How To Make Your Own Kombucha at Home
If you have an interest in health and wellness you would have heard of kombucha. It was once something you could only make your own or find in health food stores. Seems like it is now popping up in cafes everywhere and is now even on the shelves of regular supermarkets.
What is kombucha and why is it so trendy?
What is Kombucha?
Kombucha is a fermented tea. Fermentation is a process that uses live cultures to metabolise the product and produce by-products. This fermentation process creates the probiotic rich beverage. Kombucha has been around for a very long time, perhaps since BC with origins in China and Japan.
What Does Kombuha Taste Like?
Kombucha tastes like a tangy fizzy drink with vinegary notes. The flavours are a result of the natural fermentation process.
Making Your Own vs Buying Pre-Made Kombucha
Making your own is actually really easy and perhaps the most cost-effective way too.
Commercially produced kombucha of course has to be made to appeal to be a profitable product. With many brands jumping on the trendy bandwagon, many have added sweeteners and flavours. This is to appeal to our sweet palates with less acidity or sourness (much more like the traditional flavour). Something to pay attention to when buying store-bought kombucha. Are there any artificial flavours added, artificial sweeteners etc?
To commercially make the production of store-bought kombucha efficient and cost effective we can potentially see the quality of the product and its original properties lost. As a result the end product may have little (or no) actual live cultures. This is not all brands but something to consider and look more closely into when choosing a brand of kombucha. The potentially positive impact on gut health as being suggested is linked to the presence of these live cultures (probiotics) earlier mentioned.
Research on Kombucha and Gut Health
Whilst we cant actually conclude just yet specific benefits of kombucha. The impact of fermented foods and probiotics in an approach to nourish the digestive system has been around for many years. More research is needed into the potential benefits of kombucha itself. However, the link between healthy bacteria and its impact on he digestive system and immune system is becoming forefront as more studies are done. Probiotics may contribute to a holistic approach to nourishing a healthy gut but more research is needed.
If you love the taste of store-bought kombucha, it’s a delicious and healthier alternative to soft drink. Soft drink is of course filled with sugar, artificial flavours and colours. None of which positively impacts your health, in fact the opposite. However, if you want to try out kombucha with a high content of probiotics find a brand that still contains live cultures or make it yourself for results closest to the traditional drink.
How To Make Homemade Kombucha
If you’re going to make kombucha yourself you will need a scoby, a sterile jar with lid, muslin cloth, a thermometer, tea and some ‘food’ for the bacteria and yeast to feed on (typically sugar is used). Note here that the sugar acts as food for the cultures and not added as an ingredient. Due to the sugar being consumed by the scoby, it is not found in the end product. A helpful note if you are trying to adhere to a low sugar or sugar free lifestyle.
Now I have to be honest, the first time I saw a scoby I was kinda freaked out. It looks like a small jelly fish (blob) if you ask me but it is in fact a Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast that packs a powerful gut loving punch! The scoby is the powerhouse nucleus of your kombucha making.
How To Get Started, The Easy Way
The Mad Millie Kombucha Kit is a great starter kit and the easiest way to make it. It includes everything you need as well as instructions to make your own homemade kombucha. The scoby included is shelf stable meaning that it doesn’t require refrigeration vs dehydrated versions that need to be activated again. When you are ready to start your kombucha the self stable scoby is ready to be fed and begin your kombucha making!
You can go mad with the flavours you create with your own homemade kombucha to make a delicious booch, batch after batch.
If you have more questions on how to make your own kombucha at home or unsure about any of the process you can head to Mad Millie for all the nitty gritty.
If you want to find out more about creating healthy foundations for a healthy, happy gut check out the Nourish From the Inside Out Online Program where we dedicate an entire module to taking steps towards nourishing a healthier gut and digestive system.
This post is in collaboration with Mad Millie, makers of health food kits. Make sure you check out their homemade chocolate kits too!
