Kombucha: The Tea of Immortality

What is kombucha?

Kombucha is an effervescent fermentation of sweetened tea using a "mushroom" or "scoby" (symbiotic culture of binary yeasts) as the mother culture. It is an ancient healing tonic and a very potent and medicinal drink.

What are the health benefits of drinking kombucha?

Detoxification: Helps to bind toxins in the body, making them easier to eliminate. Supports liver function- one of the main organs of detoxification.

Joint Care: Contains glucosamines which helps to lubricate the joints and protect tissues from oxidative damage. Glucosamines increase synovial hyaluronic acid production which functions to aid preservation of cartilage structure and prevent arthritic pain.

Aids Digestion: Coats the stomach with digestive enzymes and live probiotic organisms. Strengthens the wall of the gut and so protects against parasites and yeast infections such as candida. Is anti-inflammatory, which aids the healing of the gut.

Immunity: Antibacterial and antiviral. Contains potent free radical scavengers that stimulate and maintain the immune response. Rich in antioxidants.

How to Make

This delicious, healing and detoxifying drink is so easy to make yourself and the cost is insignificant, especially in comparison to the store bought variety. 

For the first brewing, boil 1 litre spring water, add 1/3 cup white sugar and 1-2 tea black tea bags or 2-3 teaspoons loose tea and allow to steep until tea is cool. Strain if using loose tea and pour into a glass jar. Add your kombucha mother with the starter tea, give a stir to settle her in, then cover with a muslin cloth or loose lid so the mixture can breathe. Store out of the way, at room temperature for 1 to 2 weeks. The kombucha culture feeds on the sugar, and in exchange, produces other valuable substances. Longer culturing time will make the tea more sour as it will have eaten up more of the sugar. 

After leaving the tea to work it's magic, carefully pour the kombucha liquid into a jug, leaving the kombucha mother behind with roughly 1/2 a cup kombucha liquid. Refill the jar with the same sweet tea mixture as previously done and leave another week or so until the next brew is ready.

The kombucha that you have poured into a jug can either be put in the fridge and enjoyed as is, or you can implement a second brewing. To do this pour you kombucha into a bottle or jar, add fruit, juices or spices for flavour, and seal it tightly. Leave at room temperature for 2-3 days, then transfer it to the fridge.

Second Brew Flavouring

Now this is the fun part! You are only limited to what you add at this stage by your imagination. I like to play around with adding different fruit juices, tea leaves, herbs, and spices. Some flavourings, such as lemon and pineapple juice, tend to make the kombucha extra fizzy, whereas flavouring with herbal teas gives you less of a fizz. Play around, see what works, and enjoy! Some of my favourite combinations so far are:

Apple juice, cinnamon, vanilla, clove, cardamom

Lemon, ginger, turmeric, honey

Strawberry, blueberry, raspberry, cranberry

Mint, tusli, damiana

Happy culturing!!