Kombucha Experiments
I first learned about kombucha in one of my classes at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College and have been intrigued ever since. The idea of a fermented beverage sounds a bit off putting at first, but we live in such a hyper-clean society so I know that my "guts" could use some extra help. I don't really care for the taste of sauerkraut or kimchi so I wanted to give kombucha a try. The problem is that whenever I purchase kombucha from the store (even a local store) I find it sour and vinegary and barely palatable, but when I sampled it from a classmate it was sweet and tea-like (and delicious) so I had to get more.
I am by no way a kombucha educator, but I am finding success with the recipe that was passed on from school, which I will post below.
So far I have made a delicious (black tea) lavender flavor several times and I am now brewing a (green tea) pomegranate apple flavor that will be ready in about 2 weeks. I plan to pour this upcoming batch into rubber-sealed soda bottles and add pomegranate pieces & syrup before drinking (called a "second ferment").
Enjoy!
abbey
NWTC Kombucha Recipe:
DO: Use black, green or white tea. Ferment in a wide-mouthed jar
DON'T: Use herbal, or strongly flavored teas. Use metallic containers
- Steep 3-4 bags of tea in 1 quart of hot water
- Add approx 1 cup sugar (or 3/4 c. honey) to give the SCOBY something to ferment. Mix well
- Cool mixture to room temp by adding almost another quart of cool distilled water
- Add 1/4 cup vinegar to acidify the mixture so that it provides the right environment for the SCOBY (OR use 1 cup of mature kombucha from the last batch)
- When the mix is room temp, or slightly warm, add the mother. It should float, but it may sink at first before begining to float. If it fails to float after a few days (and NO new SCOBY forming at the top) then it is probably dead
- Cover with a light cloth so that air circulates but molds can't easily get through
- Let it ferment in a warm spot/at room temp. 75*F is ideal, not in direct sunlight
- The warmer the fermentation spot, the sooner it will be ready (7-10 days)
- If your house is cooler, the process could take weeks
- When it has acidified to a taste you like, refrigerate, drink and make again. At this point you can add flavors, or sweeteners for a second fermentation
- Carbonate it by pouring (while still a little sweet) into a bottle, seal and let it ferment for another day or so.
