Kombucha!

Kombucha seems to be everywhere now. It's in the grocery store, all over Facebook and Instagram and currently sitting pretty in a glass next to me as I write.

I first heard of it last year when my principal used to tote a bottle of homemade kombucha around with her on a daily basis. When she explained what it was, I'll be honest, my first thought was "How crunchy granola is that?!?"

Well...fast forward a few months and here I am brewing my own. I tried it for the first time this summer and was hooked from the start. {The hubby took a little longer} It's slightly sweet, tangy and bubbly. It can be made in SO many different flavors and can be completely customized to what you love. I love brewing at home because I can make a huge batch of it for just a few dollars, instead of buying a bottle for $3-4 at a time {BONUS!!} We got a scoby from a co-worker of J and got started a few months ago. I am NOT claiming to be an expert by any means, just an at home enthusiast who loves kombucha. So, here is what we do in the Elliott House...

After you have a scoby {you can get one from a friend, order one online or even grow your own}, some starter kombucha, we used unflavored 'booch' from J's co-worker, sugar, black tea and a brewing vessel. You are ready to brew!

I followed the directions of my sweet friend Jen to get started.

Here are the basic directions:

Makes 1 gallon
3 1/2 quarts water
1 cup white sugar
4 bags black tea (or 1 tablespoons loose tea) (I use all black tea)
4 bags green tea (or 1 tablespoon loose tea)
2 cups pre-made unflavored kombucha (from your last homemade batch or store-bought)
1 scoby per fermentation jar

Special equipment: Six 16-oz glass bottles with plastic lids, swing-top bottles, or clean soda bottles

Bring the water to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar to dissolve. Drop in the tea and allow it to steep until the water has cooled. Depending on the size of your pot, this will take a few hours. (Alternatively, you can speed this up by boiling only half the water, letting the tea steep, and then cooling it down with the remaining water.)

Once the tea is cool, remove the tea bags (or strain out the loose tea). Stir in the pre-made kombucha. (This makes the tea acidic, which prevents unfriendly bacteria from taking up residence in the first few days of fermentation.)

Ready to Flavor

Pour the mixture into a 1-gallon glass jar and gently slide the scoby on top with clean hands. Cover the mouth of the jar with a few layers of cheesecloth or paper towels secured with a rubber band. (You can divide this between several jars instead of one big one, but each jar will need its own scoby.)

Let it ferment in a cool dark place for about 7 days and start checking the unflavored kombucha until it finds the right balance between sweet and tangy.  After you find the right balance it's time to add flavor! This is where your creativity gets to go wild! We have been experimenting with flavors, we love anything strawberry, but also love lemon ginger and apple.

Strawberry limeade and lemonade

Today, I decided on strawberry limeade and strawberry lemonade. I took my batch of booch and divided it into two half gallon ball jars (I got mine at bi-mart, but they usually have them at the grocery store) and added strawberries and either sliced lime or lemon. I let this sit for about three days with a plastic lid and then strain and re-bottle it into swing-top bottles and let it sit for a day, the stash it in the fridge. Through lots of trial and error the hubby and I found this is the best way to get a nice fizzy batch of kombucha.

I keep a kombucha journal so I can keep track of when to check or re-bottle it, also so I can track what flavors we have tried and what we liked and didn't like.

The hubby and I usually sip some with dinner, or even mid afternoon for a little pick-me up. It's my go-to when I have a stomach ache, or am feeling a little off. I also love the fizziness of it, because it makes me think I'm having a soda, but it's way healthier! Kombucha is known for it's health benefits and a quick Google search can help you learn a little more about the benefits of brewing your own at home, along with lots of different methods and flavor options.

And because I couldn't resist, here is my ever faithful side-kick and his current favorite toy.

Happy Kombucha Brewing Friends!

Kari {& Dieter}