Kombucha (The immortal health elixir) is a super raw tea beverage and lucky for you it's both delicious and easy to create. Learn about kombucha health benefits and follow these simple steps to make your own at home every two weeks just like I do. Research has shown links to traditional ancient China over 2,000 years ago with research more recently done in Germany and Russia touting it's health benefits.
I feel mentally and physically "well" knowing that I'm regularly drinking kombucha. I've read and can fairly share that I sense the health of my tummy and my bathroom needs. It's as if I feel more in tune with my body when I have kombucha regularly in my diet. Often I refer to kombucha as the original natural beverage because it's naturally carbonated and has genuine health properties, unlike today's soda and sugary beverages which are laughably, the opposite of kombucha.
HEALTH FAQs
- What Is Kombucha? Raw, fermented, probiotic, and naturally carbonated organic tea
- Does Kombucha Have Healthy Properties? Full of amino acids, probiotics, antioxidants, glucuronic acid, B vitamins and much more
- What Are The Health Benefits? Detoxification, joint care, aids digestion and gut health and immune boosting
- Is Kombucha Dangerous? A healthy SCOBY that is made properly and drank periodically cannot be dangerous whatsoever
- Should I Drink or Sip It? It's advised to sip kombucha throughout the day, don't chug anything ever actually
- How Often Should I Consume It? Sipping adds constant aid to your GI for digestion
WHAT INGREDIENTS MAKE KOMBUCHA?
1) Organic green, black and/or white tea (4 bags)
2) SCOBY starter:
Symbiotic
Colony of
Bacteria &
Yeast often referred to as a "mushroom" or "mother"
3) One
gallon glass jar for distilled water
4) Organic cane sugar for the kombucha to eat (1 cup)
5) Cheese cloth (cotton cloth) and rubber band
6) Wooden spoon clean to not disrupt the bacteria
7) Growler and/or glass jars for bottling
THE STEPS TO MAKE KOMBUCHA
Step 1: Boil approximately 12 cups of water and add to your glass jar.
Tips: Allow about 3+ inches empty space at the top for a Scoby and starter along with a cheese cloth to stay dry around the top
Step 2: Add four bags of organic tea (green, black and/or white) and allow to steep for at least two hours
Tips: Place the kombucha jar away from activity to not accidentally get dust or kitchen shwag into the jar while the tea steeps and begins to cool
Step 3: After two hours remove the tea bags and add 1 cup of organic cane sugar and mix thoroughly with your wooden spoon. Allow to cool for another two hours until near room temperature
Tips: Continue to keep your kombucha jar away from activity in your kitchen to avoid shwag entering the jar
Step 4: Add your SCOBY and starter kombucha to the top of the jar carefully and allow it to settle.
Tips: Occasionally I have added 1/2 cup or two of a room temperature kombucha to ensure it has enough starter bacteria brew
Step 5: Cover the top with a cheese cloth and a rubber band around the top diameter. Place in a dark ventilated area for approximately 10-14 days
Tips: Kombucha doesn't like the light. Sample your buch close to this time period for sweet and bitterness to your liking. I typically vary my buch in this time frame, but I prefer less sweet so go longer if needed to 14 days
Step 6: After 10-14 days bottle your buch in growler and/or jars. Strain your buch into bottles or just pour carefully with a funnel and seal. Keep these jars out of the refrigerator for 1-2 days for flavoring or more carbonation. Or simply placed new sealed bottles into the refrigerator to hault further fermentation
Tips: Keep your scoby and it's new baby in a jar as well for future brews and/or sharing with friends and family. Put the scoby and starter in the refrigerator and allow it to vent in a jar with hole or seran wrap
MORE KOMBUCHA TIPS
- Why Should I Use A Wooden Spoon? Wood is a natural source whereas steel, or plastic can interfere or leech with the bacteria SCOBY
- Can I Use Less Sugar? No. The recipe is standard and if you don't feed your scoby enough sugar it will not have the ingredient attributes to brew correctly
- Where Can I find A SCOBY? Seek and you shall find from a friend, local health food store and/or you can seek ways to create a scoby from a previous kombucha product, but it's more difficult
- How Often Should I Check My Kombucha? You can peek in to be sure the SCOBY at the top is growing into the diameter, but don't taste it for at least a week to allow it to ferment. Taste it regularly after that until you're ready via a wood spoon
- Do I Need To Flavor My Kombucha? Not really. I don't flavor since the natural taste is already yummy and fresh. But you could add herbs and/or other sugars after you bottle not during the main fermentation
- Should I Turn or Shake My Kombucha Bottle? Don't ever shake a bottle of kombucha as the carbonation will cause an explosive mess. Carefully turn the bottle slowly once or twice upside down to allow it to breathe
Watch All Kombucha Tips/Videos
