Kombucha 2.0 Version

As with anything, the more you make it, the more you become an expert at making it.  I have a few new tips and a fun way to JAZZ up your plain ol' kombucha.

1.)  I have found letting the tea bags seep for 10 minutes and THEN adding the sugar and bringing it back to a boil produces a better quality kombucha.  Don't know why, but it works. So, tea first, sugar second.

2.)  JAZZ kombucha is as simple as adding a tablespoon or so of chia seeds.  I am loving the chia seed and have been trying to incorporate it my diet.   When the kombucha is done fermenting, I put it in a bottle with a bit of cranberry juice, fresh squeezed lemon and a tablespoon of chia seed.  If you are using a larger bottle, add three tablespoons.  Let sit for the second ferment for 1-3 days, refrigerate for 1-3 days and then drink.  AHHH!

Need more info on WHY eating CHIA seed is good for you?  Check out my post on CHIA SEEDS.


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I NEED more SCOBY babies! Oh, wait... Never Mind!

My boys and I just love drinking the home brewed Kombucha.  The problem is that there isn't enough!  At first my SCOBY was not reproducing. (Shame on it!) So I did some research and found a way that you can "grow" your own.

My first SCOBY was given to me.  I found it simply by posting on Facebook that I was looking for one.  A friend of mine from high school saw the post and connected me with her mom, who is an avid Kombucha drinker.  YEAH!  Scored a SCOBY for free! (almost sounds naughty, doesn't it!)

I also had looked on Craigslist.  Yup, they were on there, but cost anywhere from $15-20 dollars.  Boo.

I went the free route.  As an added bonus, she sat down with me and gave me written directions to follow!  Thanks!!!!!

I digressed.  Anyways, we were drinking that yummy nectar of goodness faster then I could brew it.  My SCOBY was not having babies.  What to do... I googled and researched.  I came up with a solution.  If you buy plain Kombucha (needs to have the floaties in it) and put half a bottle in a glass bowl, cover, and leave it, it should make a mushroom.  It need anywhere from 3-4 weeks to grow.

I took up that challenge and started, not one, but two bowls.  And you know what happened?  As I waited for my experiment to work, my SCOBY I was using to brew started having babies.  Ha, joke is on me.  BUT, I learned a cool thing.  So, in the long run, it was worth it.   

How I make Kombucha

 I have found Kombucha really, really easy to make.  The hard part is the waiting for it to be done.

What you need:

* 6-8 teabags (organic green, black, oolong tea)

* 1 gallon filtered water

* stainless steel pan

* 1 gallon-size glass jar

* 1 cup to 1 1/2 cup organic sugar (I prefer turbinado)

* 1 SCOBY (mushroom) 

* 1 cup to 1 1/2 cup prepared Kombucha

* tea towel with rubber band

Here are the basic steps:

1.) In a stainless steel pot, boil 1 gallon or less of filtered, pure water

2.) add 1 cup to 1&1/2 cup sugar and stir until it is dissolved

3.) add 6-8 teabags and let steep 10 minutes (covered)

4.) let the tea mixture cool to room temperature

5.) pour tea into a gallon glass jar 

5.) add the SCOBY (mushroom culture) smooth side up

6.) cover opening with a clean cloth and secure with rubber band

7.) let mixture sit at room temperature for 6-14 days, you can taste-test using a straw

8.) bottle and refrigerate

Not to hard, right?  Here are some pictures of my kombucha making process.

 

Some things to note:

1.) Don't touch the SCOBY with metal.

2.) Only use wooden spoon or glass spoons for stirring.

3.) When you bottle your Kombucha, make sure to set aside 1 cup of kombucha and your SCOBY in a glass bowl for the next batch.

4.) You can store a SCOBY in the fridge while not in use.

5.) Your  SCOBY should make a baby every time you brew, however, after refrigeration, it might take a few brews to reproduce.

6.) I use Ikea glass bottles with a seal.  I like my Kombucha fizzy, these bottles help.

7.) When you bottle your Kombucha, you can add up to 5% of a flavor.  I like to use fresh squeezed lemons.  I add the pulp too!  Use any juice that is 100% juice with nothing (not even malic or citric acid) added.  

8.) If you add a flavor, let the bottles sit out at room temperature for 2 days for a second ferment, then refrigerate.

9.) Please, remember to start drinking this in small amounts.  It has wonderful properties, but your body does need to adjust. If you have questions on this let me know.
10.) Clean your tools and hands with vinegar.  Do not use antibacterial soap especially.

WHAT ON EARTH is this wierd stuff called kombucha???

I have found this super yummy drink.  KOMBUCHA.  It is slightly fizzy, smells vinegary, and has awesome health benefits.  Its basic components are organic green or black tea, organic sugar and fermenting them with a kombucha culture.  Through trying different types I have found which ones I like and don't like.

But what I really don't like is the price!  Yikes!  Anywhere from $3.50 to $4.50 a bottle.  I was treating myself to it instead of coffee and only when feeling run down.  I have been seeing a lot of posts on making it and I finally decided to try to make it myself. 

Kombucha and your health:
One of the necessary items needed to make it is a SCOBY/kombucha culture; which basically is a large mushroom.  SCOBY stands for "symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeasts."  The SCOBY can best be described as a large pancake.  It will often take on the color of the tea you use.  Some of the great health things that may be in the kombucha are B vitamins, vitamin C, organic acids lik glucuronic, gluconic, lactic, usnic, malic acids; there are even amino acids and enzymes in there.  Acetic acid, which is mildly antibacterial can be found in there too.  My favorite benefit is that there are probiotics in there!  Woo hoo! Which we all need!

A really cool thing about this yummy, fizzy bowl of health is that the SCOBY reproduces.  You can keep the baby and start a second batch, or give it away to friends to share the wealth of health benefits.

Teas to use:
 Most types of teas are ok.  Do use organic.  Green, black, white, and oolong will all provide a wide variety of taste.  I have been using green and like it.  Avoid teas with oils in them like Earl Grey and herbal teas.  My favorite sugar to use is Turbinado sugar.

Some important things to note:

I have read that it is recommended recovering alcoholics do not drink this.  While the fermenting tea and yeast do produce alcohol, the good stuff (bacteria) turn the alcohol into the even better stuff (organic acids), BUT the taste can be somewhat tempting.  I think the measured amount of alcohol is often around the 1% or less range.

For beginners, you can measure the PH of your kombucha to make sure it is brewing properly.  The goal is to end around 3.  The range can be 2.5 to 4.  You can buy a pack of PH strips to test it.  DO NOT dip the strips in to the brew, but use a straw to remove the liquid and drop onto the testing strip.  Do not touch the SCOBY with metal, plastic etc.

I will post soon on making KOMBUCHA.