Kombucha

Kombucha is a tea drink with a live probiotic culture added to it. This is different from the Japanese Kombu-Cha, which is a tea made out of seaweed. Kombucha is made by first making sweet tea and then adding a SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria and Yeast) culture to it. While it sounds like a simple process, there’s much more to it than that. Why is this done? Well, the SCOBY  consumes the sugar content, fermenting it and, in turn, creating more live probiotics.

Kombucha Trivia

• Kombucha, while technically a tea, tastes more like a tart beer.
• Kombucha is usually used as a drink mixer, and most people consider it a sour drink mixer that’s healthy.
• Kombucha is pronounced: Kom-boo-cha
• Kombucha dates back to 220 BC and has been called the “Tea of Immortality.”
• A bottle of Kombucha has billions of live probiotics.

Kombucha Buying Guide

Kombucha is becoming more and more popular with dozens of brands, all trying to get your attention on the store shelves.

For commercially produced and sold Kombucha, look for any indication on the label that the probiotics in the drink are still alive. Look for the word “Raw” on the label and a list of live probiotics in the bottle.

The Kombucha should also be stored in the refrigerated section of the supermarket near the fresh-squeezed juice section; this means that the product has been properly stored, and the fermentation has been slowed down because of the cold.

If you find the Kombucha in the non-refrigerated section, that would mean that the Kombucha is either dead, or it could have turned to vinegar already.

Kombucha Production & Farming in Texas

Texas has a lot of homegrown Kombucha producers that have been successful. Their products are not only sold across the state but across the country. Locally produced commercial Kombucha are found in almost every major health food store while smaller artisan Kombucha producers sell their products at farmers’ markets and smaller specialty stores.

Packaging:

Kombucha is packed in glass bottles. No preservatives are used in the creation of Kombucha as the fermentation process, and the live probiotics act as its own preservative.

Enjoying Kombucha

Kombucha is best served chilled. Of course, you can try it warm, but it would be like drinking sweet vinegar, not a very pleasant experience if you ask me.

Kombucha can also be added to alcoholic drinks like a sour mixer. This can work as a healthier alternative than using those typical sugary mixers.

Here are some Kombucha Cocktail Ideas:

• Gin-Kombucha Cocktail – Mix together 2 ounces of gin, 5 ounces of Kombucha, and add some grated ginger and lemon juice. This makes for a mean lemonade-inspired gin drink.
• Kombucha-Vodka Highball – Mix together 1 ½ ounce of vodka, ¾ ounce lime juice, two teaspoons simple syrup, 3 ounces ginger-flavored Kombucha. It’s just like your regular highball, but a bit tarter and healthier.

Storage:

Kombucha can last a long time as long as it is sealed properly. In the fridge, it can be stored anywhere from three to four months. It probably won’t go bad after that, but it will turn more tart and sour as the fermentation will continue.

Making Your Own Kombucha:

While the process of making Kombucha sounds simple enough, we recommend just buying from one of the local producers so you can enjoy it immediately. Of course, if you have a lot of time and you have that spirit to experiment, then why not.

Step 1:

Source your own SCOBY. You can buy SCOBY online or from your local kombucha producers. If you can’t find any, then you can grow your own.

To grow your own SCOBY, the best way to do it would be to purchase raw, unflavored Kombucha from a store.

Growing your own SCOBY:

• Make a cup of sweetened tea. Just any tea will do. Make one cup of tea then add two tablespoons of white sugar to it. This will serve as food for the SCOBY.
• Get a clean glass jar, and pour the store-bought Kombucha and the tea together.
• Cover the jar with a dish towel or a coffee filter and secure with a tight rubber band.
• Ferment in a warm dark spot (68-85 degrees) for seven days.
• Check if there is a baby SCOBY forming on the surface of the tea. The earliest is seven days, and it could go up to three weeks before a baby SCOBY develops, depending on the Kombucha you’ve purchased. If there is no baby SCOBY forming after three weeks, dump the batch and start over.
• If a baby SCOBY has developed, return the jar to ferment for another 30 days to get a full-grown SCOBY for making Kombucha. (We did say it was time consuming)

Step 2:

Ingredients (for 1 gallon of Kombucha)
8 Tea Bags
1 cup sugar
13-14 cups of Unfluoridated and Unchlorinated Water (Very important)
2 cups of Distilled White Vinegar (Very important)

• Combine hot water and sugar and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
• Steep the tea in the water for the required time.
• Cool the tea mixture to 68-85 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Add the distilled white vinegar
• Add your SCOBY
• Cover with a towel or coffee filter and secure with a rubber band
• Ferment in a warm dark spot (68-85 degrees) for seven to thirty days, depending on your taste.

Step 3:

Flavor, bottle, or consume your Kombucha! From start to finish, it’ll take anywhere from 37 days to two months to make your own Kombucha. Did we tell you that it was easier to buy your own?

Nutrition:

• Vitamins and minerals:
  • Kombucha’s claim to fame is due to it containing billions of probiotics per serving.
    • Probiotics help promote gut health, as shown by a 2014 study. Probiotics are similar to good bacteria naturally found in our gut.
    • Probiotics help ease symptoms of IBS.
  • Kombucha helps prevent certain types of cancer.
    • A 2008 study has shown that Kombucha prevents the growth of cancer cells. Another research in 2013 has shown that Kombucha decreased the survival of cancer cells during treatment.
  • Kombucha lowers infection risk.
    • Kombucha contains natural acetic acid that is created during the fermentation process. Acetic acid helps prevent infections by killing bacteria before they have a chance to infect the body.