As early summer tries to elbow spring out of the way, around our various camps we’ve been kicking about the idea of crafting home-brewed Kombucha – the ever-so-lightly effervescent, fermented, slightly sweetened black (or green or other) teas that have been part of the alternative beverage and health scene for some time now.
Purportedly originating in Manchuria, kombucha is pretty easy to find these days, though almost always seemingly over sweetened (in part targeting the deranged American palate) and over priced (to my cheap bastard way of thinking).
Kombucha cultures, similar to vinegars, are a “SCOBY” – a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeasts – which are reasonably easy to ply from avid home kombucha brewers, and there are hosts of descriptions of using unfiltered commercially-bottled brews to start a culture at home “from scratch”.
There are a bevy of decisions to make, such tea types and amounts, water sourcing and filtration, SCOBY care and nurture, timing, filtration, second fermentations, etc.
There are those who assign all sorts of (almost magical) health benefits to kombucha; while it clearly falls into the probiotic camp (besides tickling the taste buds, most fermented things really are good for you), we’re making kombucha because it tastes good.
Anybody a kombucha king or queen out there and want to chime in with your best tips, suggestions, cautions, and lessons learned at the altar of experience?
