How to Make Delicious Fermented Kombucha

How to make kombucha a home

Kombucha – it sounds like the latest dance craze but is in fact a wonderful way to drink yourself to good health. Here, we give you step-by-step instructions for how to make your own.

What is kombucha?

With mounting evidence of how important gut health is, kombucha is becoming a popular drink of choice. Most medical practitioners today acknowledge that the immune system originates in the gut. The chances of developing autoimmune as well as other chronic diseases increases with higher levels of gut dysbiosis. Over the last 40 years, antibiotics have been over prescribed and diets have become more processed. This has led to an increase in gut dysfunction, particularly leaky gut. Fermented foods help address this imbalance by creating an optimum gut biome so that the gut can be healed and proper function restored. Kombucha is a particularly good ‘hit' of lovely fermented probiotic and enzyme goodness and it can be tweaked with different flavours for some extra punch. Kombucha tea has a sweet, tart flavour and can be double fermented with fruit or juice to make a soft drink that is low in sugar and good for you. Whilst a lot of sugar is added to the recipe, the beneficial bacteria eats up most of it so it has minimal effect on your health.

 

Why make your own kombucha?

Many companies are making delicious kombucha that you can buy over the counter. You can save money and the environment by making a variety of yummy kombucha recipes at home.

 

How to make kombucha

So, how do you make this enzyme and vitamin packed beverage at home? The basis of kombucha is a ‘mother' culture called a scoby, which stands for symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast. The easiest and best way of getting hold of a scoby is by sourcing one from a friend who already brews their own kombucha. Once their scoby doubles in size, after a couple of batches, the scoby has an extra ‘mushroom' that can be broken off or comes apart naturally. Try to get a cup of starter liquid with the scoby. The scoby should be gelatinous and shiny and have no mould. The presence of mould on a scoby is dangerous. Your own scoby should last a few months but if it turns black it should be discarded. Don't use metal to boil the water or to strain. You can also order scobies online but you need to ensure it's from a trusted organic shop for a good quality culture that brews properly. This recipe from www.goodfood.com.au is a nice simple one to follow: Ingredients:
  • 3 litres of boiled water (filtered if possible)
  • 5 black or green tea bags or the equivalent in loose leaf tea
  • 1 cup of white or raw sugar
  • 1 kombucha scoby (see below)
  • 1 cup of kombucha liquid from a previous batch
Method:
  1. Add the water and sugar to a large saucepan and simmer until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat, add the tea and allow it to rest for 30-60 minutes.
  2. Remove the teabags and allow the solution to cool to room temperature. Pour into a large, sterilised vessel, like our stunning handmade ceramic kombucha jar, and add the scoby and kombucha liquid. Cover with a tea towel and secure with a string or rubber band.
  3. Keep in a warm, dry place (the preferred temperature for kombucha brewing is 24C-32C) away from direct sunlight. Leave undisturbed for a minimum of 7 to 10 days.
  4. During this time it will grow a ‘baby' scoby on the top of the liquid. It will also develop a sour, tart flavour as the scoby consumes the sugar.
  5. When the sour flavour is well developed, strain the kombucha liquid from the scoby using a coffee filter or sieve (do not use metal). Keep the scoby, along with one cup of the liquid for a subsequent batch and either drink the remaining liquid or ferment into a ‘flavoured booch'.
An example of this is the Ginger aid kombucha also from www.goodfood.com.au: Ingredients:
  • 1 litre of the kombucha liquid
  • ½ cup of fresh pineapple juice or one cup of finely chopped pineapple
  • 1 tbsp of finely grated fresh ginger
  • ¼ mint leaves
Method:
  1. Combine the kombucha liquid with the pineapple and ginger and stir well. Place in glass bottles and refrigerate overnight. (Biome sells these little beauties from Mad Millie, perfect for storage of kombucha)
  2. Serve with ice and fresh mint leaves

How to make kombucha at home

Biome also stocks these beautiful, safe 9 litre kombucha jars. These jars are individually handmade on potter's wheels and are made with lead-free clay and non-toxic glazes.

  How to make kombucha at home

If you want more DIY recipes, check out this Big Book of Kombucha, choc full of tips and ideas.

How to make kombucha a home

With summer fast approaching, now is the perfect time to brew and enjoy this delicious, healthy beverage.

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