Homemade Bodhi Organic Kombucha

Kombucha is traditionally known as the ‘Immortal Health Elixir’ by the Chinese,
where it has been enjoyed for thousands of years for its health benefits. Kombucha is a delicious, lightly effervescent, fermented drink that contains beneficial bacteria, that help boost your 'good' bowel flora. Kombucha is made with green or black tea and sugar. The tea and sugar is fermented by a SCOBY or Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast. Enjoying kombucha daily is a great way to support your digestive and immune function. You can buy SCOBY's from some health food stores or online.

Homemade Bodhi Organic Kombucha

1 SCOBY
1 cup fermented kombucha tea
20g Bodhi VirdiTEA (sencha green tea with a touch of jasmine)
1/2 cup raw organic sugar
2 litres filtered water
Equipment:
2 litre glass jar
1 muslin cloth or tea towel
String or rubber band

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Method:

1. Bring your water to boil in a large saucepan, then turn off the heat and add your tea and sugar, and allow it to brew for 15 minutes.
2. Strain your tea and then let it cool.
3. Once your tea is room temperature add in your SCOBY, with 1 cup of kombucha. You can use some kombucha from your last batch once you have made up a batch. Don't fill your jar to the neck otherwise your SCOBY will have no room to grow.
4. Cover the jar with a muslin cloth and elastic and sit it on your kitchen bench for 2 -3 weeks. Your kombucha will turn sour over the weeks so taste your kombucha every couple of days to see if it is sour enough and to your liking. Your kombucha will ferment quicker in the warmer months.
5. Pour your kombucha into some glass bottles with a lid. Leave your SCOBY in the jar with some kombucha until you are ready to make a new batch.
6. You can then leave your kombucha out for another 3-4 days to go fizzy, or put it straight in the fridge if you are happy with the taste and level of carbonation. Careful not to leave it out for too long at this stage, if it over carbonates your bottle could explode. This is when you can flavour your kombucha with some fruit pieces or herbs like ginger and turmeric. Our Bodhi LongeviTEA makes a delicious red hibiscus and rosehip flavoured kombucha. Simply add a teaspoon to your bottle and let it sit for a few hours and then strain. Let your kombucha sit in the fridge for 24 hours before drinking so it can finish carbonating.

During the fermentation process your SCOBY will grow to the width of your jar. A second smaller ‘baby’ SCOBY will also grow underneath the larger ‘mother’ SCOBY. You can store this ‘baby’ in a small jar with some kombucha to make another batch or give to a friend. It will stay active for around a month if you store it at room temperature on your kitchen shelf. You can reuse the mother SCOBY for new batches for around a month after your first brew, then it will become inactive.

NOTE: Don’t worry about the sugar content, your SCOBY will eat most of it during the fermentation process, so only a small amount will be left by the time you drink it.