For those who are wondering what the hell I have floating in a jar in my kitchen: kombucha is a Japanese drink made from a kombucha culture. The culture is actually a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast (SCOBY is its cute nickname, and it's that white thing floating in the tea. It looks and feels a little like squid). In an ideal situation, here's what happens: you take a sterilized one gallon glass container. You add water that's been boiled and cooled to room temperature along with a SCOBY, some tea from your last batch of kombucha, and a combination of very strong brewed tea and sugar. You cover the container with a cloth or paper towel, and leave the whole thing in a cool dark place for at least six days. Depending on weather, the health of your SCOBY, and the type of tea you've used, it may take 6-10 days for the SCOBY to process all the caffeine and sugar in your container.Here's the bizarre part. As the SCOBY consumes the sugar and caffeine, it begins to make a copy of itself: the baby. Sounds like something out of ALIEN, right? It's not supposed to be pretty, either. I'll keep everyone posted as the project continutes. Today all I did was boil water and tea and start the brewing process.
Why, you ask? I like the taste of kombucha! I really do. It's like a zippy tangy drink that costs me next to nothing. Plus, kombucha creates vitamins A and B as well as some other minerals during its process of consuming sugar and caffeine. Its waste is actually human nutrients! Amazing. So hopefully this will go well. Time will tell!
No fancy supplies needed: a gallon sized glass jar that used to hold kimchi, a pot of boiled and cooled down water, a strong batch of Luzianne black tea brewed with a cup of sugar, and some wine to help me get through it all. Everything has to be clean and oil-free, as oil and metal will kill the culture. The water can be boiled in metal pots, but the brew can't be kept in anything metallic. I thought this project was pretty amusing. Picture, if you will: a Taiwanese girl making a Japanese health drink using a Korean kimchi jar and some kombucha given to her by a Singaporean, with black tea from the American South, all the while drinking Californian wine. Globalization at its best. My kitchenware was probably all made in China.
5 comments:
if you're going again, you should try the bun cha. unless you've had it before. it's a staple and usually quite satisfying
Considering everyone in our house is willing to try all kinds of tea, especially Uncle Woody, we should make that sometime when we're all together. I'm just amused with the SCOBY because it's a "thing" and the idea of putting that in the Kombucha is just fascinating. Actually, it's not even because of that. It's ALIVE.
Did Sandy tell you that the creampuff place Bearded Papa's finally opened here somewhere on Azusa? She bought some the other day for us at Premier last week and both Carolyn and mom just died because it was soooo yummy. I believe one is opening in San Francisco soon.
I WILL ask Monica's mom about Kombucha the next time I see her. I don't know if she'd try to grow it herself. Who knows. It might all work out and there will be tons and tons of Kombucha in their backyard. Would your eyes glow at that idea?
It would. My eyes would glow. Yum. But it can't be in their yard. Kombucha grows in the dark.
Beard Papa. I'm so jealous!! I keep walking by every week to see when they'll open, and then never do. (cry cry)
Oh,oh! I tried it last night (P gave me some). I don't know what everyone is talking about, IT'S GOOD!!! It wasn't vinegary at all. Kind of spritzy and refreshing, like a really weak sparkling cider. P thinks you got a good strain, yay!
Good!I used belong one year and it's very strong! GOOD LUCK! from Brasil.
My name is Marcus, and I'm writing a blog (in portuguese) about Kombucha http://www.kombucha.hotel-br.com/
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