When the scorcher is unbearable kombucha should be the first choice to think and act about. Nothing is as good at bringing relief to our thirsty mouth than that cold fizzy tea. Yes, kombucha is tea although the following description what happened to that tea does not sound very appetising. It is all because of that SCOBY (to decipher the acronym click on kombucha in the opening sentence) and the way it looks although the way it works is more familiar and easy to accept. Why? Because kombucha is a result of fermentation carried out by some human friendly microorganisms, in this case bacteria and yeast. Their symbiotic relationship needs tea in order to thrive but their aim is to grow as jelly-like kombucha mushroom, the drink is just a by-product. The mushroom looks weird but the drink as by-product is just great!
Being aware that the tea mushroom we are going to use has a little strange appearance you are now ready to use its abilities to the full. First you need some scoby. It is easy to find it on the Internet. When you finally get it, start the home kombucha production with making a jar of tea. You can use black, green, white or whatever colour tea but it has to be the real leaves of the tea bush. No fruit tea or mate can substitute for it. The tea must be room temperature and sweet. The amount of sugar depends on your liking. And again, it must be real sugar or honey, no artificial sweeteners can do it. Put the jelly-like mushroom into the jar and cover it with a piece of cotton cloth or gauze. The air must easily penetrate into the container as scoby is a living and breathing creature. Place the jar in a warm place. After a few days (it all depends on the size of mushroom, and the amount of tea; the bigger the scoby the quicker the production. The first stage with the small amount of mushroom can last two weeks, later it usually takes three or four days) the smell of the tea starts to change into a flowery bouquet so does the taste. Now you need to pour the kombucha into plastic or glass bottles and seal them tightly and firmly. And I mean 'firmly'. The bottles should be placed in a cool place for two or three weeks in which period more gas will be produced and the taste will mature. The tea mushroom, now bigger, should be rinsed in warm water and placed in the next jar filled with tea.
It is a good idea to put the bottle of kombucha into a fridge for several hours before consumption. And the best kickoff time is on a broiling summer day. On such days you can easily forgive scoby its looks, well, you can like it!
It is a good idea to put the bottle of kombucha into a fridge for several hours before consumption. And the best kickoff time is on a broiling summer day. On such days you can easily forgive scoby its looks, well, you can like it!
Jarek
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