Kombucha scoby
RECIPES

Kombucha Recipe

Posted on by Organic Merchant

Kombucha is a fermented tea made by adding a scoby (Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast) to a solution of tea and sugar. We put together an organic kombucha recipe made with loose leaf tea for you to make at home.

Ingredients in our homemade Kombucha recipe:

  • 1 litre non-chlorinated water
  • A quarter of a cup raw organic sugar
  • 3-4 tablespoons of desired herbal tea, we recommend: Lemongrass & Ginger, VitaminC, Moroccan Mint, Antioxidant Tea
  • Scoby (see below)
  • Half a cup Kombucha – from previous batch
    If this is your first time making Kombucha, use the liquid that the mother scoby comes in.

How to make Kombucha:

  1. Boil half the amount of water and pour into a pouring jug, that is ideally not made of stainless steel.
  2. Stir in sugar and add an Organic Merchant loose leaf tea of your choice.
  3. Steep for 15 minutes, then strain.
  4. Pour rest of unboiled water in. Should be a tepid temperature.
  5. Stir with a wooden spoon. Pour all into your clean brewing jar.
  6. Add Kombucha scoby along with its liquid from previous batch. Stir with a wooden spoon.
  7. Cover with muslin cloth or any breathable material and store in kitchen cupboard away from smells and other ferments. Allow to ferment for 7 – 10 days.
  8. Strain the beverage using a fine mesh cloth into a flip top glass bottle or screw top jars. Pop in fridge and you can drink as is.

Note: Alcohol is a natural by-product of this Kombucha recipe, but in tiny amounts: 0.05 – 0.75%.

If another scoby formats within the brew, it is a good sign you are brewing it nicely. Depending on how long the recipe is cultivated for, this organic kombucha tea recipe will make approximately 800ml.

Storing Kombucha:

After following our recipe, do NOT use stainless steel or plastic to store your freshly made beverage. We recommend to store it in a glass bottle.
Make sure your hands and utensils are clean.
Keep cultures away from strong smells, especially smoke or pollution.
If you need a break from brewing, refrigerate your kombucha mushroom in a glass jar with brewing liquid. It will keep the culture dormant until you are ready to use again. Give the culture the occasional fresh air by opening the lid now and then. Be sure to have the culture at room temperature before brewing again.

What is a Kombucha scoby?

Shown above is a mother scoby, the kombucha mushroom. You can purchase them online. From the mother scoby, each batch of tea will produce a baby scoby to carry on the legacy to countless litres of yumminess.

The scoby takes the shape of the container used to grow the little munchkin, and has a gelatinous and tough texture. They are usually light brown in colour, but this can change depending on the tea used.

Kombucha Benefits

Kombucha tea is endowed with a myriad of health benefits, here are just a few:

  1. Happy Tummy

    Primarily, Kombucha’s health benefits are attributed to it being a probiotic drink. This means it contains live (good) bacteria and yeast that are unfortunately quite scarce in typical modern day diets. These beneficial bacteria make their way into our gut and colonise, which means less pathogens and parasites.

    Furthermore due to its acidic pH properties this beverage is a perfect digestion stimulant. As soon as the elixir hits our mouth, our autonomic nervous system stimulates the release of enzymes and acids in our stomach, thus improving digestion and nutrient assimilation. This can help with digestive disturbances such as boating, heartburn, and flatulence.

    Last but not least, Kombucha tea is highly anti-microbial due to its composition of bacteriocins, organic acids, acetic acid, usninic acid, proteins and enzymes. This can come in particularly handy when a bout of E. coli or Salmonella poisoning occurs, or when our natural Candida balance is compromised.

  2. Natural Detox

    It is high in Vitamin C, Vitamin E, carotenoids and polyphenols, which are imperative for a healthy liver function. Furthermore it contains glucuronic acid, which binds to exotoxins (environmental pollutants, pharmaceuticals) and increases their excretion by rendering them soluble substances through a process called conjugation.

    Are you feeling premenstrual?
    Sometimes our livers can have that little too much to deal with and we fall victims to nasty PMT symptoms. Kombucha’s high nutritional content can reduce these symptoms by supporting our liver through its time of need.

  3. Whole Body Tonic

    Musculoskeletal Problems
    In the body, glucuronic acid is converted to glucosamines, chondroitin-sulphate, glucoproteins and polysaccharides. These building blocks are necessary for the production of collagen, as well as cartilage and synovial fluid, thus relieving conditions such as arthritis, rheumatism, and gout.

    Asthma
    Kombucha contains theophylline (a bronchodilator) which reduces resistance in the respiratory airway and increases airflow to the lungs. The treatment dose of theophylline ranges from 0.18–1.0 g daily. One cup of tea made with our kombucha recipe contains an average of 1.44 mg!

    Iron Deficiency
    Studies suggest that plant based iron is rendered more available for absorption. This increases iron levels and reduces oxidative levels, which can be particularly useful for the mature connoisseurs and vegetarians.

Which teas are suitable for brewing our Kombucha recipe?

You can choose a loose leaf tea that suits you best. Our personal favourites are: Lemongrass & Ginger, VitaminC, Moroccan Mint, Antioxidant Tea

 

Back to Newsfeed