Kombucha

2 Gallons of Refreshing Kombucha ready for bottling

Stress and bad eating can take its toll on the digestive tract and you can end up with all kinds of issues - need I say more? Being determined to be free from stomach issues I began looking into probiotics last year and found a few brands that sounded good in capsule form, purchased them and took them faithfully. They did nothing for me. So, one night while surfing You Tube I stumbled onto someone's Kombucha video (can't remember who it was) and it sounded interesting so thought I would look into it further. I purchased a bootle of GT Dave's Original Kombucha and gave it a try and it was interesting but not a flavor I fell in love with immediately. I tried other flavors and brands but kept going back to GT's Original, but at $3.49 a bottle it gets a bit expensive if you want to drink it every day. So, I decided to make my own.

I have been bottling my own Kombucha for several months now and I drink it every day. The naturally occurring probiotics works for me and as a super bonus it helps curb my appetite. If I am having an afternoon sugary/starchy craving I drink about 8 oz. of Kombucha and cravings are gone.

Scoby

Kombucha is a fermented tea. It is made with a Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast called a Scoby or Mushroom. I am not going to go into all the details about what Kombucha is because there are many sites and You Tube videos that will give you all the details. Before I started making my own I did my research here at Kombucha Kamp as well as many other sites and watched a lot of videos.

Better view of Scoby - are you creeped out yet? :o)

A new Scoby grows at the top of the older one (older scoby is called the mother) and can be removed and used to start a new batch. They last for a long time if you take care in preparing your Kombucha Tea.

Before bottling the Scoby gets moved to another container and Kombucha is added to cover the Scoby. This is the starter for the next batch.

After getting your starter ready it is time to bottle the rest. Kombucha is naturally carbonated but the carbonation can be increased by leaving the capped bottles sitting out for about 24 hours before refrigerating. You have to be careful and I suggest putting them in a box and releasing a bit of the pressure every few hours or they can explode. I find that there is enough carbonation and not worth the mess and danger of flying glass.

I make my Kombucha by boiling a pot of water (medium size pot and filtered or spring water). After the water comes to a boil I add a cup of raw sugar (fair trade certified organic sugar) per gallon of tea being made and stir until disolved. Then the pot is removed from the heat and 5 green tea bags + 2 black tea bags (English Breakfast) are added. I let the tea bags steep for 10 minutes and then remove them. Add filtered or spring water to your container and add the tea but leave enough room for the Scoby and starter liquid. Let cool to room temperature before adding your Scoby or you will kill the bacteria. When cool you can add the Scoby and the starter liquid. Cover with a cloth and rubber band - t-shirt material works great or paper towel is fine - Kombucha needs to breathe. Don't use anything with a loose weave or you'll get fruit flies. Sit your container in a dark warm place. The top of the refrigerator is a good spot and you can wrap a dish towel around the container to keep the light out. Check it in about 5 days by inserting a straw underneath the Scoby and taking a sip. If not ready check daily until it is. It shouldn't be too sweet or too tart. It takes 5-7 days in warm weather and can take up to 2 weeks in winter.

Kombucha has very little sugar or caffeine because the bacteria in the Scoby eats it. You can purchase strips to test the PH balance when you first start making Kombucha (just search for Kombucha PH test strips), but after a while you will know when it is perfect just by tasting. If made correctly it helps to alkalize the body and is a great source of probiotics. Due to the fermentation process it can have a small alcohol content.

Scobys are pretty easy to get. If you have a friend who brews Kombucha, just ask them for one. You can also purchase one from a reputable online shop. I have even seen them on Etsy.

Happy brewing!