Kombucha – The What, Why, And How

Kombucha 

     It’s is pretty much the best thing. Ever. It is seriously ridiculously delicious. For all of those who don’t know, its a fermented tea. It is a super healing drink, a fizzy delight, and a joy. What is Kombucha?

Kombucha is a tea that is brewed with a probiotic cultere called a Scoby (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) that you place in sweetened tea and it ferments the liquid as the scoby eats away the sugar in the tea.

      You may have heard of kombucha, or seen pictures of the scoby, but you really need to experience it to have a good say. Some are grossed out by the Scoby, which, I partly understand… but what happened to society that we back away from something so rich, powerful, and nutritious because it might not ‘look’ or ‘sound’ appealing? If something is good for us, and enhances our health, body and experience here on earth, I say, ‘why not’? Get over it and stop being squeamish. Its not gonna attack ya. And I’m not asking you to eat the scoby, either (although it is something that people do…haha), just drink its delightful creation.

     Kombucha is said to have been made as early as 220B.C. by an emperor of China. (Its safe to say it’s an ancient drink.) The chinese are known for their healing elixers and herbal tincture’s. It was later said to have been brought to soldiers from a Japanese doctor, Dr. Kombu. He knew they needed something to help keep them healthy. The drink was then named after him Kombu-cha (cha being chinese word for ‘tea’).

What is it that is so nutritious and awesome about Kombucha? So many things.

Its full of B vitamins, minerals, probiotics, enzymes, antioxidants, and acids.

Why should you drink it? Just a few reasons…

     It aids digestion, increases energy, fights and prevents cancer, alleviates constipation, increases your metabolism, detoxify’s the liver, reduce blood pressure, help prevent migraines, and the list goes on and on! Its also pretty much sugar-free! Amazing really.

What’s it made of? 5 ingrediants.

Tea. Sugar. Water. Scoby. Kombucha. And love, of course.

How to Brew:

Ingredients needed –

6-8 Bags of Tea (I use organic black and green)

1 Cup Sugar (again, I use organic)

13 Cups Water

1 Scoby (click here for buying info)

2 Cups Kombucha (I use some from a previous batch, you could buy some – GT’s Original)

Utensils needed –

Gallon Jar (I like to use one with a spout, makes for easier taste testing and  guzzling!),

Wooden Spoon

Towel that air can easily pass through (so that the culture can breath).

Rubber Band

Directions –

Brew tea bags in a pot with a few cups of water. Add sugar and stir until dissolved (use wooden utensil when handle actual scoby, as metal harms the culture). Add to gallon jar with remaining water. Then add kombucha/starter tea. then gently place in scoby. Cover with towel and secure with rubber band. This is so bugs dont try to get in! They know what’s good for ’em. 😉 Now gently move to a warm dark area of your house to brew! The warmer it is, the faster it brews, so time frames can depend on the temperature of your house. The ideal temp is about 75 degrees F.  The amount of time you brew also depends on your taste/health preferences. I let mine go for anywhere from 7-21 days. I like the sugar to be pretty much all eaten up.

Happy Brewing!

*Side Note:

 – Start consuming slowly; let your body adjust to the probiotics.  Try 1/2 cup the first few days, then 1 cup the next few days, ect…

– It does contain a small amount of alcohol, nothing to be worried about, its OK, its healthy, but it does increase as it brews, though. Just use caution.