It’s been a LONG time since I posted anything (months). I’ve tried a couple ways of changing the layout of the page to make it easier to post, but keep returning to what I’ve got.
Anyway, so today I’m writing about the amazing tea called Kombucha. This stuff is a fermented sweet tea that sits in a bath with a pancake-like “SCOBY” which stands for (if I remember correctly) Symbiotic Colony of Organisims Bacteria and Yeast. It is supposely capable of curing everything from skin alements to cancer, but I just like the taste…which ends up being a sort of vinegary effervescent product.
To be honest I’ve sort of lost most of my desire to make the stuff after months of tinkering with it. I just can’t seem to get much bubbly in the end product…mostly just an acidic sweet tea. I actually still feel more energy and like the overall taste, but it’s not what I’ve found commercially in the store (which was my goal to immitate). Anyway, the benefits I’ve found are on-par with the feelings I’ve had with herbal detox plans, I haven’t been sick for a number of months, and have overall more energy after drinking it.
I got my scoby and recipe from getkombucha.com which also sells kits to making the stuff. I actually found my own lead-free porcelain brewing container from a local heal foods store though, so I saved a lot by building my own kit. You’ll see in my pictures, I also bought a heating pad designed for germinating seedlings, with a thermostat to keep in just above 80degrees F. It’s been over 100F lately though, so I’m thinking my results might be more consistent in the winter.
My favorite so far has been to add ginger while bottling, although Craisins has been a good second (dried cranberries).
Anyway, if you’ve never tried the stuff, I suggest Dave’s G.T line of Kombucha in the store. You’ll find quickly though that it’s rediculously expensive, which is why I’ve been trying to brew it myself.
*NOTE: In that last picture of the SCOBY mother culture, the black thing isn’t mold…it’s actually a tea leaf that accidentally got in the brew.
How’d your craisin concoction turn out? That would be interesting to use different dried fruit and spices like that! I wish I was as creative as you and had the right materials to make this stuff. I really enjoyed your ginger kombucha that time you let me try some! It was delicious!
Bummer you couldn’t get that fizz figured out. Personally, I can’t stand the idea of drinking a ton of bacteria. But that’s just me. Props on the efforts. Next on the list of things to brew: beer? moonsine?