Trà kombucha và sức khỏe

Brew

The standard kombucha recipe calls for one cup of sugar per gallon of water or tea, though some variation in the ratio is tolerated by the culture. Kombucha may be fermented with many different sugar sources, including refined white sugar, evaporated cane juice, brown sugar, glucose/fructose syrups, molasses and honey (pasteurized only). High concentration of honey and its bacteriostatic agents may potentially disturb the stability of the culture. Kombucha should never be fermented with stevia, xylitol, lactose, or any artificial sweetener. ^[26].

The container is often covered with a closed-weave cloth to prevent contamination by dust, mold, and other bacteria, while allowing gas transfer ("breathing"). A "baby" SCOBY is produced on the liquid/gas interface during each fermentation. The surface area is the most favorable location for both aerobic bacteria on the top of the new "pancake" and anaerobic bacteria on the bottom. The surface area also has ideal concentration of oxygen for the yeast in the matrix to propagate readily.

After a week or two of fermentation, the liquid is tapped. Some liquid is retained for the subsequent batch to keep the pH low to prevent contamination. This process can be repeated indefinitely. In each batch, the "mother" culture will produce a "baby", which can be directly handled, separated like two pancakes, and moved to another container. The yeast in the tapped liquid will continue to survive. A secondary fermentation may be accomplished by removing the liquid to a closed container (bottle) for about a week to produce more carbonation. Care should be taken, as carbon dioxide build up can cause bottles to explode.

How to Brew Kombucha — Double Fermentation Method

I confess. I had an addiction to Dr. Pepper.

It seemed innocent enough at first. I was a college student in desperate need of caffeine. My husband — then boyfriend — had a case of Dr. Pepper made with real cane sugar (no HFCS!) in his closet.  He offered me one. I accepted. I was hooked.

Over the next ten years, I periodically tried to wean myself from the soda. I gave it up for Lent more than once. I told myself how evil it was, how bad for me, how disappointing it was to drink. I couldn’t knock the habit.

What finally cured me?

Kombucha — the fizzy, mildy sweet and tart, health drink that works wonders detoxing our bodies.

It satisfied my cravings for a fizzy energy boost without the sugar crashes that accompanied my Dr. Pepper drinking. A 16 oz. bottle of organic raw kombucha costs around $3.50. Multiply that times several family members and a couple of glasses per day, and it adds up quickly.

If you could brew your own flavored kombucha for as little as $1.50/gallon and about ten minutes of your time, why wouldn’t you?

Here’s how I do it. This makes 2 gallons.

The Players

• 
  2 gallons of sweetened tea
  
• 
  2 kombucha mothers (AKA “scobies,” or “mushrooms”) (where to buy a kombucha starter culture)
  
• 
  2 large 1 gallon glass jars
  
• 
  1 thin kitchen towel
  
• 
  15 oz of fruit juice
  
• 
  6 quart sized jars with lids (any size bottle or jar will do, so long as you\’ve got enough to hold 75%-80% of your brewed kombucha)
  

First — assuming you didn’t grow your own scoby, you’ve got a week to ten days to start this process from the day you receive the kombucha starter or “mother” to ensure the freshest and most healthful product. If you let the mother sit too long in your refrigerator it will make the kombucha stale. (For reputable, online sources of kombucha starter cultures, be sure to check out the listings on my Resources Page.)

Second — each mother comes with at least a half a cup of liquid with it.  That is important  stuff so do not pour it off.  You’ll actually use that in your first batch of tea. I recommend buying a bottle of Kombucha from the health food store to help your first batch, but this isn’t needful.  If you choose to do it, you’ll want to buy Organic Raw Kombucha without any fruit sweeteners added.

Finally — the starter is a bit strange and takes some getting used to. Handling it and placing  it on top of the tea just takes a little practice and a sense of adventure … it is pretty disarming initially.

Boil about 2 gallons of fresh, filtered water on the stove top. (Where to buy water filters).   Once water is at a full boil, remove from heat and add tea bags or family-sized tea bag and steep for 5 minutes.  You can use cheap, plain Lipton tea for this, or experiment with other black or green teas as you desire.

Remove tea bags and add 2 cups of sugar stirring vigorously until it is dissolved. (This is the only thing in my house we use refined sugar for.  We tried brewing kombucha with natural sweeteners like sucanat, honey, or agave nectar, but they all made the final brew take longer and taste sour.  There’s no need to fear this refined sugar because it’s basically just food for the yeast.) Let the sweetened tea sit on the stove top until it has cooled to room temperature. This usually takes about 2 hours.