Kombucha!

KOMBUCHA is a fermented tea.It's benefits include better digestion, increased energy, and a clearer mind. It has been consumed for over 2,000 years and has been used for medicinal purposed in countries such as China, Russia, and Germany. Kombucha is an all natural health beverage chockfull of probiotics and other healthy amino acids. Probiotic literally means “for life”. Unlike antibiotics, which kill ALL of the bacteria in your body, even the good stuff, probiotics re-establish the natural ecology of the intestinal flora. Probiotics are said to boost immunity, enhance mood, fight allergies, detoxify the body and rid the body of disease.

 

It is naturally carbonated and is purported to have a host of healing properties that may include:

*Probiotics – healthy bacteria
*Alkalize the body – balances internal pH
*Detoxify the liver – happy liver = happy mood
*Increase metabolism – rev your internal engine
*Improve digestion – keep your system moving
*Rebuild connective tissue – helps with arthritis, gout, asthma, rheumatism
*Cancer prevention
*Alleviate constipation
*Boost energy – helps with chronic fatigue
*Reduce blood pressure
*Relieve headaches & migraines
*Reduce kidney stones
*High in antioxidants – destroy free-radicals that cause cancer
*High in polyphenols
*Improve eyesight
*Heal excema – can be applied topically to soften the skin
*Prevent artheriosclerosis
*Speed healing of ulcers – kills h.pylori on contact
*Help clear up candida & yeast infections
*Aid healthy cell regeneration
*Reduce gray hair
*Lower glucose levels – prevents spiking from eating

 

 

Kombucha in a health food store can average anywhere between $3-$4 a bottle. It's much cheaper to brew it on your own. SO I wanted to MAKE MY OWN. So I started researching, and asking a lot of my natural mom friends that made it to help a sister out.

 

I learnt that you need a SCOBY to begin the process. A SCOBY? Like Scooby doo? No like Sk-O-bEE. Either you get one from someone who has previously brewed Kombucha (which can be tought sometimes), OR you make your own.

 

What is a SCOBY?  A pancake of bacteria and yeast. That is all :)

 

If you are unpatient like me, and want to make your OWN scoby from scratch you can follow these directions. This is what I started with!

 

After you have your Scoby you can start your tea!

 

This is all you need.

• One gallon GLASS Jar. I get mine for .50 from a local store that receycles them!
• SCOBY
• 1 cup Organic Sugar
• 4-6 bags of Green Tea, Black Tea, or a combination of both
• Distilled Water
• Cloth
• 1 Cup Starter Liquid (either saved from your scoby or substitute distilled vinegar
• Rubber Band

 

FIRST...

You need to make your "sweet tea" solution. This is your food for your tea.

 

1. Boil 4 cups of water!

2. Add your Tea bags

3. Let them steep for 6 minutes.

4. Pull the tea bags out.

 

5. Add 1 cup of organic sugar.

6. Stir until it dissolves :)

 

7. Pour the mixture in to your one gallon jar.

8. Add the distilled water. If tea is body temperature or below, proceed to the next step. If not, wait until it cools before completing the next step.

This is a Scoby, FYI, with the Starter Liquid.

8. Add your scoby and the starter liquid.

9. Cover it with your cloth and seal it with a rubber band.

10. Put it in a dark, warm place for 7 days. DO NOT DISTURB IT BEFORE THOSE SEVEN DAYS. DO YOU HEAR ME?

 

 

SECOND..

 

After 7 days, insert a straw beneath the newly formed Kombucha SCOBY and take a sip. If too tart, then reduce your brewing cycle next time. If too sweet, allow to brew for a few more days, tasting every day or so until you reach your optimum flavor preference for mature Kombucha Tea.

 

Brewing cycles can vary quite a lot but are normally between 7 days to 2 weeks, though they can be longer under certain circumstances, especially cold. Properly brewed Kombucha has a slightly sharp (acidic), not sweet taste. A cycle or two may be required to determine the ideal taste/time/temperature combination, but you will get the hang of it quickly. Then it’s time to bottle your delicious, healthy Kombucha tea.

 

THIRD..

 

It's time to bottle your bucha!

Wash your hands and remove both kombucha mushrooms (the new Kombucha baby culture that formed and the original Kombucha mother culture) and place in a clean bowl.

 

 Pour 2 cups of liquid from the top of your brew over the kombucha cultures. This is your starter liquid for the next batch. Make sure to keep a cover on those. You can now either keep both, or give your new Scoby away and keep your mother.

 

When bottling, make sure to use glass bottles. I use receycled glass bottles, some are receycled store bought Kombucha bottles. If you want, you can go to your local Home Brew store to get bottles, but they aren't cheap.

 

Whatever flavor you have decided to make your kombucha, place it directly on the bottom of the bottle.

 

Place a funnel in the bottle and pour the Kombucha over it. Fil to the top for increased carbonation. Repeat for all your bottles, but be sure to not bottle up the last portion of your tea that has all the yeast floating around in it.

 

Put lids on your bottles and let them sit for 1-3 days. Make sure to "burp" them to let out carbination and prevent explosion.

 

Once done, they're ready! Stick them in the fridge!

 

Gongratulations, you have just made your own batch of Kombucha tea!