Kombucha Karma

I’ve developed quite a kombucha habit this summer; I find this fermented tea gives me energy on these hot days, especially in the afternoon. However, at $3.00 to $4.00 per bottle, this obsession is reaching latté proportions. Time to start brewing my own.

Kombucha is fermented sweet tea that originated in Asia in the late 1800s. Although often referred to as a mushroom, the organism responsible for the fermentation is a symbiotic relationship between yeast and bacteria called a zoogloea. The zoogloea culture metabolizes the sugar, caffeine and other compounds in the tea allowing the proliferation of beneficial bacteria (including the same Lactobacillus found in yogurt or traditionally prepared sauerkraut), which is helpful for the digestive tract. Other beneficial compounds in kombucha include antioxidants, polyphenols, glucuronic acid, acetic acid, amino acids and electrolytes, which may be responsible for heath claims ranging from improved liver function to increased metabolism. The best test, I believe, is to try it and see how you feel. As with any new food, listen to your body’s wisdom.

Let’s talk kombucha lingo. A mother culture produces a pancake-like layer on the surface of the fermenting beverage. This new layer appears with each batch and is called a kombucha baby. A baby can be separated and used as a new mother culture.

Having recently moved to a new town, and without a fermenting community to call my own, there was only one place to turn for a kombucha baby. I posted an advertisement on Craigslist. "Wanted: Kombucha Baby," it read. A nice woman answered my ad and invited me to her tiny cabin in the mountains. The only requirement for a kombucha baby is to pay it forward. In my opinion, it is bad karma to charge for such things. And now, I should have a new baby about every ten days, so if you want to start your own, just let me know!

Recipe for kombucha:

You will need:

One large wide-mouth jar

Kombucha baby

1/2 cup, or so, mature kombucha brew

Water

Black tea (about 5 tea bags or 3 tablespoons loose tea per gallon of water, or to taste)

Organic cane sugar (about 1 cup per gallon of water, or to taste)

Breathable cloth

Rubber band

Boil enough water to almost fill your jar. Add the tea and sugar and steep until the water returns to room temperature. If the water is too warm, you may kill the baby. Remove the tea bags or strain the loose tea. Put the tea, mature kombucha and kombucha baby in the large jar. Cover with a breathable cloth and secure with a rubber band. Keep in a warm place, although not in direct sunlight, for seven to ten days. Once you have your materials, you can brew your kombucha for mere pennies per cup.

Experiment. Play. Taste your kombucha along the way and see which stage is most appealing to your palate. Try adding herbs and spices when you brew the tea for flavor or adding a splash of fruit juice to the finished product.