Hi Wellness Warrior,

 

I Discovered the magic of Kombucha Tea about 2 and 1/2 years ago and oh my goodness, I’ve been hooked ever since! I couldn’t believe that something this delicious could actually be made from tea — Don’t get me wrong, I love tea, but this tea taste so yummy, it’s safe to say, I can’t believe it’s not pop ;-). The best way I know how to describe the magic of Kombucha is that, it tastes kind of like a cross between a fizzy soda and a cup of green tea or berry tea, whichever you prefer more. It’s so addictive and it’s good for you! I literally drink it all throughout the day. I just pour out a glass and sip on it throughout the day.  

A friend introduced me to this liquid goodness. She stumbled on Kombucha while searching for a healthy and organic products to mend her damaged gut. She found that Kombucha provided all the good bacteria to aid in rebuilding her gut so she started to ferment the tea for her daily consumption. 

Being a lover of new and exotic things, I jumped on-board instantly because I was experiencing some gut discomfort also. My gut discomfort started because I was going through a really tough and stressful time with my then employer. We tend to store our stress in our gut region. 

I became hook after making my first batch of Kombucha tea! I couldn’t stop making it. I almost instantly started to feel the health benefits. My tummy started to feel better after the first two weeks of drinking it. 

 

What is Kombucha?

Kombucha is a fermented sugary (sweet) tea that’s consumed by many for all the health benefits jam-packed within it. The tea goes through a fermentation process that requires a SCOBY, which is a “symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast.” SCOBYs are sometimes called “mothers” (since they reproduce with each batch of brewed Kombucha tea) or “mushrooms” (because of their appearance). The SCOBY is a very close cousin to the mother culture used to make vinegar. They both go through the fermentation process. 

SCOBYs are so amazing. They unselfishly share their yummy goodness and health benefits with us to help us enhance our overall health. They’re quite interesting to look at as well. They’re rubbery and somewhat slippery to the touch, brown in colour with thread-like bits hanging from one side, they float to the top of the container during the fermentation process, they transform the tea and sugar into a delicious fizzy and sour tea drink… mmm  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

History of Kombucha

The origins of Kombucha is somewhat unknown. In the early 1900’s, In all probability the Eastern Russians consumed the Kombucha tea. The use of the tea entered into Europe afterwards. Around the earlier part of 1990’s Kombucha tea was introduced to the United States of America and it has been on the uprise ever since. Research shows that the culture comes from bacterium xyllinum and yeast cells from the genus Saccharomyces. These are the good yeast that provides great health benefits to the body. Kombucha tea is so rich in the GOOD vitamins. Here’s a few of the good vitamins; B1, B2, B3, B6, B12, glucuronic acid, hyaluronic acid, comdroitin-sulfate, mucoitinsulfuric acid, dextrogyral, using acid and folic acid. 

 

Benefits

ॐ Rich in probiotics

ॐ Digestive acids 

ॐ Vitamins 

ॐ Great detox

ॐ To increase your energy

ॐ To balance your gut health 

ॐ To improve your immune system

ॐ When your gut is happy and healthy you become a happy and healthy human. 🙂

ॐ Drink around 60ml – 120ml (2oz – 4oz) of brewed tea 3 times a day, but you can drink more or less if you choose — it’s ultimately your decision.

 

What You’ll Need To Make Kombucha Tea

 

ॐ 1 SCOBY per fermentation jar, purchased in store or online (I bought mine at my local Organic Food Store, Vital Planet) 

ॐ 4-6 bags of organic green or black tea (If you’re using loose tea, put a tsp in 4-6 separate cheesecloth)

ॐ 1 cup of Organic cane sugar preferred

ॐ 4 litres of distilled or Spring water

 

Equipment

This Recipe Makes About 1 Gallon

ॐ Pot: 10L Stainless steel or glass pot (NEVER USE  ALUMINUM)

ॐ Jar: 1-gallon glass jar or two 2-quart glass jars

ॐ Cloth: Tightly woven white cotton or linen cloth (like clean napkins or tea towels)

ॐ Spoon: Glass, Wooden or Stainless steel

ॐ Bottles: Six 16-oz glass bottles with plastic lids, 6 swing-top bottles, or clean soda bottles

Small funnel

 

How To Brew Your Own Kombucha Tea At Home

 

1 Brewing the tea: 

Add your distilled or spring water into your stainless steel or glass pot. Bring the water to a boil, then add your sugar. Boil tea for 3 minutes. Add the tea bags  and continue to boil for an addition 2-3 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow to the tea to steep for 10 – 15 minutes. Then remove the tea bags. Allow your tea to sit and cool down until it’s warm to the touch, between 35℃ – 45℃ (95℉ – 113℉). Depending on the size of your pot, the cooling process may take several hours. If you want to speed up the process, place the tea in an ice bath. You can make an ice bath in your bathtub or in a large bucket. 
  

2 Adding the SCOBY and starter tea: 

Pour the steeped tea into your glass jar or jars. If you are using 2 jars, you will need to use 2 SCOBYs. Now add the starter tea into your jar, (but never add the SCOBY to tea that is still hot). Doing so may damage the culture. Make sure your hands are clean. Then gently place the SCOBY or SCOBYs into the jar or jars. Next, use the white cotton or linen cloth to cover the mouth of the glass jar and secure it with an elastic band. 

 

3 Fermentation time: 

When brewing, place your container with the Kombucha tea in a well ventilated area. Place your jar or jars in a secure and quiet area in your home. I like to place mine in the cupboard under my sink. Keep the area you store your tea free from sunlight as well. Make sure the temperature is between 23℃ and 28℃ (73℉ and 82℉). Allow your tea to ferment for 7-10 days. This is dependent on the leave of the tartness you prefer. Make sure that while the tea is fermenting you do not move around the jar with your tea, doing so may disturb the fermentation process. During the fermentation process you will notice a creamy brown layer of SCOBY forming on your brew of Kombucha a few days into the fermentation process. Sometime this new layer will separate from the old layer, but if it doesn’t you can separate it when you are bottling the finished product. 

 

4 Testing the tartness of the Kombucha tea: 

Around the 7 day mark, test your Kombucha tea with a sterilized straw. Take your straw and slide it between the side of your jar and the SCOBY and remove some of the tea from the jar to test. Empty the straw with the tea into a small cup and taste it to see if it has reached your ideal ‘perfect’ balance of tartness and sweetness. If it has, then your Kombucha is ready for bottling and consumed. 

 

5 How to remove and store your SCOBY: 

You’ll notice that you now have 2 SCOBY cultures. You have the mother and the newly formed baby SCOBY on top. If they’re not separated already, you can separate them by gently pulling them apart. Place the newly formed baby in its own glass jar for storage with about 12oz – 24oz of brewed tea. Store the jar in your refrigerator to stop the fermentation process and for later use. If you are not planning to make a new batch soon, you should change out the old tea for a fresh batch every 4 to 6 weeks.

 

6 Bottling the finished Kombucha tea: 

Measure out about 2 – 3 cups of starter tea to use in your next batch of Kombucha tea, then start to fill all your cleaned glass bottles with the new tea.

You are now ready to start your own batch! Go ahead! Take a stable at it — I know you’ll love it!

 

Thank you for stopping by to read, watch and share your attention with me. I am deeply grateful to you all. If you found this post helpful in any way, leave a comment in the comment section below and share it with your network of amazing people. 

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With a heart full of love and tons of gratitude!