Plastic funnel that will fit into the neck of the bottles
Clean cloth or paper towels
Rubber band
Towel to cover the gallon jar to keep it in the dark
Bring 14 cups water to a boil; pour into clean gallon jar and stir in 1 cup sugar until dissolved; add tea bags and cover with a clean cloth or paper towel secured with a rubber band. Let tea bags steep until water is completely cooled to room temperature. Remove tea bags from cooled tea and add the SCOBY and two cups of kombucha to the gallon jar of prepared tea. The tea must be completely cooled or you will kill the SCOBY.
(Pictured: Glass gallon jar, steeping tea)
Secure a clean cloth or paper towel over the top of the jar to keep dust, bugs, etc out of the jar; then store in a warm, dark place for 7 to 10 days.
After 7 days, take a clean straw and dip down into the kombucha tea past the SCOBY and lift some of the mixture into the straw. (I just take a few dips with the straw and put it into a little glass so I can taste to see if it tastes how I want it to taste or not.) If it tastes good to you at 7 days, then you can bottle it up. Refrigerate so that it stops fermenting and doesn’t become kombucha vinegar. (Unless you want kombucha vinegar!)
(Pictured: Kombucha ready to be bottled and enjoyed)
Be sure and reserve 2 cups of the kombucha tea with the SCOBY so you can start a new batch of kombucha. Always use two cups of kombucha with each SCOBY when making a new batch. At this time, you can also separate the SCOBY "mother" from the "baby" and you will have two SCOBYs so you can make two batches at once; make sure to use two cups of kombucha tea for each SCOBY. Also, be sure to sanitize your hands and jars thoroughly before handling the SCOBY. You want to keep that culture healthy and pure.
I separate my SCOBYs each time because I want to have several going at the same time to make a lot. Right now, I have 4 gallons going because I separated my SCOBYS and used the kombucha to start 4 gallons worth with the 4 SCOBYS I had. If you only want to do one gallon at a time, just leave the SCOBY in one piece and add it to your new batch of cooled tea with two cups of kombucha. You do not have to separate the SCOBY if you don't want to.
To make flavored kombucha, you may add fresh fruit, dried fruit, grated ginger, juices, or just about anything else you can imagine for flavor.
There you have it! Some of you may be thinking, “What about the sugar and caffeine? Those aren’t good for me!” Absolutely, they are not. However, the SCOBY feeds off of it. By the time your kombucha is ready to drink, it’s eaten all the sugar and caffeine. There are only very slight trace amounts of it left, leaving you with a bottle full of health instead.
If you live near me and want a SCOBY to start your own kombucha, let me know. I’ve always got little baby SCOBYs who need good homes!
Live well,
Katie
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