What is Kombucha?
Kombucha is a fermented beverage made with green or black tea. It is made by first making a strong tea and this is sweetened with sugar. Once the mix is cold it is put in a glass vessel or jug and then a mother called a scoby along with some starter culture from a previous kombucha batch is introduced. The scoby and the starter culture will help the drink ferment and introduce the beneficial bacteria and yeast it needs to produce the probiotic rich drink. To produce a good tasting kombucha you need some of the first batch of kombucha added to this mix this is called a Kombucha starter.
What is a Kombucha scoby?
A scoby is a symbiotic culture of yeast and bacteria living together. It looks a bit like a thick leathery mushroom that floats to the top of the drink during the fermentation, it feeds on the sugar and tea. The scoby also called the mother needs air to breathe so the kombucha will be covered with a muslin or a clean kitchen towel during this process. The scoby will grow after each batch of ferment and produce a small scoby also known as a baby scoby!
How long will my scoby live for?
The Kombucha scoby can live indefinitely in theory if fed regularly with sweet tea and kept in an ideal temperature. I brew my kombucha at room temperature in the UK and this will vary with seasons. You may find depending on the temperature of the room the ferment may go fast or slow this should not be a concern and regular tasting say after 5-7 or even longer will determine with experience if the kombucha is ready.
How do I know when my Kombucha is ready to drink?
Your kombucha is ready to drink once you have decided it tastes nice to you. You can consume it straight from the vessel it fermented from or you can separate it from the scoby and bottle it up in a flip top bottle. This can either be put in a cupboard out of sight for a few more weeks to build up some fiz or go straight into the fridge for drinking. It is possible to put your kombucha through a second fermentation with some chosen fruit or herb/spice flavourings this will also produce a delicious and often fizzy drink. You can find recipes for this under the recipe category of this blog.
Where does Kombucha originate from?
Where Kombucha tea originates from is unclear but some resources suggests it originates from China and dates as far back to 220 BC. It was popular in Russia and in Eastern Europe. Kombucha although became scarce during WW2 due to shortages in sugar and tea in the recent years it is enjoying a comeback in popularity and has become a commercial as well as a home made health promoting beverage!
What are the health benefits of Kombucha?
Kombucha is made by a fermentation process and involves beneficial bacteria and yeasts. They co-exist as a symbiotic being the scoby tha is actually a thick biofilm that grows and covers the surface of the kombucha.
There are many health benefits associated with drinking kombucha however thera are not many studies to support these claims.
People that regularly drink kombucha say they notice improvements in their digestion.
Kombucha if made correctly contains various bio-active compounds that may contribute to the claimed health benefits. It is a source of probiotics that are beneficial bacteria and yeasts, it contians antioxidants, organic acids and amino acids.
It is a great alterantive to sweet beverages and a great replacement for carbonated mass produces ultra-processed sugar laden soda's.
Although kombucha contains some sugar most of this sugar is fermented resulting in a sour fizzy drink that is low in sugar. Depending on how it has been fermented kombucha will contain a small amount of alcohol so it is adviced to be drunk in moderation.
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