The recipe for a kombucha drink is very simple, and you only need a few ingredients to make it, most of which are in every kitchen. However, you should be patient, because the preparation of a tea (Japanese) mushroom drink takes some time. Check out how to make kombucha drink and grow kombucha.
Kombucha (kombucha) , otherwisetea mushroomorJapanese mushroom , it is a colony of the living in the symbiosis of bacteria and a special yeast culture, which is in the form of a cake-shaped jelly mass. Just add it to sweetened tea to start the fermentation process, resulting in a refreshingkombucha drink .
Kombucha - recipe for a kombucha drink
Ingredients:
- 2 liters of water (preferably still mineral water, or you can use very well-filtered tap water);
- 160 grams of white or brown sugar (approx. 1 cup);
- 2 teaspoons of black tea or green leaf tea;
- 1 kombucha;
- starter - 200 ml of the stock from the previous fermentation. When there is no kombucha leaven, you can use 2 tablespoons of vinegar;
Also prepare a large vessel (approx. 3 liters) made of glass (e.g. a jar) or porcelain, but not steel, as this makes the kombucha taste very sour. In addition, you will need a strainer and a teapot.
Preparation method:
Kombucha used once can be reused - enough for about 5-6 fermentations (giving each time a new mushroom). After that, it does not reproduce so well.
1. Place the tea in a teapot or glass / porcelain bowl, pour boiling water (about 1.2 liters) over it and let it brew for about 10 minutes. Then add sugar to it and mix thoroughly.
2. Pour the tea through a strainer into the fermentation vessel and add the remaining water. When everything is at room temperature, add the leaven or wine vinegar, and finally the kombucha - with the softer and lighter side up, and the darker side down (remember that you should wash your hands very carefully every time you come into contact with kombucha).
The Tibetan mushroom should stick onsurface, although it may submerge at first. Remember that the kombucha should not touch the rim of the pan (there should be about 40 mm gap).
3. Cover the dish with gauze or a cloth that allows air to flow through and fasten it with a rubber band around the edges. Air is essential in the fermentation process, without it it will not run properly - mold may appear on the top of the brew.
4. Put the vessel in a dry, shaded place (light is rather undesirable during fermentation and may harm it) and a warm place (temperature favorable for fermentation is 23 to 28 degrees Celsius), away from plants.
After 4-5 days of fermentation, try the drink to see if it has the right taste, and therefore - that the fermentation is going well. The taste of kombucha cannot be too sweet or too bitter. Ideally, its flavor should be similar to that of cider. Otherwise, leave the broth to ferment for a little longer.
However, do not continue fermentation for too long as this will result inkombucha vinegarwhich can be used like wine vinegar, for example. It can also act as a leaven during the next kombucha drink preparation.
5. After 5-10 days of fermentation (faster in summer or at higher temperatures), the kombucha drink is ready.
6. Separate the new layer of mushroom from the old layer and place both in separate covered dishes. Then pour a small amount of the resulting kombucha drink over each mushroom, and then refrigerate it.
The Tibetan mushroom hibernates and does not reproduce or ferment. It may remain inactive for up to 36 months.
7. Pour the kombucha drink through a strainer into bottles or jars, then close (but not completely, as the accumulated gas can cause them to burst) and refrigerate to stop the fermentation process and prevent the kombucha drink from becoming sour. The chilled drink is ready to drink.
Kombucha - how to breed?
The cultivation of kombucha takes place during the fermentation process. With each brewing, a new layer (independent bacterial and fungal culture) grows on the surface of the old kombucha, which can be easily separated. Then you can:
- use to start the next fermentation;
- put into a small dish, pour over a small amount of kombucha broth, and refrigerate for quite a long time;
- give back to another person who wants to make a drink from komucha;
Read more:
- Kombucza (kombucha) - properties of the tea mushroom
- KEFIRWATER - RECIPE. How to make a drink from Japanese crystals?
- Tibetan mushroom - recipe. How to breed and apply?