Wellness: Home-made Kombucha Tea

To kickstart the new year I have decided to focus on my gut health by introducing certain foods and drinks that help. Our gut health affects our immune system, digestion, and certain autoimmune diseases. A simple way to improve our gut health is to consume fermented food. Fermented food and drinks are not always palatable but one that I tend to reach for especially with the scorching heat that we are experiencing is kombucha. In this post, I will be sharing a few tips on why I enjoy consuming kombucha as well as a quick step-by-step guide on how I make my own kombucha. 

If you are unfamiliar with kombucha, kombucha is a fermented tea that is rich in probiotics. It also contains antioxidants that help fight bacteria in your body. There are a variety of brands and flavors available at your local supermarket or health and wellness stores. My personal favorite is the brand, Happy Culture, which you can find at your nearest Pick 'n Pay store and at Health on Broadway. 

If you intend to consume kombucha on a daily basis it might be more cost-effective to make your kombucha at home, fortunately, the process is pretty quick and simple. 

Kombucha is made through the process of fermentation. This is done through the use of a SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast). Your SCOBY works as your starter. If you do not have a friend who can pass their Scoby to you, then you can purchase a Scoby starter kit off Takealot or Faithful to Nature. 

The tea leaves that you use will form the base flavor. If you do not have tea leaves, tea bags work just as well. A common choice of tea leaves is black tea; oolong; green tea; and my personal favorite, rooibos. It is important to remember that the tea that you choose will affect the caffeine content in your kombucha. 

Once you selected your tea leaves, you need to add your flavourants. Fruits, berries, herbs, and spices can be used to flavor the tea and boost the health benefits of the tea. You can add fresh or frozen flavorants. I enjoy adding blueberries, ginger, mint, raisins, goji berries, prunes, and chai spice. The flavor variations are endless. 

As with all teas, it is time to add your sweetener. Since this is a drink that is supposed to help your health, it is best to avoid cane sugar and other refined sugar variants. Rather opt for honey, pure maple syrup, or coconut sugar to sweeten your tea. The amount of sweetener added is dependent on your personal preference. I do not have sugar in my tea so I add between 1 - 2 tablespoons. 

Once you have your tea and flavorants, you can add your boiled water. Once stirred, allow to steep to infuse the flavours. Thereafter, allow cooling to room temperature. It is important to allow your tea to cool completely as this affects your Scoby and to ensure that there is no contamination. 

Once it has cooled, strain your tea and place the liquid in your jar. Once in the jar, add your Scoby and the liquid that your Scoby was stored in. If you purchased a Scoby starter kit, follow the package instructions with regard to the reserved liquid. 

Now you have your tea and Scoby ready to ferment. Your Scoby is a living bacteria and therefore requires air. Cover your jar with a dry cheesecloth and secure it to your jar using an elastic band. Thereafter, place your jar in a cupboard away from direct sunlight as this affects the fermentation process and reduces contamination. Store the tea for 2 (two) weeks.

After 2 (two) weeks, remove your Scoby from the jar. You would notice that a new Scoby formed. You can pass the new Scoby to a friend to start their kombucha journey. If you are passing it to a friend, place the Scoby in a jar and cover it with the kombucha tea. 

Rinse your old Scoby and place in a bowl or bottle and cover with some of the kombucha tea whilst you prepare your fresh batch of tea. 

Once you have taken care of your new and old Scoby, it is time to complete the final steps for your kombucha tea. Rinse your cheesecloth and place it in a sieve. Place the sieve over a jug or bottle and strain your remaining kombucha tea. Repeat this step. It is important to thoroughly strain your kombucha tea to ensure that any bits of the Scoby is removed. Once strained, store your freshly brewed kombucha in the fridge and enjoy a glass a day. 

How to make your own kombucha:

1. Boil 1L of water in your kettle. 

2. Place your choice of 4 (four) tea bags in a jug.

3. Add your flavorings (berries/fruit/spices/herbs).

4. Add 1 to 1.5 tablespoons of sweetener.

5. Pour boiled water into the jug. 

6. Allow to steep and cool to room temperature. 

7. Strain. 

8. Place in a jar that contains your Scoby. 

9. Cover the jar with a cheesecloth using an elastic band to secure it. 

10. Place the jar in a cupboard away from direct sunlight. 

11. Allow the tea to ferment for 2 (two) weeks to form kombucha tea. 

12. After 2 (two) weeks, remove Scoby and place it in a jar covered with kombucha tea. 

13. Place a damp cheesecloth in a sieve, and strain the remaining kombucha tea into your storage jug.

14. Repeat step 13 to ensure that the kombucha tea is thoroughly strained. 

15. Store in the fridge and enjoy daily. 

16. Pass your new Scoby to a friend. 

17. Repeat the process from step 1 with old Scoby. 

Kombucha has a small percentage of caffeine depending on the tea leaves that were used which might impact the best time to drink it. if you are caffeine sensitive. Whatever time that may be, a glass a day would do the trick. 

Gut health is incredibly important and the implementation of fermented foods and drinks is an easy way to help restore your gut. There are a number of fermented foods that you can enjoy such as tofu, kimchi, tempeh, yoghurt, miso, almonds, olive oil, sourdough, banana, brussels sprouts, garlic, and ginger to name but a few. Whatever you decided, it can be paired perfectly with a glass of kombucha. 

If you decide to start your kombucha journey, please tag me on Instagram (@RivPillay) and Facebook (@RivPillay).

With love,

Riv