Kombucha tea

18 Jun Kombucha tea

Kombucha tea, my latest discovery, is the beverage that is formed by fermenting sweet tea by means of SCOBY i.e. symbiotic culture of bacterias and yeast called also “mother” or “mushroom”. It tastes a little bit like traditional Slavic beverage called kvass. It’s tasty and refreshing yet it’s health benefits are the main reasons why I started to prepare kombucha at home. In many different sources there are so many promises related to this beverage. It is supposed to heal all the ailments of the world yet no adequate proofs have been provided. I’m a bit sceptic but I can believe that  kombucha tea can regulate and improve health of your intestinal track due to high content of good gut bacterias also called probiotics. It can also detoxify your body and have antioxidant properties.

 

You can get store-bought kombucha tea at your local store and this version is more often than not pasteurised. You can also easily prepare it at home.  You will just need loose leaf tea, sugar, SCOBY (usually received from a friend) or purchased from the internet or health store.

 

It is important to remember that homemade version of kombucha may contain traces of alcohol, so it should not be consumed by pregnant women and children. Due to high sugar content, those of you suffering from diabetes should also be very careful when consuming this beverage.

 

If you are a first timer, you should get used to drinking kombucha step by step, drink it diluted with water or fruit juices and do not exceed daily limit of approximately 100ml.

 

Ingredients (2L of kombucha)

2L boiling water

around 7 tablespoons of tea (I use 4 tablespoons of black tea and 3 tablespoons of green tea, but feel free to experiment. It is important to use unflavoured tea varieties though)

1 cup of sugar (I use half of cup of white sugar and half cup of demerara sugar but again feel free to experiment)

SCOBY immersed in kombucha tea from previous fermentation

additionally you will need: clean gauze, rubber band, large jar, fine strainer and possibly a fennel – everything should be scalded to avoid contamination.

Important notice #1 – SCOBY does not like metal, so avoid it al all cost. Use glass, ceramics or porcelain instead.

Important notice #2 – all utensils used during kombucha preparation and fermentation should be ultra clean and scalded.

 

Recipe

 

1. Add tea leaves and sugar to boiling water, mix well and set aside to steep for approximately 15 minutes.
2. Strain and pour into a jar where kombucha will be fermenting
3. Allow to cool to room temperature
4. Add SCOBY and a bit of previous kombucha tea from previous fermentation process in which SCOBY was immersed.
5. Cover with gauze, secure with rubber band and set aside in dark place at room temperature for approximately 7-8 days. If you will be fermenting the beverage for too long, you will get vinegar instead of kombucha tea.
6. When done, strain kombucha tea to clean jars and keep refrigerated to stop the fermentation. Use up during 10-14 days.
7. In the jar in which your kombucha tea was fermenting you will have two SCOBIES. The one on the bottom is the old SCOBY and the one on top is the newly formed one. I usually discard the old SCOBY and reserve the new one for the next fermentation procedure. I keep it immersed in kombucha and I refrigerate it.
8. Drink kombucha diluted with water or fruit juice. Use 1 portion of kombucha tea and 2 or 3 portions of water. You can alse serve it with ice cubes, fresh herbs and fruits.
9. Kombucha tea tastes best when served cold.