Kombucha
Kombucha is one of the only drinks that I enjoy. Here's a list of reasons I like it:
- It's fizzy
- It comes in a wide variety of flavours
- It feels more hydrating than soft drinks to me
A lot of the Internet push it as a health drink. I don't care about this aspect enough to investigate.
Note that the hydrating feeling is just a feeling. Usually when drinking soda or coffee I need water nearby to somehow balance a feeling I identify as dehydration. It could be that I'm responding to sugars or some other taste. Regardless I don't need that with kombucha, and that's a benefit.
First fermentation
Tools:
- Large jar for brewing
- Cloth to cover the jar
- Elastic bands to hold the cloth in place
- Large containers for holding water
- 1L container for starter liquid
- Metric measuring cups
- Water filter
- Wooden spoon
- Stove
- Pot for boiling
Ingredients (for a 4L batch):
- 800mL starter kombucha liquid (20% of the batch)
- 3.2L water (80% of the batch)
- 200g raw sugar (50g per litre)
- 16g black tea bags (4g per litre) (I use 8 Lipton black tea bags)
Instructions:
- Wash the brewing jar using hot water and a cloth, no detergent or vinegar
- Refrigerate and filter 2.6L (82% of the batch) filtered water
- Boil 576mL (18% of the batch) water on the stove
- Put the tea in the water
- Close the lid on the pot and let it brew for 10 minutes
- Add the sugar to the tea
- Stir tea with wooden spoon until the sugar is dissolved
- Pour chilled water in to the large jar
- Pour tea in to large jar
- Wait 5 minutes for the tea to cool
- Pour starter liquid in to the jar
- Cover the jar with cloth and elastic bands
Exact measurements don't matter that much, just approximate.
Second fermentation
Tools:
- TODO
Ingredients:
- 4L
Instructions:
- TODO