Kombucha

Finished and delightful

Well I did a post about water kefir or tibicos, now I am going to share with you about kombucha. Kombucha is another fermented drink that is full of probiotics. Kombucha is a little stronger flavored than water kefir and some people don’t care for it. I tend to like water kefir a little better but I also really like kombucha. If you enjoyed the water kefir and are feeling adventurous you might like making kombucha, too. I got my kombucha scoby and my water kefir grains at the same time. While the grains look like pretty little transparent crystals the scoby looks kind of like a slimy brown mushroom, which is why it is sometimes called one even though it is not. A SCOBY is a Symbiotic Colony Of Bacteria and Yeast that is used to ferment sweetened tea and turn it into kombucha. It is very easy to make, although it might take some experimenting to get it just the way you like it. I usually make a half gallon at a time but you an easily double the recipe for a larger batch. Ingredients for one half gallon of kombucha: 1 kombucha scoby ½ cup of kombucha tea 4 plain black tea bags ¾ cups organic cane sugar Helpful equipment for making kombucha: 1 gallon glass jar Cheesecloth Rubberband Airtight jars or bottles Strainer Here is the method I use: Place tea bags and sugar in a 4 cup measuring cup, add boiling water. Stir to dissolve sugar and allow to cool completely. Add to gallon jar along with scoby, four more cups of cool water and ½ cup of kombucha from a previous batch. Cover with cheesecloth and secure with a rubberband. Allow to sit at room temperature out of direct sunlight for 5 – 10 days. I prefer mine to sit for about seven days. I like the flavor the best after that length of time and it also makes it easy to remember which day I need to do something with it and start my next batch. Next I strain it into an airtight bottle. I have been using an old plastic juice bottle, but would prefer to get a couple more glass flip top bottles to use. Let it sit on the counter overnight then refrigerate to chill. You can experiment with different types of tea such as chai, or other flavors or green tea. My brother in law even tried a batch using coffee once, I’m not too sure about that though. You can also add fruit juice when you bottle it for a tasty flavored version. See it is easy to make, tasty, and healthy, too! If you need a scoby keep your ears open for friends or aquintances that are making it, most people are happy to share extra ones, or you can buy them online. Kombucha is easy to make, tasty, and good for you!

The lovely scoby

Steeping the tea

Bottled to give it a nice fizz