Kombucha Tea - Recipe

Food as Medicine

 

This tea originated around 2000 years ago in China. It’s known as the Health Elixir beneficial to our heart, brain, immune system and gut.

Kombucha is a fermented beverage made of organic black or green tea and sugar, specifically cane sugar or raw honey. This natural sugar is used as a functional 'probiotic food'.

Kombucha contains bacteria and yeast that cause the fermentation process once combined with sugar.

After fermentation is completed, kombucha becomes carbonated. It contains vinegar, B vitamins, enzymes, probiotics (live bacteria) and a high concentration of acid: acetic, gluconic and lactic.

If you like a glass of beer on weekend, this could be your new option. Kombucha is a great replacement not only for beer but also for other unhealthy carbonated drinks!

Kombucha Nutrition Facts

I often hear my clients getting concerned about kombucha tea calories and confused about nutritional values. While nutrition facts will differ between brands, here is the breakdown of what this tea includes in a 16-ounce bottle of unpasteurized, organic kombucha:

• 60 calories
• 20 milligrams sodium
• 14 grams carbohydrate
• 4 grams of sugar
• 100 micrograms folate
• 0.34 grams vitamin B2
• 0.4 milligrams vitamin B6
• 0.3 milligrams vitamin B1
•  4 milligrams vitamin B3
•  1.2 micrograms vitamin B12

Yields: 8 cups

What  You need to prepare

• 1 large glass or bowl with a wide opening - Avoid using a plastic jar or bowl because the chemicals in the plastic can leach into the kombucha during the fermentation period. Look for a large glass jug/jar/bowl and make sure the opening is wide enough to allow a lot of oxygen to reach the beveragewhile it ferments.

• 1 large piece of cloth or a dish towel - Place this material around the opening of the jar and secure with elastic. You can even try using some simple cotton fabric.

• 1 SCOBY disk (mixed culture) –Look for a SCOBY disk in health food stores or online, Amazon. A SCOBY disk is vacuum-sealed in a small pouch and can be shipped directly to your house.

• 8 cups of water - Use only filtered water. Some experts prefer using distilled water, which contains less contaminants or metals than other water. Distilled water is inexpensive and can be found at any grocery stores.

• ½ cup organic cane sugar or raw honey - Yes, this is one of the few times I’ll tell you to use real sugar! Most of it is “eaten” by the yeast during the fermentation process, so there is very little sugar left in the beverage by the time you consume it.

• 4 organic tea bags - Traditionally, kombucha is made from black tea, but you can also use green tea to see which you prefer.

• 1 cup of pre-made kombucha - You’ll need to purchase your first batch or get a cup from a friend who has recently made homemade kombucha. For future batches, just keep a cup on hand for the next time. Be sure to purchase only organic, unpasteurized kombucha. Pasteurized varieties do not contain the appropriate live cultures you need.

Instructions

1. Bring water to boil in a big pot on the stovetop. Once boiling, remove from heat and add your teabags and sugar, stirring until the sugar dissolves.

2. Allow the pot to sit and the tea to steep for about 15 minutes, then remove and discard tea bags.

3. Let the mixture cool down to room temperature which usually takes about 1 hour. Once it’s cooled, add your tea mixture to your big jar or bowl. Drop in your SCOBY disk and 1 cup of pre-made kombucha.

4. Cover your jar or bowl with your cloth or thin kitchen towel. Don’t forget to secure the cloth by using elastic.

5. Allow the kombucha to sit for 7–10 days, depending on the flavor you’re looking for. Less time produces a weaker kombucha that tastes less sour, while a longer sitting time makes the kombucha stronger. Some people are fermenting kombucha for up to even a month before bottling with great results. Taste the batch every couple of days to see if its reached the right flavor and level of carbonation for you.

Cheers, to your health!

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