To my husband Mike I am admittedly a pain in the ass to shop for. It’s not that I don’t have a long wish list of things I want because you know this girl has categorized wish lists. The challenge lies in the type of things I want. Mike will NOT buy clothes, beauty products or even ask what I want. He believes in gifting me useful functional gifts, like my amazing professional Vitamix or a laptop or even my sexy black Fellows tea kettle you see me use everyday. In my opinion he gifts me THE BEST gifts EVER!!!! Things I didn’t know I wanted, I mean I’m a lucky girl for my man to know me like that. Let’s rewind a few months to my last birthday back in May. You might recall I received from Mike a whole kombucha setup to make my very own homemade kombucha. HELLO, does my man know me or what!? I spend tons of money on buying kombucha, it’s beyond sweet of him to gift me literally EVERYTHING I needed!!
So what is kombucha?
A fizzy fermented tea created by mixing a scoby (a good mix of bacteria and yeast) with brewed tea and sugar.
What is fermentation?
Fermentation is a process that uses bacteria and yeast to metabolize sugar. When that happens it creates some form of alcohol, acid, or gas. This process literally preserves food while creating amazing enzymes, B-vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids, and probiotics.
Why is it important to eat or in this case drink fermented foods?
Kombucha is rich in probiotics which promote a healthy gut. Taking care of our guts should never be overlooked. In fact it is the core of our bodies. This is where nutrients from food is absorbed.
How does drinking kombucha benefit the body?
- Helps to balance the immune system and metabolism
- Plays a critical role in our moods and brain function
- Helps maintain our body size
- Enhances the absorption of nutrients from the food you eat…meaning your body can potentially be absorbing even more nutrients
What you need to get started?
- An organic scoby, like the one by Fermentaholics
- 2 x 1-2 Gallon glass jars
- 8 x Green Tea &/or Black tea (I used 4 green & 4 black)
- Sugar
- Thermometer
- Kombucha pH Test Strips
- Cheesecloth or Coffee Filter
- Glass containers to store your finished kombucha
As for how to make kombucha, I simply followed the instructions on the package of Fermentaholics scoby. Typically you can begin tasting your homemade kombucha after brewing for 7-10 days. My kombucha has already been brewing for a few weeks. Now that I’m back from Italy / France, I’m super hyped to move on to the next steps, which is flavoring and enjoying my kombucha. Check back in on the blog to see what flavors I create. What are your favorite flavors?
[…] the health benefits of kombucha are plentiful. As you’ll recall when I shared my tips for making homemade kombucha, it helps to maintain a healthy gut and it increases the absorption of nutrients from the food you […]