by Claudia aka happynutritionist
New on Wizzley - September 2011 - Updated 5/14/18
Intro Image Credit - Wikipedia Creative Commons, see below also
How to Make Kombucha Tea - a Healthy Fermented Brew
Kombucha is a fermented tea that you can buy prepared, but why bother when you can make this tea brew with it's many health benefits at home? It's easy!
The image below of Kombucha that has finished the fermentation process looks exactly like what mine does when finished, right down to the type and size of jar.
I remember reading about Kombucha years ago when I was still new to the internet and my experience was limited to accessing forums through Compuserve. It was easy for me to believe the health benefits that were attributed to the brew because I already used many alternatives to traditional health, and have been for over 30 years.
Let me teach you a bit about how to make Kombucha, and the health benefits of this unusual and delicious fermented tea brew.
Have you ever made Kombucha?
18 votes
Wiki Information about Kombucha
Kombucha is a tea-based beverage that is often drunk for its health benefits or medicinal purposes. There is limited scientific information supporting any health benefit and few studies are being conducted, although there are several centuries of anecdotal accounts supporting some of the health benefits attributed to the tea. Kombucha is available commercially and can be made at home by fermenting tea using a visible, solid mass of yeast and bacteria which forms the kombucha ...
First you need a Scoby
Some people call it a "mushroom"
A SCOBY is the leathery starter that you will need to ferment your first brew of Kombucha Tea. Some call it a mushroom.
SCOBY is short for "Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast" - and quite frankly sounds a little more fun and interesting than the phrase it is short for. It is much like the "mother" that is used as a vinegar starter...in fact, if you let your Kombucha brew too long, it will become like vinegar, and can be used to make salad dressing. The taste is a little different, but very similar.
You want to make sure that the source for your first Kombucha starter or Scoby is from a reliable source. I have purchased them through the website of "The Happy Herbalist" in the past. I have also purchased them on eBay and through other online sources.
Complete Kombucha Starter Kit with Scoby
Advertisement
I use black tea or green to make Kombucha
Advertisement
Kombucha is a Fungus some don't mind having among us
Advertisement
Ingredients and Supplies for Kombucha Tea
Gather what you need first
You will need a starter kit like pictured above, or you can use what you have. Here is what you will need:
- Tea of choice, for your first brew I suggest black or green tea bags, or a combination of the two
- Kombucha Scoby or Mushroom
- Sugar
- Water
- 1 T Apple Cider Vinegar - organic preferred
- Large Stainless Steel Pot - don't use any other type of metal
- Wood or plastic spoon - do not let metal utensils come in contact with brewed tea unless they are 100% stainless steel
- A large Glass Jar(s) - The recipe that I am giving you below is for a gallon of liquid. I would not suggest a sun tea jar with tap because the sediment in the tea tends to clog the spigot.
9. Heavy Rubber Band and Coffee Filter or other material that will keep out fruit flies during fermentation, and at the same time allow for "breathing" during the fermentation process.
10. Smaller glass bottles for storage after the tea has fermented....remember, no metal should be in contact with fermented tea...you can use plastic lids or metal lids for storage if they are not in contact with the tea.
Kombucha Tea Recipe - How to Make Kombucha Tea
It's so easy! This recipe is for a 1 gallon jar
- Fill your stainless steel pot with the amount of water needed to fill the jars you are using to the top of the widest point in the jar, this recipe is for a 1 gallon jar.
- Bring the water to a full boil to sterilize, then allow it to cool to a bit under the boiling point.
- Add 1 and a half cups of sugar, stir with your wooden or plastic spoon until all sugar is dissolved.
- Steep 5-6 tea bags of choice in the liquid for about 10 minutes, until it is nice and dark
- Remove the tea bags, put a lid on the pot, and allow to cool to room temperature -or- when cool enough so that it will not break the glass, put it in the jar up to the top of the widest point in the jar. Cover the jar with your coffee filter or other material of choice (to keep out fruit flies and dust) and secure well with the rubber band...allow the brew to cool to room temperature.
- When the liquid is room temperature, put a Tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar on top of the liquid to help adjust pH.
- With clean hands, add your Scoby gently to the top of the liquid. It may float, it may not, but as it ferments, it will form a NEW Scoby on the surface of the liquid, attached to the old if it floats, or above it if it sinks. RE-COVER with coffee filter and rubber band.
- Allow to sit undisturbed on a high shelf if it is a cool time of year, if warm, any shelf will do, or cabinet, any place it can sit for over a week undisturbed.
- The fermentation can take a week to 10 days...maybe a few more days...depending upon conditions.
- When it has finished the fermentation process, you will see the a nice healthy new scoby on top, and will want to keep the Scoby's for future brews. Store them in a jar or zip lock bag not completely sealed with a couple of cups of the fermented tea in the refrigerator until you are ready to start a new brew...some get their next brew started right away. You will use both the Scoby and tea to start your next brew. Now that you have some starter tea, you will not need the Apple Cider Vinegar for the next brew.
- Put your newly fermented brew into very clean bottles for storage in the refrigerator until you use it. Keep it refrigerated so that it does not continue to ferment.
CAUTION #1: On very rare occasions, mold may form on top of the brew...if you see any "fuzzy" looking moldy spots, green or otherwise, you will have to discard the brew. I have never had this happen. Make sure your jars and all things that come in contact with the liquid after it is room temperature are VERY clean. MAKE SURE you make under CLEAN conditions.
CAUTION #2: When you first start drinking Kombucha Tea, take small amounts, a few ounces a day to start, and see how your body responds. The good bacteria in the tea will want to overtake the bad, and some go through a cleansing detox. from the tea...you want to do this slowly. You will want to be familiar with the symptoms of detoxification.
Health Benefits of Kombucha Tea
Other than being delicious
Many health benefits have been attributed to the drinking of Kombucha Tea. I cannot attest to whether all of them are true or not, but can share with you what some of them are. You can research further on your own through reading research that has been done.
The biggest benefit attributed to the tea is cleansing the liver. The liver is an organ in the body we often take for granted, but it does more than it's share of work in keeping our blood pure of toxins, the more toxins you take in, the more filtering the liver, as well as the kidneys, have to do. Claims have also been made that it aids in cancer prevention and building the immune system. These are only a few of the many claims.
The medical community will tell you that there are few health benefits that have stood up to studies, but they've said that about other alternatives to medicine over the years that they now use themselves, so I'll allow you to decide.
A Guide to the Medicinal Benefits of Kombucha Tea
Advertisement
What is your favorite tea? Have you ever tried Kombucha? Any questions?
happynutritionistNov 16, 2016
katiem2Nov 16, 2016
happynutritionistOct 27, 2016
frankbeswickJan 9, 2016
happynutritionistSep 3, 2014
MiraSep 3, 2014
RoseSep 25, 2013
MiraSep 20, 2013
cazortFeb 25, 2013
terrilorahMar 23, 2012
marciagOct 20, 2011
Holistic_HealthOct 14, 2011
DianneSep 29, 2011
happynutritionistSep 17, 2011
chefkeemSep 17, 2011