SCOBYLand

Making kombucha is like having sea monkeys that run a brewery. There are mothers, and they have babies...without fathers. Some mothers have twins. If a mother doesn't have a baby, it's probably poisoned. They dance. And they turn sweet, caffeinated tea into a fizzy beverage that reminds me of ginger ale.

What is kombucha? If you've tried the Whole Foods version, it's a very astringent health beverage credited with curing everything from cancer to indigestion. Home brewed kombucha is much milder and more palatable. Since it is fermented and made from a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast (SCOBY), it is referenced as being full of probiotics. Probiotics are the "good" or "health promoting" bacteria (also found in live culture yogurt and cheese).

I first heard of kombucha when I was ill in Taiwan. I didn't find any there, since the rough literal translation is power tea/drink. Requests usually yielded something like Red Bull. When I returned to the states, my immune system was still pretty shot from the antibiotic regimen I had been on, so I looked up kombucha again.

I've been making it now for several months, and have enjoyed the drink. I generally feel more alert, and have better digestion. I've also found relief from sore throats and earaches by drinking it.

Here is my latest batch of kombucha. I made this with green tea, so it's very light in comparison to my assam batches (which look like coffee). You can see the mother on the bottom layer, attached to the baby on top.



I make about 2-3 gallons per batch, in half gallon jars, using sprouting lids to facilitate breathing. This results in a lot of SCOBYs, since they increase exponentially. My refrigerator was overrun with SCOBYs at one point, and it doesn't bode well with the other family members if you have containers of living organisms populating the fridge. Some other kombucha brewing associates mentioned making a hair tonic of blended SCOBY, but I haven't been that ambitious (or crazy) yet. My solution for extra SCOBYs is to dry them on a cookie sheet lined with natural parchment paper. After about a week, they resemble rawhide treats and my dogs love them.

If you want to try brewing kombucha, you can easily purchase SCOBYs online. I bought my first SCOBY at eBay from stitchingtime. I would highly recommend purchasing your first SCOBY from her. She provides excellent, explicit instructions to accurately and safely brew kombucha. She is also an excellent reference if you have any questions or concerns during brewing.

Happy quaffing!