Hey hey friends.
I am so excited to be sharing this post, as I’m just beginning my journey with brewing Kombucha.
Alright. Let’s talk the ‘booch.
It seems to be something that people either haaate or LOVE.
I am of the camp that absolutely freaking loooves it. Something about the vinegar-y tartness is right up my alley.
I’ve always loved super vinegar-y sour foods. I grew up eating pickles, olives–haha, heck even capers– straight outta the jar.
Kombucha truly has everything that I love. Tea. Fermentation. Delicious fruity flavors. I mean, c’mon. And there’s so much to experiment with!
Buying Kombucha by the bottle at the store isn’t cheap. That’s why I was so excited to start brewing my own! It does take some time, however it’s sooo easy.
Raspberry Kombucha:
First fermentation: (As suggested by Cultures for Health)
2 black tea bags (I used Twinings English Breakfast) or 1 ½ tsp loose leaf black tea
2-3 cups water, boiling
¼ cup sugar
½ cup white distilled vinegar
Activated Scoby (I got mine dried from Cultures for Health)
Boil your water and mix in sugar to dissolve. Use the sugar water to steep tea for about 10 minutes. Allow the tea to cool to 68-85ºF. Stir in the vinegar, and transfer to a jar. Add your Scoby. Cover with a coffee filter, and store in an area out of direct sunlight. Let sit for up to 30 days.
Second Fermentation: Time to flavor!
1 pint raspberries
1 quart jar
In a small bowl, lightly mash the raspberries to break them up a bit. Pour all but about ¼ cup (leave with Scoby) of your starter tea into the 1 quart jar. Add the raspberries. Top with an air tight jar lid. Allow to ferment for 3 to 7 days (at room temperature). You will need to check on it every couple days, and burp the jar. You should see some bubbles forming in the liquid part way through. Taste as you go during the week, and harvest when you like the flavor! Refrigerate to store. To keep brewing, repeat the first fermentation process with your Scoby.
And there you have it. See? Notso hard! You do have to be patient. Which I am SO not.
But it’s definitely worth the wait. I’m such a fermentation nerd, when I saw the bubbles forming I literally shrieked! It’s just so satisfying to SEE your bacteria doing its job. Anyhow.
Tired of paying $4 for a single bottle of the ‘booch?
Make your own! Next time I’ll add chia seeds to mimic one of my favorite store bought booches. Also, once my Scoby starts producing babies, I’ll be making bigger batches and bottling them.
The fun is endless!
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