Today, we are going to talk kombucha. What is it, how is it made and why would we want too? Kombucha is a fermented sweetened tea that has been around for centuries. It is slightly tangy and sweet. Kombucha contains high levels of antioxidants, b-vitamins, probiotics and glucaric acid. It has been reported to have a variety of health benefits. Among those are restoring the good bacteria in your gut. A great drink for the whole family.
Kombucha is brewed from sweetened tea, though most of the sugar ferments out, so it has minimal effect on blood sugar. It can be made with caffeinated or decaf tea, and even with green tea.
Ingredients:
- 1 gallon size glass jar
- 1 gallon of brewed organic tea (black or green)
- 1 SCOBY and ½ cup of liquid from a previous batch of Kombucha (I bought my SCOBY here)
- 1 cup organic sugar
- 1 coffee filter or thin cloth and a rubber band
Directions:
Prepare the sweet tea. I use 1 family size tea bag or 6-8 small bags per gallon of water. Add 1 cup of regular sugar (organic preferably). Do not use honey or any other type of sweetener! Let tea cool to room temperature. This step is very important. Hot tea can kill your SCOBY.
Once tea has completely cool, pour it into a glass jar, leaving just over an inch of room at the top. Pour in ½ cup liquid from a previous batch of Kombucha or if starting from a dehydrated SCOBY, pour in ½ cup from a store-bought bottle of Kombucha. With clean hands, gently place the SCOBY at the top of the jar of tea. It should float, though if it doesn’t just let it fall. Cover the jar with the coffee filter or cloth and rubber band tightly (flies love this stuff!) Put the jar in a warm (around 70-75 degrees is best) dark place.
Let tea ferment for 7-10 days. You can test the Kombucha by placing a straw in the jar carefully and sipping. It should taste tart but still slightly sweet.
Your kombucha is ready. Pour the kombucha into another jar or jars with airtight lids and seal and refrigerate until ready to drink. You can also second ferment your kombucha to add carbonation. There are many ways to flavor kombucha which I plan on posting in the future.
Learn More
If you are interested in looking for more recipes, then make sure to check out the recipe section on Amazon. There are a ton of recipe books that are sure to catch your eye.