Summary :
Kombucha, tea kefir
Tea is the most used drink in the world after water, imagine the number of cups drunk at any given moment on our planet!! Multiple scientific studies recognize the benefits of this drink and even: could it be anticancer? So why not multiply the pleasures and tastes? Iced teas and kombuchas are appreciated especially in the hot season.
We therefore find the benefits of tea for our body in kombucha, sometimes increased tenfold by the presence of microorganisms that are more assimilable for our body.
Kombucha, a fermented tea-based sparkling drink, is nicknamed “Elixir of Life” in traditional Chinese medicine. It is rich in pro-biotics (good bacteria), vitamins, minerals, enzymes, antioxidants and polyphenols. It is compared to kefir (fruit, milk) because it originates from a “mushroom strain” (it is not a mushroom!). The mother of kombucha or SCOBY (Symbiotic culture of Bacteria and Yeast), therefore rather a yeast, a colony of bacteria which live in symbiosis, it will cause the fermentation of the tea. It is a cellulose woven by microorganisms that floats on the surface of sweet tea. This is necessary for bacteria for contact with the oxygen essential to their survival.
Recipe: The recipe is simple: make a tea, sweeten it, wait until it is lukewarm to introduce the mother of the kombucha, cover the container without blocking it completely so that it oxygenates. Fermentation will last around ten days depending on the ambient temperature and the desired effect.
What teas: Green, white, black teas, we have an immense variety, each with its own colors and aromas, this gives a multitude of creative possibilities, the mixtures can be rich and innovative. Green tea contains the most antioxidants. Black tea is historically used in Eastern European countries, the birthplace of kombucha between the 19th and 20th centuries, notably Germany and Russia. Black tea is, having experienced it, a base of choice, for its sweetness and its fruity aroma. It goes very well with additions red fruits, ginger, peppermint, hibiscus or lemongrass. It is possible and even recommended to also use mixtures of aromatic or medicinal herbs, for their tastes or for their benefits. However, it is imperative to keep a tea base of at least 60%, 75%, so that the kombucha strain can nourish itself and develop. On the other hand, let's ensure that these plants do not have too high a content of essential oils: This could alter the life drive of microorganisms because of their antibiotic effect.
You have understood, we have here a field of creations, of inestimable pleasure of the senses.
Example of a homemade ginger recipe:
Ingredients: 1 strain of Kombucha, 10 to 15g of tea, 200g of sugar, 2.5l of chlorine-free water, and 500ml which will be used to boil for the tea, 30g of ginger.
Method: Make a tea infused for 15 minutes in 500 lm of water, add the sugar until dissolved, add 2.5 of cold water so as not to wait too long to obtain a lukewarm beverage, then add the kombucha strain, leave to ferment for between 10 and 15 days in a container (preferably glass) covered with a fabric held in place by an elastic band, or with a suitable ventilated lid: This will be the first fermentation. From 5.6 days it is a good idea to taste to monitor the level of sugar and acidity at your convenience. This is when we flavor or bottle. You can recover the komboucha mother in its remaining liquid in an airtight container and cool.
Flavoring: Cut the ginger as fine as possible, add it to the kombucha container and cover it for 2 more days of fermentation.
Bottling: bottle using a funnel. Store the bottles at room temperature for 3.4 days for a second fermentation. Refrigerate them when they are bubbly.