Brewing Kombucha
Kombucha cultures are now stocked at Back to the Best for $5.00. If you would like one set aside for you, please email littleredhenco@gmail.com at least one week in advance.
Step by step instructions
1 cup white refined sugar
4 organic black tea bags
1 Kombucha baby or "mushroom"
1/2 to 3/4 cup starter from a previous batch (included with mushroom if purchased from the store)
Bring water to a boil. Add sugar and simmer until dissolved. Remove from heat, add tea bags, and steep 30 minutes. Remove tea bags and allow to cool to room temperature. It is best to cool quickly and not overnight, to avoid unwanted molds from forming. Pour into wide-mouthed gallon jar or bowl, and add mushroom and starter. Cover with cloth or paper towel secured with a rubber band, and put in a warm, quiet place (70 to 90 degrees). Allow to ferment for about 10-14 days, depending on the room temperature and your desired level of sweetness. The finished Kombucha will be an acidic, mildly fizzy, and slightly sweet refreshing beverage, reminiscent of a tart apple cider. Strain if desired. Transfer to glass bottles and store in the fridge, reserving starter for your next batch.
A second mushroom will have formed, which you can peel away from the first and give to a friend, or store in a glass bowl in the fridge.
If mold appears on a mushroom and it doesn't appear to be reproducing itself in a batch of Kombucha, throw it and the brewing tea away and start with another mushroom. Your brewing place may be too cold.
About Kombucha
Kombucha is a health-promoting beverage which is made by fermenting black tea, white sugar, and a special Kombucha colony called a "mushroom" (it is really a symbiotic colony of yeast and bacteria). The tea-mushroom feeds on the sugar, and in exchange, produces other valuable substances which change into the drink: glucuronic acid, lactic acid, acetic acid, vitamins, amino acids, and other substances. Glucuronic acid is a powerful liver detoxifier and an aid to the body's natural cleansing process, and also boosts the immune system. The Kombucha mushroom is really a tiny biochemical factory!
