Kombucha, aka "booch" aka Scoby Tea...
"Kombucha has a ton of B vitamins (B1, B2, B6, and B12, to be specific), which are essential for maintaining and producing new, healthy cells. It's virtually a vitamin B cocktail and a welcome remedy for blemished or oily skin.
When the yeast breaks down the sugar during fermentation, certain vitamins and minerals are produced, including B vitamins like B2, B6 and B12, which are good for the skin. B vitamins are vital for maintaining and producing new and healthy cells. Drinking Kombucha tea will help your skin glow and strengthen your hair and nails. Touted for keeping your gut biome healthy by supplying good bacteria and helping to aid in digesting food without issues.
While the popularity of this drink skyrocketed recently, kombucha is believed to have originated somewhere in the 200 BC. Fast forward to several centuries later, this cult carbonated beverage has become popular yet again for its several benefits.
The Chinese call it “elixir of life”. The Western World deems it “mushroom tea”. As a popular alternative to conventional soda, this probiotic beauty is the new favorite in the world of health foods. The best part is that with a little patience and know-how, you can keep kombucha constantly brewing at home in various fermentation stages and experiment with natural fruit flavors. Order your kombucha making supplies here.
After you have made your black tea and sugar mixture and once it's cooled, you can either add a purchased SCOBY with starter tea or a bottle of unsweetened plain kombucha such as GT's Original variety.
This fermented drink is made with black tea, sugar and a Symbiotic Colony Of Bacteria and Yeast, or SCOBY for short. These little critters initiate the fermentation process, consuming 90% of the sugar while they're at it. Once they've done their job, kombucha becomes carbonated. Now it's rich in vinegar, enzymes, B vitamins, lactic acid, gluconic acid, acetic acid and probiotics and very low in sugar.
Kombucha is definitely an acquired taste for some people. But one worth acquiring. And if you adapt to a more vegan lifestyle, you will be eating lots of raw foods and will not miss the sugar from soda drinks and neither will your waistline. Kombucha's high acid and enzyme content help your pancreas do its job more effectively and detoxify the liver. Once all those toxins are flushed out of your system, they won't be able to wreak havoc on your skin anymore. Bye bye, pimples!
The first fermentation takes about 7-10 days to achieve and it is at this point where you can decide to create a natural carbonation and natural fruit flavor. By straining the scabby from your kombucha, you are now welcome to add whole pieces of fruit, citrus rinds and fruit juice and let your concoction ferment for another 3-6 days.
Here is an excellent recipe for making your own kombucha here. For the 2nd fermentation process (when you incorporate fruit to your beverage), I love to puree whatever fruit mixture I am going to incorporate into my kombucha. Fresh ginger root with pureed pear, fresh squeezed lemon juice with pureed mango or if in season, strawberry peach is always a popular variety! A mason jar or recycled, sterilized kombucha bottles will do. Fill bottles half way or 3/4 full with original kombucha tea that has been strained using mesh strainer. Add pureed fruit mixture to bottle or jar and leave about an inch of room from the cap. Affix cap and store on counter for 3-6 days. Check them for carbonation and flavor after 3 days. You can experiment to figure out how much fermentation you want to achieve. After your fruity booch has fermented and fizzed to your preference, simply transfer into the refrigerator to chill, therefore slowing fermentation process down.
This was a batch of strawberry peach kombucha that I made last Summer. It turned out so carbonated and the fruit flavor was simply the best. I used fresh strawberries and peaches from the farmer's market, pureed them in my Vitamix and added the fruit to my black tea kombucha. Your kids will absolutely love to make kombucha too- note: you can also use frozen berries or any frozen or fresh fruit. Just thaw and puree thoroughly to add to your kombucha mixture. Order flip-top bottles here.
