Recipe:Kombucha brewing manual - short workshop form: Difference between revisions

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* drink preferably after a week or so, allowing the flavours to combine (sweetness is decreasing with prolonged time of storage)
* drink preferably after a week or so, allowing the flavours to combine (sweetness is decreasing with prolonged time of storage)


* kombucha fermented for 4-7 days is quite light, drinking 1-2 dl per day is fine for most people. Drinking more causes health problems after a longer period of time (eg. 8 months.)
* kombucha fermented for 4-7 days is quite light, drinking 1-2 dl per day is fine for most people. Drinking more causes health problems after a longer period of time (eg. 8 months). note: the maximum recommended amount of tea / day is 0.5 L, but for 'standard' tea!
note: the maximum recommended amount of tea / day is 0.5 L, but for 'standard' tea!


* you should stop drinking kombucha after 6 months for 2 months to give some time for your body to rest and clean itself. if you continue drinking it for too long, you will get permanent headache and probably digestion problems.
* you should stop drinking kombucha after 6 months for 2 months to give some time for your body to rest and clean itself. if you continue drinking it for too long, you will get permanent headache and probably digestion problems.

Revision as of 08:47, 15 February 2014

Kombucha Manual - short workshop form

This manual will teach you how to prepare and harvest your first batch of kombucha, helping you to continue to brew the kombucha on your own.

  • culture/brew volume Vc = 1 litre


active culture

  • piece of kombucha SCOBY (mother) (1-5% (w/v)) = 10-50 g
  • kombucha beverage (5% (v/v)) = 50 ml


ingredients

  • black tea (0.6% (w/v)) = 6 g
  • brown cane sugar (6% (w/v)) = 60 g


equipment

  • 1.5 l culture container (glass, wide mouth)
  • water kettle or pot for water boiling
  • scale
  • strainer
  • spoon
  • 250-1000 ml measuring vessel
  • cheesecloth or muslin
  • 3 l pot


working manual

Starting new batch of kombucha

  • bring 250 ml of water to boil
  • transfer the boiled water to the pot, add 6 g of tea and leave to steep for 5-10 minutes
  • strain the tea leaves and dispose them
  • add 60 g of sugar to the liquid and stir to dissolve
  • add 500 ml of cold water and mix, checking the temperature aiming for lukewarm
  • transfer the tea sugar syrup to the culture container
  • add 50 ml of kombucha starter
  • fill up to the final volume of 1 l with cold or lukewarm water
  • add the SCOBY (young white side up)
  • cover the top of the container with a breathable screen to protect against flies (especially fruitflies)
  • leave the culture to ferment at room temperature (15-25°C) for 4-7 days out of direct sun
  • start to taste after 3 days
  • once the beverage tastes fermented and to your liking, harvest it (see section below) and start a new batch of kombucha with your freshly harvested kombucha mother, repeating the process above

Harvesting kombucha

  • once the kombucha tastes to your liking, it is time to harvest it
  • prepare the pot and fix the strainer on top
  • lay out the cheesecloth or muslin on top of the strainer
  • strain the liquid from the harvesting batch through the strainer and muslin, dispose the debris
  • add sugar and flavouring agent (for example ginger infusion) to the strained brew, to your liking
  • transfer to swing-top bottles, or any bottle which can be closed properly and move them to the cold (4°C - fridge)
  • drink preferably after a week or so, allowing the flavours to combine (sweetness is decreasing with prolonged time of storage)
  • kombucha fermented for 4-7 days is quite light, drinking 1-2 dl per day is fine for most people. Drinking more causes health problems after a longer period of time (eg. 8 months). note: the maximum recommended amount of tea / day is 0.5 L, but for 'standard' tea!
  • you should stop drinking kombucha after 6 months for 2 months to give some time for your body to rest and clean itself. if you continue drinking it for too long, you will get permanent headache and probably digestion problems.
  • well-stored kombucha can taste great even after half a year


Secondary fermentation
  • if you prefer your drinks fizzy, sweeten the harvested brew a bit more than you like and transfer it to the bottles
  • seal them and leave them to secondary ferment at room temperature for 1-2 days (20-30°C), creating the fizzyness by capturing fermentation-produced carbon dioxide
  • you can fill some kombucha into a soft plastic bottle to gauge the developing pressure more easily