The Complete Guide to Home Brew Kombucha. Mitch James Evenden

the bad ones that will start reproducing.

       Wash that meal down with a nice chilled glass of freshly brewed Kombucha 😊

      Hippocrates once said, “All disease begins in the gut”, and funnily enough even though his research and teachings are 2000 years old, they are proving his findings can stand the test of time. Gut health has a link to almost every known health problem both mental and physical. Just a little research will show this to you.

      There is a constant influx of new studies coming out showing the benefits of improving gut health and the most noticeable effects are generally a positive change in body composition, a reduction in anxiety and depression, and improved general well-being. So without further ado, lets start learning about Kombucha.

       History of Kombucha

      The Tea of Immortality or as its now known, Kombucha, is thought to have been discovered in Manchuria (north-east China) during the Tsin Dynasty. The earliest record of Kombucha was from China in the year 221BC. It was later in Japan, in the year 415AD that it got its name, Kombucha. Apparently, a Korean physician named Kombu treated the Japanese Emperor Inyko with the wonderful elixir, and it took his name, Kombu, and cha meaning tea in Mandarin. Kombucha has deep historical ties with Russia and Eastern Europe as well, and some claim it was discovered in Russia or Germany. It doesn’t matter where it was found as Kombucha is now known across the globe.

      Kombucha has been known by many different names in many cultures. It was known as Cajnyj Kvas in 18th century Russia, as Cha Gu in China and as Heldenpilz in Germany. Although it has had different names, one thing remains, that is the benefits to health this wonderful tea has been providing people for thousands of years.

      Around World War 2 Kombucha was hard to come by as sugar and tea were scarce commodities. It probably wasn’t until the 60’s that Kombucha started to make a comeback. 1960’s California seems to be a hot spot for Booch or Groovy Tea it was apparently called. And in 1995 an American created the first Kombucha brand. GT Dave started the largest Kombucha producing company with his mother after seeing the positive effects Kombucha had on her during her fight with breast cancer.

      Today, we know Kombucha as a tasty fermented tea that can provide numerous health benefits. So really, not much has changed aside from the fact that we now have the technology to study and break down how and why Kombucha does what it does.

      Note: I once read a story that Dr Kombu placed an ant in sweetened tea and told the Japanese emperor to drink the tea once a skin had formed on the top. I assume that the “ant” was more likely a fruit fly of some sort that must carry similar bacteria on its body or legs which meant it was able to ferment the tea. Who knows weather this is true or not?

       What is Kombucha?

      Kombucha is a fermented beverage made from a mixture of organic sweet black, green or oolong tea; the mixture is fermented by adding a Kombucha Culture (often referred to as a scoby, mushroom or mother) to the sweet tea, whereby fermentation occurs. The sweet tea is consumed by the scoby which is made up of at least one species of both bacteria and yeast. All kombucha cultures contain the bacteria species: Acetobacter and Gluconacetobacter, these two bacteria species are responsible for the production of gluconic and acetic acid which makes Kombucha, Kombucha. And the yeast species Zygosaccharomyces, the yeast feeds on the sugar converting it into ethyl alcohol and leaves behind b-vitamins, CO-2, and acids. The alcohol is then partially oxidised, which results in the formation of acetaldehyde. Then, the bacteria feed on the by-products of the yeast including the acetaldehyde as well as the sugar present in the mixture and produce acetic acid and many others. So basically, the yeast feeds on the sugar producing alcohol, the bacteria then feed on the alcohol and creates all sort of goodies, such as:

       probiotics

       enzymes that help with digestion

       vitamins

       acids that assist in many important processes in the body

       and more

      This fermentation process goes on for 3-4 weeks depending on preferred flavour (sweet or tart), sugar content, and health properties desired. Factors present during fermentation such as temperature, oxygen levels, the ratio of ingredients and the species of bacteria and yeast that the scoby consist of will greatly affect the required fermentation time and the compounds found in the final product.

      Note: I would recommend a minimum ferment time of 21 days as it has been shown that prior to that, the medicinal properties of Kombucha have not had time to form and the sugar content can still be quiet high.

       A scoby? What’s that?

      Scoby stands for Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast. And that is exactly what it is, a living home of sorts for varying species of candida friendly bacteria and yeast. The bacteria and yeast live together in a mutually beneficial environment. It’s size, thickness, and colour will change depending on the type of tea used, the length of the brew, and the age and number of times a scoby has been used. The scoby itself is a gelatinous, smooth film that is mostly made up of cellulose, and forms at the air-liquid interface of the brew. It’s tough and versatile and can be used for many different tasks. Each time a batch of Kombucha is brewed a new scoby is created, which means it’s easy to become overrun with scobys. You may consider storing your extra scobys in a scoby hotel; you can find information on that and its various uses in the bonus content at the end of this book.

      Note: My kids think it is hilarious to chase each other around with a spare scoby. Our house has such an abundance of scobys year-round that we must get very creative to use them. 😊