Kombucca
Today I am sharing about the probiotic drink that made it possible to kick the soda habit for good, Kombucca. Five years ago, I was working a trade show and had a horrible sinus infection. One of the ladies mentioned Kombucca and how it kept her from getting sick. I never heard of Kom-what? How did it prevent illness? What exactly is this miracle potion? This sinus infection had held on for months and it kept coming back. Would kombucca be a miracle cure?
I took a mental note. I started to learn about it. This drink filled with vitamins, detoxes you, helps with digestion and boosts immunity. It is a superfood and had been around thousands of years. I went to our local health food store and scoured the shelves. I found a small area that had a few bottles of this magic potion. I bought one. Five dollars later, I was sipping this magic elixir. I didn’t like it. It tasted like fizzy cough syrup. It was horrible. I couldn’t even finish the bottle. That was it. I decided Kombucca, not matter what health benefits it offered was not for me. I mean who wants to drink cough syrup tasting stuff? Not me, especially when I could have a Pepsi for 1/5 of the price. NO THANK YOU Kombucca.
Fast forward a year. I worked a temporary position at an office and a coworker and I started talking about health food and changes we were making to our diets. She mentioned kombucca. After telling her my story and how I had given up on it after my experiences. She encouraged me not to. I asked questions. I researched. She shared some kombucca with me. This stuff was good. It had strawberries floating in it. I wanted more and bad. She made it. YES she made it.
The next day she came in with a SCOBY in 2 cups of tea and instructions for me. I went home so excited. I made my first batch of kombucca and a few days later it was ready. It tasted fantastic. I drank 1 glass of it. And another. I had downed an entire quart of it. I would not recommend this. A quart of this magic potion, sent me to bed for an entire day. Kombucca detoxes you quickly. So trust me, start out with a 1/4 cup to a 1/2 cup daily and build up until you can handle more. The detox effect is real. Please learn from my mistake. Really you don’t want to detox quickly. Trust me.
I decided to try a second ferment and sliced some strawberries and added the kombucca and berries in a jar and let it sit out a few more days. It was amazing, sweet, but not too sweet, and it had a great sweet tangy fruity flavor. I was hooked. Now I drink it daily and love it. Strawberry, blueberry and ginger are my favorite flavors. I will share more about how I make those flavors in another post, but first, let’s start with how to make “plain” Kombucca. Feel free to contact me if you need a scoby at orders@smallbarnfarm.com.
RECIPE:
S.C.O.B.Y (symbiotic culture of bacterial yeast)
1 or 2 cups of kombucca
6 teabags or loose tea basic black or green tea
1 cup of sugar
1 gallon of water
Start by boiling a quart of water.
Add your sugar and stir to dissolve the sugar
Add your tea and brew for 5 minutes.
tea and sugar mix
When the tea has brewed remove the tea bags or strain out the loose tea and add your remaining water. When it has reached room temperature, pour sugar tea into your fermenting jar and add starter tea (1 or 2 cups of kombucca) and the SCOBY.
Cover the top with a cloth and let it ferment a few days. (Notice how big that scoby is)
Brewing Kombucca
In the summer it is ready in a 1-3 days. In the winter I let it go 6 days or so. The longer it ferments the more sour it becomes. Keep checking and drink it when it tastes the way you like it. If it goes too long, it turns to vinegar. No fears if you “over ferment” and get vinegar, it makes great salad dressing and starter tea. If your scoby is smaller, it will need to ferment longer.
When your ferment is to your liking, it is time for a second ferment. Stay tuned for Part 2.
*Please know I am not a doctor, please use this information at your own risk. I am sharing about my experiences and don’t want to be held liable for any issues you may have. If you have questions about Kombucca or its safety, please consult your own medical practitioner.
