I started drinking kombucha tea about a decade ago and brewing my own in 2020. It's made by combining tea, sugar, a symbiotic colony of yeast and bacteria (SCOBY), aka medusomyces gisevii and allowing the passage of time during which, the SCOBY consumes the sugar and produces acetic acid, glucoronic acid, lactic acid, usnic acid, ethanol(i) as well as more SCOBY. I drink it because it's supposed to be good for digestion and, in turn, health. Here's how to make it yourself :
Step 1 : acquire a SCOBY. Back in 2020, I bought a kit from lolazon, they currently list dozens of options. As I'll explain further below, that SCOBY didn't survive. My current SCOBY was given to me by a friend. Here's what it looks like :
Step 2 : take 3L of quality water(ii) and bring it to a boil.
Step 3 : turn off the stove and remove the string and tag from 6 bags of tea(iii) and add to the water while mixing in 1 cup of sugar.
Step 4 : let it cool to room temperature.
Step 5 : mix it with the SCOBY in a glass jar. I cover the top of the jar with a paper towel to allow it to breathe.
Step 6 : wait at least 1 week. The longer you wait, the more acidic the tea will become as it consumes more of the sugar. Play around with timing as you please.
Step 7 : pour your kombucha tea for consumption. I leave ~10% of the tea in the fermenting jar to help activate the next batch.
You'll know the process worked when you see SCOBY growth. Excess SCOBY can be a) consumed,(iv) b) gifted,(v) or c) saved for later in a SCOBY hotel.(vi)
I've found drinking a 1 week ferment is an acquired taste. Commercial brewers tend to add a dozen grams of sugar or more per small bottle ; I suppose it's what consumers have come to expect. I'm not interested in adding all that sugar to a beverage that I'm drinking for health benefits. When I'm pinched for time, I'll cut it 50-50 with sparkling water. Otherwise, I brew an infusion of pineapple skin(vii), ginger root, tumeric, cinnamon and tamarind and cut it 50-50 with that.
In any case, salud y buen provecho !
- Typically 0.5% ABV, i.e. you'd have to drink 10 350ml bottles for the equivalent of 1 beer. [^]
- My 2020 SCOBY was quite healthy in Vermont. I brought it with me upon returning to Panama in 2021. I used filtered water from the tap and filtered bottled water, but the SCOBY didn't seem to like either ; it didn't do much fermenting of the sugar and mold crept it so I ended up tossing it :-(. With the SCOBY I acquired this year, I've been using spring water that comes from the Chiriqui province here and the SCOBY has thrived. So, while Panama water might not kill or sicken you immediately, this experience has made me skeptical of it, to say the least. [^]
- I've been running green tea lately, but also ran black tea at times with this SCOBY. [^]
- I typically add mine to a batido. The blender disintegrates to the point you forget it's there, but it's a solid source of fiber and there's some protein in there too. I've seen other recipes of people dehydrating them and making "fruit rollups", but never tried. [^]
- Who doesn't want healthy friends ? [^]
- Put it in a jar with some of the mother and store in your fridge. It'll last months and can serve as a backup in case you experience any contamination. [^]
- Bromelain content is highest in the skin, much like how vitamin C content is highest in the peel of an orange. [^]