Anyone can prepare a tasty and healthy drink from kombucha at home. You only need a few simple ingredients. Depending on the desired volume, you can use a 1, 2 or 3 liter jar.
The kombucha culture, sometimes called medusomycete, has been known for a long time. At its core, it is not a fruiting body, but a symbiosis of bacteria and yeast. It appears to be a jelly-like biofilm that lives in tea containers. When the culture is fed with sugar and tea, fermentation results in a miraculous sweet and sour carbonated drink called kombucha or tea kvass. It is difficult to list all the beneficial properties of the drink, for which it is prepared at home.
Where to get
Since it will not be possible to make a drink without kombucha, the question arises of where to get the culture. There are several options. It is important that by purchasing raw materials once, you can use the mushroom for many years if you adhere to the maintenance rules.
From friends
Kombucha is constantly growing in size as it continuously reproduces. Perhaps friends or acquaintances will want to share the material. Fortunately, it is not difficult to separate the layer of mushroom. Just don’t break off or cut the mushroom. In this case, the raw materials will be spoiled.
Buy a set
For a fairly reasonable price, part of the mushroom is purchased on Avito or another online resource. When purchasing, the type of mushroom, texture, density, color (from milky to brown), and ripeness are examined.In addition, they take a glass of liquid from the seller where the mushroom lived. The drink will help with adaptation to new conditions and will become the initial starter.
Grow from Kombucha
Pour 1.5 liters of boiling water into a 3-liter jar, add sugar, filtered black (green) tea, mix thoroughly and cool. Enter the purchased kombucha. Cover the jar with gauze and place in a dark corner. After 3 days, a thin kombucha will form. And then the layer will grow.
Cooking rules (general)
To prepare the drink you will need tea, sugar, boiling water, and kombucha. And, of course, a glass bowl with gauze.
Cooking algorithm:
- Fill a clean jar 2/3 full with boiling water, add filtered loose leaf tea leaves.
- Add sugar and mix thoroughly until completely dissolved.
- Wait until the composition has cooled to room temperature and carefully start the kombucha.
- Cover the dishes with gauze to prevent dust and midges from entering.
- The preparation is sent for fermentation in a warm place for 1–2 weeks.
After the allotted time, a faint smell of vinegar will appear from the jar, which will disappear over time. But a transparent film will appear. This is the initial stage of the fungus. Do not be alarmed by the formation of dark spots and spots on the fungus. This is not mold, but a natural color.
Ingredients table
| Can volumes | 1 liter | 2 liter | 3 liter |
| Water (ml) | 700 | 1300 | 2000 |
| Tea (g; tsp; bags) | 10; 1; 1 | 20; 2; 2 | 30; 3; 3 |
| Sugar (g; tbsp.) | 70; 3 | 130; 5 | 200; 8 |
When choosing dishes, we must not forget that the mushroom needs air for normal functioning. Therefore, the jars are filled with liquid to 2/3 of the volume.It has been experimentally established that a 3-liter jar will require 2 liters of water, 3 tsp. green tea leaves or 2 tsp. black tea, 100 g sugar per 1 liter. For other volumes of dishes, all ingredients are calculated as presented in the table above.
What kind of tea can I use?
Kombucha is an effective remedy that helps fight many diseases. An important ingredient of the drink is impeccable tea leaves.
It is more correct to prepare kombucha using green or black loose leaf tea. Although packaged black (green) tea has the right to exist, each package contains 3 g of loose tea leaves. For higher quality tea, it is recommended to choose premium tea bags. They contain less tea dust.
Sometimes decoctions and mixtures are used instead of tea. For example, to stabilize the central nervous system and improve the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, it is recommended to drink liver tea. And herbal compositions have a generally beneficial effect on the human body. The following fees have achieved the greatest popularity:
- blackberry and nettle leaves;
- common plantain leaves and coltsfoot leaves;
- birch leaves and thorn flowers (white);
- linden blossom and strawberries.
By adding fruit or berries to the brew, the kombucha drink acquires a brighter taste and richness. Finely chopped apples without peel and seeds, lemon slices, and tropical fruits are often used. Or well-mashed raspberries, lingonberries, strawberries and wild strawberries. The ratio of ingredients and liquid is selected at your own discretion.
Which sweetener is suitable and which is not?
One of the most important ingredients for kombucha is sugar.The best option for cultivating the mushroom is plain white, preferably organic, cane sugar. It contains the smallest amount of chemical elements that can contaminate the drink.
You can try brown sugar, agave, molasses, or maple syrup. But each of these sweeteners will add some flavor to the drink. It can even lead to spoilage, oxidation or rotting.
An excellent sweetener is honey, but not in its raw form, whose own bacteria will spoil the taste of the final product. But pasteurized will give an amazing taste
Special sweeteners are used to grow kombucha and prepare the drink. The most common are glucose and fructose. Not only will a good result be obtained in this case. This drink option is ideal for people suffering from diabetes.
Artificial sweeteners aspartame, sucralose, and stevia will not work in this case. The yeast will not be able to convert the sweeteners into ethanol and carbon dioxide.
Water requirements
To prepare, rinse kombucha and obtain kombucha, it is far from safe to use raw tap water. They either boil it or choose bottled drinking water. Spring or tap water after filtering is also suitable.
Why is sourdough needed?
To start the fermentation process, you will need a starter. When you first feed the starter, it will be kombucha taken from the previous owner or from the store. And at the next feeding - a drink obtained independently.
How to care
With proper care, the mushroom can be preserved for a long time. And use regularly in the future for health and immunity.
Rules of courtship:
- Storage and transportation of medusomycetes are carried out only in glass containers. No metal containers other than stainless steel are allowed.
- The jar of mushroom is stored in a dark corner. Perhaps in a kitchen drawer with ventilation, free of foreign odors and as far away from the window as possible. In case of cold weather and direct sunlight, kombucha will stop developing.
- The optimal temperature is 25°C. Below 17°C, the activity of the fungus decreases, and blue-green algae appear in the body.
- The jar with the fungus is kept open so that the medusomycete can breathe. However, cover with layers of gauze or a clean napkin to prevent dust and midges.
- Dissolve the sugar thoroughly so that the mushroom does not get burned.
- The tea used is weak and filtered. Otherwise, the growth of the fungus will slow down or wounds will appear from contact with the leaves and granules of the tea leaves.
- The mushroom is regularly washed with water, clean tap water or spring water. In summer they wash every second week, in winter - every fourth. In emergency situations, for example, it begins to taste bitter or darken, wash it without waiting for a deadline.
- It is strictly forbidden to place fungus in hot tea.
- The appearance of brown spots on the upper part is a sign of beginning death. The kombucha is washed and the top layer is removed. And they continue to care, taking into account the mistakes.
To dry the medusomycete tea culture, place it on a dry plate. Turn over once a day to prevent mold. The mushroom, dried to a thin plate, is placed in the refrigerator or cupboard. Before use, place in a jar of sweet tea. The mushroom will recover within a week.
Not only tea is made from medusomycetes, but also vinegar, smoothies, and dressings for soups and main courses.It is used externally for cosmetic purposes. Doctors speak positively about the tea culture, but they say that its use is possible only for preventive purposes. The mushroom itself does not heal on its own. For greater effectiveness of treatment, it is recommended to take kombucha in tandem with other medications.
