Kombucha is a cultured tea beverage full of zing and health boosting ingredients. Learning the art of cultured foods is definitely a worthy endeavor for anyone who seeks true health.
“Culturing” is a natural process that increases the nutrient content of foods and the degree of their assimilation into the body. Kombucha possesses an impressive list of such nutrients including enzymes, antioxidants, polyphenols, probiotics, glucosamines, B-vitamins, and glucuronic acid.Drinking kombucha supports a healthy body in many ways. It has been noted to improve digestion, ward of degenerative illness (including cancer), build healthy gut flora, increase immunity, detoxify the liver, build cartilage, ease arthritic-type conditions, and provide an abundance of B-vitamins essential to effectively dealing with stress.
Required Equipment
- Large pot (gallon)
- Spatula or large utensil (wooden; not plastic or metal)
- Wide-mouth glass beverage dispenser or sun tea container (~1 gallon)
- Cheesecloth, organic natural fibers if possible
- Rubber band, preferably large & thick
- Funnel, metal (plastic ok, if funnel only cooled tea)
Ingredients
- Gallon of purified water
- Green or black tea, organic (4-5 sachets or equivalent)
- 1 cup of sugar, organic recommended
- Starter- approximately 16 oz’s of kombucha tea (from prior batch or a store bought brand such as GT’s; approximately 10% of starter is ideal, not less than 5%).
- 1 scoby (a.k.a. “mother”). Find a trustworthy local source that uses sterile practices, order online (do your research), or make one yourself (below).
Directions
1) Sterilize cooking equipment (pot, funnel, utensils, beverage container); easily accomplished with boiling water. Wash your hands thoroughly. 2) Bring approximately 3/4-1 gallon of purified water to a boil; remove from heat. 3) Add 4-5 tea bags & steep for approximately 20 mins. 4) Remove tea bags. 5) Add 1 cup of organic sugar to tea while still hot, stir until dissolved. 6) Cool to room temperature. This will take approximately 2 hours. Cooling time can be shortened by steeping a stronger tea in less water and adding cold (purified) water to lower the temperature quickly. 7) Transport the new batch of sugar-tea to the wide-mouth vessel–necessary to support kombucha’s fermentation process which takes place on the surface where the oxygen is present. To assure sufficient oxygen, the vessel should be filled no more than 80-90%. With steady hands you can pour direct, otherwise use a funnel. 8) Add the kombucha starter to the beverage dispenser. Recycled kombucha tea from a prior batch acts as the best starter, or you may use a 16oz store bought brand, such as GT’s, when necessary.The “mother” scoby may sink to the bottom temporarily or lie sideways with its tip at the surface as it grows a new skin. If if doesn’t rise and float on the top surface or grow new skin (a baby scoby) after a few days, the mother is no longer viable.
The perfect temperature for culturing kombucha is 75-85 degrees. Within this range, proper culturing will likely be achieved in 7-10 days. Cooler temperatures will require longer fermentation and periodic tasting to monitor its readiness–find your proper taste. The warmer it is the faster it cultures, the cooler… the slower.
Placing it in the refrigerator slows the fermentation process and the mother becomes temporarily dormant. This option creates ease as you can keep the starter and scoby in the same dispenser ongoing and merely add cooled sweet tea when it reaches its final 10% mark.
If you need a few days to initiate your next batch, you will need to store the mother in 16 ounces of kombucha tea. You can store it on the counter in a wide-mouth glass jar (cloth-covered) for a few days, but if you do so for any significant period of time, you will need to continue to feed her fresh sugar tea to maintain viability and safety. It’s much easier to store her in the refrigerator for a few days with a tight lid and let her nap.
If you enjoy making sun tea and want to stay out of the kitchen, simply make a gallon batch of sun tea in a sterile container, then add sugar and stir to dissolve while it’s still warm. Add the scoby and starter and you’ve got yourself some sun-brewed kombucha–the best of its kind!
Consumption
For those battling illness or major body ailments, enjoy throughout the day for best results!! The continuous brewing method is definitely the easiest in effort once you create a habit of consistent brewing. It’s really as simple as making a large batch of sugar tea and allowing the magic to happen.Drinking Kombucha out of a wine glass or beer mug makes it all the more enjoyable. Enjoy the fizzily pop of Kombucha and the fact that you’ve made it all by yourself. Gratitude, along with effort, goes a long way when your goal is to possess true health.