It wasn’t love at first sight. It was much too vinegary, and not very
sweet.
Yet…something kept bringing me back. Maybe fate?
It seemed we were meant for each other.
Maybe it was the bubbles that tickled my nose and danced on
my tongue. Maybe it was the crisp bite
and refreshing tang…. OR maybe it was my body screaming for more B vitamins,
enzymes, and probiotics. Believe it or not, kombucha is packed with nourishment.
Whatever it was, I was hooked. We’re talking spending $4 dollars a bottle, because
now I had to have it. This wasn’t just a
fling. This was a long-term love affair.
Three years, a husband, and a baby later, and kombucha and I
are still going strong. I also have managed
to bring them over to the dark delicious side. So now there are three of
us going crazy for this beverage.
Obviously, we couldn’t afford to continue to feed this
addiction at these outrageous prices.
SO, we took the only other option - I started brewing my own.
I got my scoby (or mother) from my mom. You can
purchase one online or get one from a friend who already brews kombucha.
WARNING: If you have never seen a scoby- don’t be
alarmed. They won’t bite. However (full disclosure) they are, in fact,
a little freaky looking (and feeling).
They are “Symbiotic
Cultures Of Bacteria and Yeast.”
SCOBY. AKA - little factories
pumping out probiotics, vitamin B, enzymes, and acids. (The good kind. You know, acetic, gluconic
and lactic. Don’t worry, we’re not
tripping on anything over here).
I set up my brewing system using a glass drink dispenser. The spout near the bottom of
the dispenser makes it so easy to fill my bottles when it is time for the
secondary fermentation. Once this first
system was established and my scoby was big enough, I split it and set up a
second system…we drink a LOT of kombucha.
But I digress…let’s brew some kombucha!
Ingredients:
1 SCOBY
20 bags of organic black tea
2 cups of sugar
24 cups of filtered water
3-4 cups kombucha (from a previous batch, a friend, or the
store)
Boil 4-6 cups of water and then let the tea bags steep. Stir in the sugar now also, so it can
dissolve. I let the tea bags steep until
the water is cool. Add this mixture and
the rest of the water to your container.
Your container should have the komucha and scoby in it already. Cover it
all with a cotton cloth or tea towel, secured with a rubber band. You want your
scoby to be able to breathe, but you want to keep the fruit flies out. And that’s it. Really. It’s that easy.
Wait 3-5 days and taste your kombucha. It should be slightly
vinegar-y and a little fizzy. If it has
the balance of sweet and sour you like, then you can either drink it right then
or place it into bottles for immediate refrigeration or a secondary
fermentation.
I like to place my kombucha in these flip top bottles with a
little fruit or juice at the bottom. I
have used pineapple, cherries, blueberries, lemon juice, ginger slices, grape
juice concentrate, raspberries, and any combinations of the above. Use your imagination! The ideas truly are
limitless. One of my friends even puts
herbs in hers. Go crazy! Figure out what
you like.
For a fizzier drink, let the bottles of kombucha sit unrefrigerated
for 2-3 days more in the bottles until a secondary fermentation is complete! I
stick all my bottles into the fridge at this point. Mostly because I like to drink it cold, but
also because refrigeration slows down the fermentation process so my bottles
are less likely to explode due to built up pressure.
And finally… ENJOY! Cheers!
Extra tips:
Don’t use anything with metal on it to brew your kombucha.
Use organic tea – the scoby can’t break down the fluoride on
non-organic tea.
Use regular sugar – the scoby can’t really convert other
sugars/sweeteners.
About twice a year, I buy a bottle of raw kombucha from the
store and add it to my brew. It adds some new strains of bacteria and seems to
perk up my SCOBY if it is looking a little gloomy.
Sources:
Nourishing Traditions, by Sally Fallon
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