Gut healthy tea (everything you need to know about Kombucha)

Credit: Megumi Nachev, Unsplash

You’ve probably heard of it… Kombucha has sprung into popularity over the last few years in many health food shops and there are now many popular brands available to purchase, sometimes even in your local supermarket. It’s expensive though. A small bottle of 250cl can cost around 3-5 euros, the larger 500ml up to 8 euros. If, like many people, you have discovered it and you love drinking Kombucha.. then you can save a lot of money by making your own. It’s inexpensive and so easy to do. 

If you haven’t discovered Kombucha yet then prepare to be astonished at how easy this beneficial, simple probiotic elixir is to make.  

Kombucha is thought to originate in Russia or China. It is, at its most simple, a fermented green tea; fizzy, refreshing, delicious and excellent for your health. Unlike other ferments, the yeasts involved are not present naturally on the green tea itself, rather we add the yeasts and bacteria in with something called a SCOBY - this stands for Symbiotic Colony Of Bacteria and Yeasts. Sometimes the SCOBY is called a 'Mushroom' or ‘The Mother’.  Kombucha tea ferments anaerobically, meaning without oxygen. So the SCOBY is placed on top of the tea creating a barrier between the air and the fermenting kombucha tea. The benefits are said to be numerous. Like live yoghurt, the bacteria in kombucha colonise the gut which stabilise the microbiome which in turn boosts your health. Green tea has been shown to lead to a huge reduction of both LDL and HDL cholesterol and can reduce your chances of developing heart disease by up to 31%.  Improved mood is a natural consequence of a healthy microbiome since the gut is said to be the ’second brain’ and many feel good hormones like serotonin, originate in the gut. Think of the expression ‘gut feeling’.

We know that green tea itself benefits the liver as it is full of antioxidants. Leaving your kombucha tea to ferment for longer can leave a small amount of alcohol at 1-2% in the finished ferment as the SCOBY converts the sugar in the tea into a kind of vinegar and alcohol. Some studies show that Kombucha tea may reduce the risk of cancer. One thing is for certain, including a daily drink of kombucha will benefit your health in innumerable ways. 

So how do you begin? Firstly you need to either buy a SCOBY online or you need to know someone who ferments the tea. You are welcome to email me at amandakingnutrition@gmail.com if you would like to be directed to a supplier. Then follow the recipe below and grow your own wonder tea. As your tea ferments you will see little stringy floating sediments at the top and bottom of your bottle/jar, this is a good thing.  The sediments show that the yeasts in the tea are growing and you can filter these out of the tea at the end. 

Follow this simple recipe for basic Kombucha tea and when you feel more confident there are numerous recipes online for changing the flavour to include ginger, or berries or edible flowers to add flavour and additional nutrition. There is a great book called The Kombucha Revolution for more advanced recipes. 

Credit: Tim-Oliver Metz, Unsplash

Equipment. 

Large glass jar or wide necked bottle (you need to be able to get the SCOBY out when your tea is ready. 

Strainer

Kettle

Makes 3 cups 

3 cups of water 

2 tbsp loose green tea (organic preferably) 

3 tbsp Granulated sugar 

1/2 c kombucha starter tea 

SCOBY 1/4 inch thick. 

Instructions: Make sure that all of your jars and equipment are sterilised prior to starting. Placing everything in boiling water and leaving it for 5 minutes will do the trick. In a separate container put the loose tea and cover with hot boiled water. Add the sugar and stir until dissolved. When cooled, strain off the tea leaves and place into the jar. Do not add the starter tea and SCOBY until your sweet tea mixture is at room temperature. Once the tea is cooled, add the starter tea and place the SCOBY on top. Don’t worry if the SCOBY sinks, the fermentation process will create little air bubbles that will push the SCOBY back to the top of the tea within a couple of days (providing the opening is wide enough) if the jar is too wide for the SCOBY don’t worry as the SCOBY will grow to exactly fit the opening in time. Leave the tea in an accessible place where you can easily keep an eye on it, out of direct sunlight and at room temperature. Covering the lid of the jar or bottle with a muslin is ideal, to stop unwanted bacteria getting in and to allow for airflow so that the gases from the fermentation process can escape.  After 4-5 days begin tasting your kombucha, you will find that it changes from sweet to a more sour taste and when it reaches a point that you like. You can drink the tea at any point but 14 days is optimal. Once you are ready to decant your tea for storage in the fridge, sterilise your strainer and storage bottles in boiling water. Then strain off 3 cups of the tea into your bottle. Make another batch of tea according to these instructions and start the process again. The tea that you leave should be around 1/2 cup and that will serve as your starter tea for the next batch. You can, of course double up on this recipe or make as much as you like with the ratios. You will find that layers of new SCOBY will grow and it will thicken. You can either discard them or pass them on to your friends along with 1/2 cup of starter tea and they can also make their own.