Your At Home Starter Kit For Kombucha

A Beginner’s Guide To Preparing Kombucha At Home!

Kombucha tea is a fermented beverage that has recently become a well-known United States favorite. Anyone can make kombucha by fermenting either black tea or green and oolong tea with sugar and a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast (SCOBY) for seven to ten days. The first literature on kombucha comes from the 19th century from Russia and Ukraine. It was circulated to new countries post World War I and was brewed in Germany as a medicinal beverage by 1920. 

Its vast health-related benefits support its admiration as a beverage. Its multiple available properties, such as anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory properties, also regulate essential metabolism in the body. Kombucha also reduces blood pressure and cholesterol levels; its effects on lowering cancer progression and improves liver activity make it a refreshing beverage.  Let’s note Down some more positives of kombucha.

Maintains Gut Health

Kombucha is rich in prebiotics, and it is an ideal component of the diet to maintain the gut microflora (friendly microbes living in the gut). It, in turn, improves functions related to the gastrointestinal system. It is widely known as mushroom tea due to bacteria and yeast forming a mushroom-like film on the tea’s surface. A good microflora also boosts immunity. 

Anti-Oxidative Property 

Being an antioxidant, it keeps the harmful radical species at bay. Mostly when made with green tea, it provides antioxidant effects to the liver. A study on rats demonstrated that drinking kombucha regularly reduced liver toxicity caused by exposure to the toxic chemical by more than 70%.

Antimicrobial Property

Acetic acid is the core substance produced during the fermentation of Kombucha. This acetic acid is capable of killing potential harmful microbes. When made explicitly with green or black tea, kombucha shows strong protection against bacterial and fungal infection and promotes heart health. One of the mice’s investigations showed that low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL), both of which are good and bad cholesterol, respectively, and markers of cardiac health. 

Antiglycemic Properties

Kombucha mainly protects individuals diagnosed with type two diabetes. Studies have reported that kombucha can reduce the digestion of carbs, which further reduces blood glucose levels. If prepared using green tea, it provides additional benefits as green tea also lowers blood glucose levels. 

Boost Metabolism

Green tea, when added, specifically adds to the benefits of kombucha to a faster metabolism. 

Reduces Inflammation

The significant component of kombucha is tea. Tea containing essential chemicals such as polyphenols acts as an antioxidant that keeps inflammation away. 

Growing A SCOBY Is The First Step To Preparing Kombucha From Scratch

Materials Needed

• Kitchen Scale To Weigh Ingredients
• Saucepan To Boil The Liquid
• Hot Plate For Heating
• Heat Resistant Glass Jar
• Cloth Material To Protect The Culture Tank

Ingredients Required

• 0.5 Liter Of Water
• About 7.5 Grams Of Tea Powder
• 50 Grams Of Sugar
• 50 ml Apple Cider Vinegar 
• 50 ml Of A Previous Batch Of Kombucha

Procedure

Step 1

Sterilize the glass jar by boiling it for a few minutes. 

Step 2 

In the jar, prepare tea and add sugar to it. Let it cool down to room temperature. 

Step 3 

Pour the older batch of kombucha or some store-bought kombucha into the prepared tea jar.

Step 4 

Fill the rest of the jar with cold water and cover it with tightly woven cloth.

Step 5

Secure the cloth tightly with a rubber band. Make sure there is no room for any air or dust particles to get into the jar. 

Step 6

Keep it for about two weeks, and you will observe your SCOBY on the surface of the tea.

Step 7

It will take about three to four weeks for your SCOBY to grow into a thick batch. Once ready, remove the SCOBY and use it to brew your batch of Kombucha.