In my neverending quest for better health and longevity, I decided to try my hand at homebrewing kombucha tea. With over 2000 years of healing history behind it, kombucha had the properties I was looking for: health-boosting probiotics and amino acids. Those qualities, coupled with the fact that I can make it myself and avoid the expensive storebought alternatives, were attractive enough for me to dive right into the world of kombucha brewing.
Kombucha tea isn’t made just from plant material like regular tea; it’s a fermented drink, like beer, and uses a culture just like sourdough or yogurt. Kombucha cultures are classified as a ”SCOBY” (symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeasts). While they look slimy, they have a long anecdotal history of combatting arthritis, cancer and degenerative diseases; kombucha is high in glucaric acid, which has been shown to prevent cancer, specifically liver, breast and pancreatic cancers. It is often used as a cornerstone of detoxifying and naturopathic treatments, thanks to the high levels of bacterial acids and enzymes it contains.
For those with arthritis who can’t take NSAIDS or are just tired of popping pills, kombucha increases hyaluronic acid production in synovial fluid (that’s the juice that lubricates your joints) because of it’s glucosamines. Kombucha’s probiotics also fight yeast overgrowth conditions like candida and help heal the intestine from pathogenic damage.
Did I mention it also improves skin texture because it builds collagen? That it fights acidosis in the body? Or that it’s chock full of anti-oxidants? Russian and German scientists explored the medicinal properties of kombucha, but there’s been very little Western medical research; just like garden herbs, pharmaceutical companies can’t make money off of something you can brew at home for less than 35 cents a gallon.
With all that goodness just waiting for me, how could I resist trying to make a batch on my own, right? I purchased my SCOBY starter on Ebay for $1.50 and waited for it to arrive in the mail. When it did arrive, it looked like a piece of calamari, and felt like one too (I really don’t like calamari, by the way). I followed the very clear, simple directions, dropped the SCOBY into it’s new home of green tea and honey, and sat back to see what happened (as you can see above).
Over the course of eight days, the SCOBY fed on the sugar in the tea base and got larger and thicker, looking like a Man-O-War jellyfish at the top of the jar. With most of the sugar converted, what’s left is the probiotic, slightly carbonated beverage that I’m now sipping (it tastes a little bit like sparkling apple cider, but without that level of alcohol). Once it reaches it’s maturity (7-15 days), I draw off the tea and refrigerate it to stop the fermentation and leave the SCOBY in the jar for the next batch of tea. Brewing something this good couldn’t be easier.
Of course, everyone in my office building had to drop by the spa to see how the “science experiment” was faring, and even a few brave souls tasted it. Now that I’m an accomplished kombucha brewer (only joking – this is actually a science like winemaking based on my online research), my next foray will probably be dairy-based, so stay tuned for… kefir!
Did you enjoy this article? Share your enjoyment with your friends and subscribe above – you’ll be the first to know when our next article is up!
Comments