by Renee Lindstrom, GCFP – Living in Natures Love Lifestyles @insideawareness.com
Kombucha
After growing a healthy Scoby its time to brew a batch of Kombucha! The only ingredients needed are; sugar, tea, original liquid from growing Scoby and the Scoby itself.
Health & Wellness Benefits of Kombucha
The Supplies:
- 10 Black or Green Tea Bags
- 10 cups of water
- Large sterilized jar
- Cheese cloth or coffee filter
- Sterilized spoons for stirring
- Pot
- 3/4 cup White Sugar
- Scoby in 1 – 1/2 cup original liquid
- Glass bottles with seal-able lids
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Purchase a Kit for brewing your own Kombucha
Culturing Tea with Scoby
Kombucha Scoby
I used 8 black tea bags and 2 green tea bags and placed them together with 10 cups of water in a pot on the stove. Once a nice darkened colour and let them steep for a few minutes before stirring in sugar to dissolve in hot tea. Then it is set aside to cool until room temperature.
It is important to get the tea mixture and Scoby to the same temperature so the Scoby continues to float on top of the liquid. If it isn’t the same temperature the Scoby could sink to the bottom of the mixture after you combine all the ingredients together! While not a failure if a new Scoby does sink, the benefit of the Scoby sealing the liquid is lost. If it is an older Scoby sinking is one of the indicators that it is time to use a fresh one! Once the tea and Scoby mixture are the same temperature the brew from the original kombucha Scoby is poured in and the Scoby is carefully put on top of the liquid. Try to not jostle the jar too much.
The mixture will ferment to create Komucha and will take 2 to 3 weeks in cooler climates and 1 to 2 weeks in warmer climates. Ideally the room temperature would be a consistent 70 degrees Fahrenheit or 21 Celsius.
During the fermenting process you are likely to notice a second Scoby form! This second one can be grown larger to use in fermenting more batches of Kombucha for friends or for flavouring!
Once your Kombucha is ready you can decant this original tea into a pitcher or bottle to keep cool for drinking or you can begin to flavour your Kombucha with natural herbs and spices such as turmeric, pepper or ginger. Remember that the sugar content of your Kombucha will increase with any high sugar content fruit added!
Fermented Tea has been brewed for 2000 years! Remember before being mass produced it was made in homes and passed down to family, friends and enthusiasts. Be careful about cleanliness and use sterilized equipment as you would for canning. If your Kombucha doesn’t smell great don’t take any chances, start over!
- Carbonation of your Kombucha Tea
When you bottle your Kombucha and cap it, refrigerate it for a couple of days before drinking it to encourage carbonation. Some brewers bottle it and leave it to allow this to happen.
Glass bottles with seal-able lids
Spicing up your Kombucha – Flavouring your Fermented Tea Naturally
Your Scoby will create a baby one during the brewing process of your Kombucha Tea. This baby one can be used in the next brew or it can be stored in some Kombucha at room temperature for a short time or be refrigerated for longer periods of time. The mother Scoby can be used for another batch of brew, however it doesn’t have an indefinite life span. Check the quality of If your Mother Scoby has been used to culture a number of batches. Remember that your Mother Scoby will change colour with whatever herbs, types of tea, fruit or spices that you use in your fermentation process. In the above pictures you will see a fresh Scoby that has not had these influences. If it starts to look like fruit leather, is no longer growing babies or starts to sink, it is getting to old to ferment tea.
Cross contamination
Scobies can be influenced by fermenting compost or other fermenting projects you may have on the go. Don’t be disappointed! If you are starting to culture your own tea to make Kombucha, keep it separate in it’s own location. If kept in close proximity you may find your Scoby molds easily and your batch will have to be discarded.
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Traditional uses and properties of herbs are for educational purposes only. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Every attempt has been made for accuracy, but none is guaranteed. Any serious health concerns or if you are pregnant, you should always check with your health care practitioner before self-administering herbs.
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