Kom·bu·cha
/kämˈbo͞oCHə/
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a drink produced by fermenting sweet tea with a culture of yeast and bacteria."bottled kombucha is available in many natural food stores"AHHH the fizzz of kombucha! Kombucha is a tart, semi sweet and tangy carbonated beverage that is packed full of antioxidants to help reduce inflammation and balance the bacteria in the gut. If you are like me and have a difficult time finding the joy in a regimen of Apple Cider Vinegar, Kombucha might be a good alternative for you.Most health food ( and non-health food) stores have a variety of Kombuchas available. I would suggest trying a few to experience the variety of flavors to find your favorites for every season. Not all Kombuchas are made the same. Keep an eye on sugar content, since each 'Buch flavor can have a different sugar content.On top of everything else, Kombucha can become a 'luxurious expense' when a single bottle can easily reach $4 ( okay, maybe I'm just on the frugal side). When you consider that you can MAKE IT YOURSELF for pennies on the dollar...it's worth looking into!So below are the following:1. The products I found most useful in my Kombucha journey.2. Tips for the best tasting ( and fizziest Kombucha)3. Videos on YouTube that were SUPER helpful along the way.1. But first, SCOBY!The word SCOBY stands for SYMBIOTIC CULTURE OF BACTERIA AND YEAST...and that's exactly what it looks like, lol! A nice, squishy little floating bacteria. It might take a little while to get used to growing a 'culture' but trust me, when you take your first homemade, fizzy, tangy sip you'll be best friends.WHERE CAN YOU PURCHASE A KOMBUCHA STARTER / SCOBY?You can order a SCOBY online from a variety of retailer.I purchased the SCOBY from FERMENTAHOLICS on AMAZON 3 years ago and she is still going strong!
THE JAR- AKA- Mother's HouseSo where are you going to keep your SCOBY ( aka-Mother)? One word...GLASS. You definitely want to keep your SCOBY in a glass container. It is a living organism eating and thriving in a home. It's best not to have it in an environment like plastic where chemicals can seep into the habitat.You probably see all kinds of specialty glass jars, with spouts, without spouts, special lids, etc. Honestly, to get started, keep it simple. I started with a large glass food canister I happen to have already. It held about 1 gallon which was plenty to start with. Your SCOBY is alive and WILL GROW to its' environment. That can be quite nice if you plan on growing a larger SCOBY you can split and share with friends. But to start, keep it simple. You just need a glass food grade container to keep it in. AND FYI-you won't be using the lid, so don't let the lid style be the deciding factor of which one you get.There are plenty of examples at the AMAZON.com for the Fermentaholics SCOBY.
THE MOST IMPORTANT....B-O-T-T-L-E-S
Believe it or not, the BOTTLES were my biggest nemesis in this whole process! Note-Not All Bottles Seal The Same, lol! I bought some basic 'beer bottles that had a removable gasket for a little over $1 a piece.
DON'T DO IT!
Yeah, they kinda did the job, but getting higher quality bottles with a super strong latch and TIGHT seal made all of the difference. Think champagne at the christening of a ship.
Your best bet is to purchase these locally. Many times glass bottles end up broken in the shipping process. Here are some examples of the type to purchase:
NOTE: The best bottles I found were at the grocery store. They were bottles of Sparkeling Water ,and they were extra tall-PERFECT and cost effective!
NOW FOR THE VIDEOS!