Kombucha! :0)
Kombucha is one of my fave beverages, and wait, before I go ranting about how much I like it…,I oughta stop and clue ya in on what exactly Kombucha is. Kombucha is a probiotic, living, fermented tea that is LOADED with enzymes, friendly critters to support your digestive system, organic acids and detoxifying elements. Sound awesome? Well it did to me as well when I read the myriad health benefits listed on the first bottle of kombucha I sampled back when I was living in PA.
Amanda and I picked up a bottle of this interesting concoction for the first time around the same time I got started with raw foods. The first sip was reminiscent of carbonated apple cider vinegar…ok….although not delicious, intriguingly the flavor grew on me, and about an hour after finishing it Amanda and I both noticed, not only a warm feeling in our stomachs, but also a burst of energy! I started doing some research on this fizzy living beverage and found that it was brewable/growable at home! Being a DIY kinda guy, and learning that it’s inexpensive to brew your own, I was IN!
Showing off the SCOBY at my first 'bucha workshop at Catch a Healthy Habit Cafe as Glen Colello films
About 2 years ago we picked up our SCOBY (which is short for Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria and Yeast) and got brewing! I was so psyched up to add this to my raw and living food concocting experiments, and it really brought me back to those days of raising Sea Monkeys and other weird pets…only this one I would be eating. I did lots of research on this wonderful brew, and watched other home brewer’s adventures on YouTube. After creating some batches that were a wee bit south of that fizzy goodness we had experienced from the health food store, I pulled off a batch that was outstandingly good and cost a fraction of the pre-bottled stuff!! As if that wasn’t neat enough, I can now add my own fun flavorings to the kombucha when I bottle it up for the second fermentation, flavorings such as fresh squeezed ginger juice, blended wild blueberries, or vanilla bean pods! Oh yeah! Turning a ridiculously healthy beverage into a tasty one that could rival soda….now that’s the kinda stuff I’m into! :0)
Fast forward to my life now, doing raw food presentations and talks, I noticed people’s faces light up when I would mention my kombucha brewing endeavors during a raw food workshop. So I did a kombucha creating workshop at Catch a Healthy Habit Café shortly after moving here to CT, which was very warmly received. The videos of this first workshop (taken by Glen Colello of Catch) can be found at his YouTube channel (which I HIGHLY recommend ya check out if you’re interested in raw foods and healthy living! There have been many, many awesome speakers at the Café and Glen has filmed large portions of their talks! So there is a wealth of fun info there waiting to be watched!)
Flash forward to just last night at Catch, where I presented my second kombucha workshop and I shared much of the cool new info I’ve picked up about culturing, brewing and flavoring this bubbly, healthy drink! Again, Glen has shot some awesome footage of my workshop (which I had a blast doing!) and I can now give you a sneak-peek of what it would’ve been like to be there!
This first video gives you a good idea of the equipment you’d need to start brewing your own goodness at home…a lot less than you might assume!
Part 2, I get into some of the other fun uses for your SCOBY….from bath toy to band-aid, a zoogleal mat can perform many tasks! :0)
Part 3, Where (and where not) to brew your culture and putting some love in your brew!
Part 4 Finishing off your brew, other brewing vessel options and why you should or should not use your SCOBY as a hat.
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My very first batch of Kombucha! turned out pretty good, I must say. I goofed though because I wanted to use a second fermentation. I put it in the fridge right away. What was I supposed to do in order to ferment a second time?
April 2, 2010 at 10:30 am
I can’t find the same pot used to make the tea! Is there a substitute for this kind of pot? I just got my mushroom (SCOBY) yesterday in the mail and I’m really ready to brew! Thanks!
March 18, 2010 at 11:14 am
Hey Sue!
Stainless steel, glass(pyrex) or stoneware would be a great substitute for the marmite pot I use. Best wishes on your adventures in brewing! :0)
March 19, 2010 at 1:40 am
Thanks, Rory, one more question….what’s the issue with raw honey? I was told not to use it. What do you say? Actually, I put my new SCOBY in a mixture of raw honey and organic sugar last night at about 7:30. Now what?
Thanks!
March 19, 2010 at 10:15 am
Hey again Sue!
From the info I’ve been reading along with photos I’ve seen of Kombucha being cultured with tea that was sweetened with honey, I’d say it’ll probably be fine. I’ve not used honey in my homebrewing…yet! I would recomend and have heard it recomended that the sweetner should be boiled along with the tea prior to cooling and using for your scoby, this provides a clean slate for your kombucha culture to establish itself. Hope the brew comes along awesomley~ Rory :0)
March 20, 2010 at 3:26 am
Rory-
In your videos you didn’t mention what you do during the second round of fermentation. Do you add additional sugar? How long do you let the secondary sit? Should the tea be a little too sweet or a lot too sweet before the secondary ferment?
I gave up brewing kombucha because I didn’t like the tea without the carbonation, and I couldn’t get to the sour/tart taste without it sitting for a month or more.
Thanks,
Christy
March 23, 2010 at 4:57 pm
Hey Christy! The videos were portions of a workshop that was about an hour and half-long so there may be some stuff that didn’t make it through. :0)
When I put my kombucha through it’s second fermentation I bottle it up (using thoroughly washed bottles that I saved from purchased kombucha) while it’s still a lil’ sweet (not a lot) and allow it to ferment for about 5-7 days. I taste test a bottle after the fifth day to see how they’re coming along. Hope this info helps and best wishes with your brewing! :0)
March 23, 2010 at 11:16 pm
Great videos!
I have been bottling my kombucha in clean beer bottles for a secondary fermentation and I have been adding homemade blackberry syrups. I have been filling the bottles up to the top to prevent another scoby from forming and I was wondering if you are using a process that leaves some air at the top without getting a smaller scoby?
I have also thought about leaving some air at the top of the secondary fermentation bottle and then pasteurizing the kombucha after a few days, have you ever tried that? Thanks
May 13, 2010 at 6:42 pm
Terrific presentation!!!
April 2, 2010 at 4:09 am
Hey Raw Dawg!
Thanks for posting these videos, they’ve helped me alot!
You mentioned a book called analysis of kombucha ferments.. I searched online and I found a few links by the same name. Who is the author, and do you have the website link? Thanks!!
Kevin
May 6, 2010 at 7:30 pm
Hey Kevin!
Thanks for the props on my videos man! Here’s the link to Michael Roussin’s book~
http://kombucha-research.com/ Peace and happy brewin’ bro! :0)
May 7, 2010 at 5:00 am
Thanks Rory!
May 7, 2010 at 9:41 am
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September 13, 2010 at 9:53 pm
quisiera saber mas sobre el tema,tienes mas informacion al respecto? gracias
January 12, 2011 at 11:15 pm
me puedes decir como agregarme a tus feeds?me gusto mucho lo que publicaste
January 13, 2011 at 1:46 am
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