Kombucha…wait, Kom-who?
By this point, I assume most people either have tried, or at least heard of Kombucha. If you haven't, please consider this your official introduction. Kombucha is basically a fermented sweet tea. It is made by taking sweetened tea and adding a SCOBY to it, then allowing it to ferment. SCOBY is an acronym for symbiotic culture of bacterial yeast. It is also what makes all the magic happen.
By mixing the sweet tea and SCOBY, it ferments and creates a delightful beverage that is full of probiotics and B vitamins, which are good for your gut and your brain. Adding fermented foods (think yogurt, kimchi, sauerkraut) and beverages (water or yogurt kefir, Kombucha etc.) can be highly beneficial for our bodies and aid in digestion and overall good health. You may be wondering if it could really be all that healthy if its loaded with sugar (sweet tea) and does it contain alcohol if it's fermented?? Great questions, I'm glad you asked.
During the fermentation process, the SCOBY feeds on the sugar, depleting the sugar content to a minimal amount by the time it is finished brewing. As far as alcohol content, sure it's possible that it could turn in to alcohol if you let it go long enough, but if you follow the typical fermentation times there is only a trace amount. We're talking somewhere around 0.5%.
You may also be wondering, why make it at home? I have had some funny conversations with people when we've talked about home-brewing Kombucha. I think images of old timey, backwoods Moonshiner operations come to mind for them. But, this is totally different and completely legal, haha! It's also very enjoyable! Making it at home may not be for everyone, but for us it has been great. We drink it often enough that at $3-$4 a bottle, we can easily spend a small fortune each month on it. Making it at home only takes a few minutes of my time and costs a fraction of the amount. Plus, you get to tailor suit the flavors to what you know you like and the options are endless.
Well, I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing about it. If you're interested in learning about how to make Kombucha at home, stay tuned for those posts which are coming soon! Also, if you have any questions about it, please feel free to email me or leave a comment.
Enjoy!