Kombucha!

This is my latest project at

303 Little House

Kombucha Tea!

This is an ancient Chinese 'miracle-drink'.

It is made from a mixture of green tea, black tea and sugar, which is

metabolised by the Kombucha 'mushroom'.

The mushroom is not really a mushroom, but is a flat pancake-like culture

of yeast and bacteria. It is given the name 'mushroom', because of its shape and

colour of the sac that grows at the top of the tea as it ferments.

This sac is called a scoby, (symbiotic,colony of bacteria and yeast).

Sound delicious yet!

Chinese legend says that the benefits of the Kombucha Tea only work

if the new baby mushroom that is created during fermentation is

passed on, free of charge, to someone you know.

Happy to say, my 'new baby' was a gift from my beautiful daughter.

After steeping for 7 days, the yeast breaks down the sugar and combines with the

tea to produce powerful antioxidants, minerals and vitamins.

During this fermentation process the scoby also produces 'a baby mushroom' on

its surface - traditionally these new scoby's are then passed along to others who

then make their own cultures.

This super-potent concoction increases metabolism, eliminates toxins, reduces

cholesterol, fights the effects of aging, fights diabetes, and supports the immune system'

It also encourages healthy skin and hair, aids digestive and intestinal disorders

and it said to promise to ease the pain for arthritis sufferers.

Kombucha tea introduces lactic acid-producing bacteria called probiotics, similar to

acidophilus bacteria found in live yoghurt, which encourages healthy intestinal flora.

This healthy tea also contains organic acids, vitamins and enzymes. It provides a range

of vitamins, including B1, B2, B6 and B12.

It also contains vitamin C, a great detoxifier and immune booster.

If Kombucha Tea if for you here is the recipe.

What you will need

I baby scoby

I sterilized large glass jar

wooden spoon (not metal)

Square of cotton cloth to cover jar top

(do not use muslin or cheese cloth, these fabrics are too porous)

Elastic band to secure

For locations in cooler climates - a seed heating pad

1 gallon jug of distilled water

Five black or green tea bags

(do not use herbal tea or Earl Grey)

1 1/2 cups of white sugar

What you will do

In a large clean saucepan pour in about 3/4 of the distilled water

(place the rest of the distilled water in the freezer)

bring to boil then add the tea bags and sugar

Stirring the tea with the wooden spoon to dissolve the sugar

Steep the tea and sugar for 20 mins

After 20 minutes add the rest of the distilled water from the freezer

Pour the tea into the sterilized glass jar

Take the baby scoby and place in the glass jar

Add to the glass jar the tea that the baby scoby came with

Cover the jar with the cotton cloth and secure with elastic band

Place the jar on the seed heating pad in a dark cupboard

Leave for 7 days

After 7 days pour the tea into clean bottles

Make a another batch of tea and add to your glass jar

The surprise is that this tea tastes somewhere between a glass of ginger ale

and champagne!

Enjoy your Kombucha tea

Be healthy and happy!