Kombucha has been appreciated by humankind for a very long time and has become a continuous treat at our home. Its origins are lost, but kombucha probably originated in China over 2000 years ago. Kombucha is a fermented tea which means that its production involves the breakdown of sugars by bacteria and yeast. This fermentation process is similar to brewing wine and beer and making sourdough bread.
Probiotics Function
Fermentation enhances the preservation of foods. Eating fermented foods can also boost the number of beneficial bacteria, or probiotics, found in your gut. These bacteria line your digestive tract and support your immune system, as they absorb nutrients and fight infection and illness. Since 80 percent of your immune system is located in your gut, and the digestive system is the second largest part of your neurological system, it’s no surprise that the gut is considered the “second brain.” The bacteria that live inside our intestines break down our food. But they also modulate things like our blood sugar and even our immune system.
Probiotics have been associated with a variety of health benefits, including improved digestion, better immunity and even increased weight loss. Although more research is needed, animal and test-tube studies have found that kombucha could help protect the liver, decrease blood sugar and reduce levels of cholesterol and triglycerides. Two thousand years of human consumption would indicate kombucha’s merit and enjoyment.
I find the process of making fermented food fascinating. My first foray into wine-making opened up the invisible world or wild yeast which I explored in an earlier blog post Hunting Wild Yeast & Other Game. That exploration led me to hunting the kombucha SCOBY.
What is a SCOBY?
SCOBY is the acronym for {Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria and Yeast). A scoby is the living home for the bacteria and yeast that transform sweet tea into tangy, fizzy kombucha, It looks like a thick, rubbery and cloudy mass that aids the fermentation process of kombucha. Kombucha is made by adding a SCOBY to green or black tea with sugar added for the SCOBY to feed on. The mixture is then allowed to ferment for 5-7 days. In the fermentation process the tea becomes effervescent as the SCOBY consumes most of the sugar during the fermentation process. There is very little sugar left in the recipe after fermentation. Kombucha has a minimal alcoholic content of about .5%. Pregnant women should consult with a health professional about consumption of this probiotic drink.
Requirements for Success
I use a continuous brew kombucha method to ensure that I always have a supply for daily consumption and to reduce the time spent replenishing our family supply. The only equipment needed is a 2-2 ½ gallon glass container with a tap for dispensing the kombucha. I found a glass dispenser at Walmart for $14.99. Avoid ceramic containers as they will release lead into the kombucha due to its acidic nature.
Besides the container the only other necessities are a SCOBY, black or green tea, sugar and distilled or filtered water. Tap water contains chlorine and other additives that will kill the SCOBY, so it is essential to use filtered or distilled water when brewing kombucha. If you don’t have a friend who is brewing kombucha who will supply a SCOBY, they are available on Amazon for about $9.99 which is how I acquired mine. You can create a SCOBY from scratch, but in the interest of time I ordered mine on-line.
When brewing kombucha, cleanliness is essential. As in canning, cleaning and sterilizing both equipment, your hands and workspace is necessary to keep harmful bacteria from invading the tea. My dishwasher and antibacterial soap for my hands and counters have supplied the necessary cleaning procedure. If your SCOBY develops mold, dispose of it and start over. Contaminated kombucha can develop salmonella!
Recipe and Process
Ingredients:
- 6-8 green or black tea bags (or 2 Tablespoons loose tea)
- 1 cup organic raw sugar or honey (I have used raw honey effectively, but sugar is more cost effective.)
- 1 kombucha SCOBY
(I repeat the tea process three or four times the first time I fill my continuous brew container. Only one SCOBY is required for the entire dispenser.)
Directions:
- Place tea bags in 8 cup jar and add the boiling water;
- Allow the tea to steep until cool.
- Take out tea bags.
- Dissolve sugar in tea.
- Add 4 cups cold water.
- Pour tea into drink dispenser.
- Add SCOBY to cooled tea with a cup of starter kombucha tea. High temperatures will kill the yeast in the SCOBY, so temperatures less than 105 degrees are needed for a SCOBY culture to live.
Cover the mouth of the dispenser with a dishtowel, coffee filter or muslin. I use an over-sized hair tie to secure a coffee filter over my drink dispenser. Do not use cheesecloth as fruit flies love kombucha and will find their way into the kombucha for a party. Do not use a lid as kombucha requires oxygen for fermentation.
Set the drink dispenser in a warm place where it will not be disturbed and let it ferment for 5-7 days. Little bubbles will form showing that fermentation is taking place.
Begin tasting the kombucha after 5-7 days until the flavor suits your taste. The longer it brews, the more acidic it becomes. I like mine on the sweeter side and bottle it sooner rather than later. I use recycled wine bottles for bottling the kombucha before putting it in the refrigerator to stop fermentation and to extend its shelf life.
Health Benefits
If you already eat a whole foods-based diet, drinking kombucha regularly is a great addition that can help you maintain peak immune health, which trickles down into an impressive number of benefits for your overall health. Kombucha usually contains a bit of caffeine (since it’s made with tea), but the amount is small when compared to coffee, tea, soda and other popular caffeinated beverages. Typically, about one-third of the tea’s caffeine remains after it’s been fermented, which is about 10 to 25 milligrams per serving for black tea.
You can also add fresh fruit to flavor kombucha. Flavors are limited only by one’s imagination. If you add flavoring, consider that when storing the it. For example, fresh fruits will go bad in the kombucha long before the drink. I use fruit concentrates from Piping Rock to flavor my brew and increase health benefits of the drink. Just a small amount of concentrate in the bottle flavors and enhances the kombucha.
Blueberry juice concentrate has many health benefits. Blueberries get their blue color from anthocyanins that are a type of white blood cell that fights inflammation. Research suggests the anthocyanins in blueberries can be as effective as medicine at lowering blood pressure in healthy adults. So, we’re seeing that blueberries not only fight the root cause of diabetes (inflammation), but also boost our gut’s “good bugs” and combat insulin resistance. Kombucha made from green tea is likely to be even more beneficial, as green tea itself has been shown to reduce blood sugar levels.
Elderberry syrup may benefit respiratory health; they have been used to support healthy lungs in folk wellness practices. Elderberries support the cardiovascular system as well, and are believed to influence blood lipid levels and arterial flexibility. Blueberry and elderberry concentrate make healthy additions.
SCOBY Growth & Reproduction
To keep your continuous brew kombucha going, add more sweetened tea as you drink it down. The SCOBY will continue to feed on the fresh sweetened tea and transform into a refreshing probiotic drink. The mother SCOBY will add layers to its culture with each addition of fresh tea infusion. The mother’s life will deteriorate after about a month. At this point it is simple to remove the SCOBY (remember—clean hands and utensils) and peel the older SCOBY from the newly minted SCOBY. It is very easy to peel the layers apart but very tough to cut. I found that out through experience. Cutting does not hurt the SCOBY, but it is tough to slice vertically,
As the SCOBY grows each month, it is a simple procedure to save baby scobies peeled from the mother in a SCOBY hotel. Store the baby SCOBY in a bit of already-made kombucha in a glass jar while not using it so you have it on hand to start a new batch when you want it, or give it as a gift for friends wanting to start kombucha production. It will be “active” for several weeks when it’s stored in some kombucha at room temperature on a counter top or in a pantry. I have also added old scobies to my compost pile to activate composting. Other enthusiasts have fed old scobies to the chickens.
Happy Brewing!
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