At least for us it was! I will admit that others don't seem to have a taste for kombucha that our family does, but from the first time we tried kombucha....we were in love! And hopelessly hooked. Unfortunately, Whole Foods is over 2 hours away. But even if Whole Foods was in our backyard, a bottle of kombucha can easily run $3. Not practical when every person in our family wants their own can. Even my two littles fight over sips. (I have read that kombucha might not be the best idea for children under the age of 4, but we have had no problems with it in our 4 and 2 year old.) So, I decided to begin brewing my own. The cost is minimal. The work is very little and the rewards are huge! We think our homemade boocha is better tasting than the store's brands.
But why drink kombucha?
Kombucha is an immune system booster and body detoxifier. The kombucha "mushroom" or SCOBY is a symbiotic colony of yeast and bacteria. The mushroom eats the sugar and tea and produces acids, including glucuronic acid. This acid is detoxifying and is naturally produced in our bodies by our liver. When our liver becomes overloaded and needs to deal with loads of toxins and poisons, thanks to our modern diets and environments, kombucha can deliver the extra glucuronic acid that our liver needs to get rid of those toxins.
Beyond all that, we think it just tastes great. It is fizzy like soda. Dakota asks why drink pop when you can drink kombucha!? It is an energizing drink that provides a great pick-me-up on a sluggish day.
It is super easy to make and here is our recipe.
Pour 3 quarts of filtered water in a stainless steel pot. Bring to a boil. Pour in 1 cup of sugar. (GASP! Sugar?!? Yes, the evil white stuff. White sugar, rather than Rapadura or Sucanant or honey gives the highest amounts of glucuronic acid. Use organic if it is better on your conscience.) Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add 4-5 organic black tea bags. Let the tea steep until it is room temperature.
Remove the tea bags and pour into a one gallon jar. We love to recycle glass jars that we buy at the grocery store for all sorts of things. I have been known to buy gallon jars of pickles just for the jar!
The SCOBY. You will have to obtain one of these from a friend who brews kombucha or you can buy a SCOBY online. There are lots of sources for the SCOBY. I have also read of ways you can grow your own. It looks like a slab of solid chicken fat. Place the SCOBY into the glass jar of cooled tea.
Also important, pour in 6 ounces of starter tea. This is kombucha from a previous culture. If you get a SCOBY from a friend, they will probably provide you with some tea.
Cover your jar tightly but allow it to breathe. We use a coffee filter and rubber band. We also like to name our SCOBY. Ok, not necessary. And maybe even a bit weird, but we name everything around our house. This is Henry. Sit the jar in a place where he won't be knocked over and out of direct sunlight. Allow the tea to culture for 5-30 days, but at least 7. We like ours at 7-9 days. The shorter the brew time, the sweeter it will be.
Remove your SCOBY from your tea. You will now have two SCOBYs...the mother and the baby. Both SCOBYs can be used to make future batches of tea. Remember to save 6 ounces of tea for each batch. You can store the SCOBY and the starter tea in the refrigerator until you are ready to brew another batch.
Pour the kombucha into bottles with air tight lids. You can buy special bottling kits, but I prefer our cheap-o Ball jars. Once capped, you can let it sit for a couple of days to rest or put it straight into the refrigerator to consume immediately. We like to flavor our kombucha. We put in 1 1/2 cups of kombucha with 1/2 cup of 100% fruit juice. We especially like cranberry. Cap the flavored kombucha and let it sit at room temperature for 2 more days. The fruit juice greatly improves the carbonation. After those two extra days, you can store the kombucha in the refrigerator or on the counter. You might like to strain your kombucha before bottling as there are often yeast particles and immature cultures floating around in the drink. Not too appetizing when you get a mouthful, but it won't hurt you!
**Never allow your culture to touch metal!! Use only wooden spoons or glass jars/bowls. (Remember to remove rings or bracelets if handling the culture.) Plastic is not recommended either.
**Keep your jars sterile and hands clean....you don't want moldy cultures or bacteria filled tea.
That is our very basic recipe for brewing kombucha. There are lots of great websites dedicated to kombucha brewing. Enjoy!
Kade totally spoiled his own surprise. He went into Dakota's bedroom where his new trike was hidden and stood there in awe at what he found, "Wow...Doda..bike...WOW!!" was all he could say. We all wanted to see his face when we gave it to him, but he ruined it! lol!!
"Happy Birthday to you.."
What a heartthrob! He proudly posses with his new hat. ;)
K-man with all his goodies!
I took Kade out the next day to take some pictures. He is getting used to the Keni-the-paparazzi and is turning into quite a good model!
