Okay so I went to a how to make kombucha class and it was really neat! I have been interested in a probiotic and had tried the store bought stuff but it gets really pricey at up to $5 a bottle. The class was $15 and you went home with a scoby. I learned that scoby means Symbiotic Collection of Bacteria and Yeast. They look horrifying and disgusting but I am very excited to see what it can do.
That is the one I took home. My new baby. It was quite hilarious how they were talking about it at the class, because much like cellular division this thing will get thicker until it actually divides into 2. And just like that it is “mother” and when the bottle gets too gassy you sometimes have to “burp” it which is just quickly letting the air out and then closing it again. You also have to feed it, by adding sugar to the brew. So basically it’s a small freaky being that I have to care for in order for it to care for me 🙂 haha…. ew weird.
Anyway how it works is you get a large glass gallon sized jar, I found one easily at Canadian Tire in the jar/canning section. The night before you start you fill it half way with boiling water to sanitize the jar and clean the water. Let it cool over night. The next day on the stove you make a very sweet strong tea mix by adding 4-8 teabags to hot water and 1 cup of sugar. You can simmer this for a while and then let it cool. Once it is cool add it to the now cold water that cooled over night. (of course remove the tea bags/strain loose leaf). The whole jar should be cool, and this is when you can add your scoby. It will die if you add it to hot water so be careful not too. You cover the opening of the jar with something like cheese cloth, cover the whole jar with a large kitchen cloth and let it do it’s thing. The first time may take a bit longer as the scoby is quite small. But otherwise it takes around 5-7 days in the summer and 6-10 in the winter, depending on where you live and the temperature of your house.
It’s neat because you can make any flavor your little heart desires really. You can use a black tea base and then after the 5-7 days remove the scoby (always leave it in some liquid) and divide the brew into smaller drinking jars, and you can add fruit to flavor, and ferment for a further 3 days before putting it into the fridge. You can also use different kinds of teas to flavor the base.
Here is my first gallon attempt. We will see what happens and I will update. I chose to use peach-ginger tea bags, and then after a week or so I am going to divvy it up and add chunks of real ginger and peaches to each glass. Double flavor? Excited to try.
katiespassioneat 