An ancient health drink originally from China. Very popular
in Russia, Germany and Japan. It is made from a tea infusion (
black,green and some herbal teas are suitable), sugar or some
other natural sweetener ( maple syrup, sugar cane sugar, sorghum
syrup, honey) and the Kombucha culture. This culture is a symbiotic
yeast/bacteria organisms which ferments the above mixture and
thereby produces certain beneficial byproducts. The Kombucha culture
has been shown to contain the following organisms: Bacterium xylinum,
Bacterium xylinoides, Bacterium gluconicum, Saccharomyces ludwigii,
Saccharomyces apiculatus varieties, Schizosaccaromyces pombe,
Acetobacter ketogenum, Torula varieties, Pichia fermantans and
other yeasts. Reports speak of its therapeutic effects based on
various chemicals produced by its fermentation of the sweetened
tea. Byproducts such as Usnic acid, Glucon- and Glucuron acid,
Vitamin C and B group are said to have antibiotic and detoxifying
properties. We are selling culture kits of the Kombucha fungus
which can easily be used at home to produce a refreshing cider
like drink over and over. The package you will get contains a
piece of the jelly like fungus and some of he liquid from the
previous batch. At home you can make the tea infusion and transfer
the fungus into it. The drink is ready after about 8 days if it
has been kept in a warm, calm place. The culture, if properly
treated, will reproduce itself so you can easily produce a new
batch of tea every week. You can also give the new cultures away
to friends.
Full instructions will come with the package.
One Kombucha Culture Kit (includes shipping in Canada).........
$ 30.00
Gunther Frank: Kombucha. Healthy beverage and natural
remedy.
A very thorough book on the preparation,
history and folklore of the tea fungus.
available from Amazon.com
Buy now! 
We now have another book in stock - 'Kombucha Rediscovered!" by Klaus
Kaufmann
We are offering this book at $16.50 + HST
Kombucha Information
Is a health drink which originated in China, it has worked
its way through Russia, Europe and now North America. It has been
called by several different names: "Fungus japonicus",
"Fungo-japon Kombucha", "Cembuya orientalis",
"Combuchu", "Tschambucco", "Volga Spring",
"mo-Gu", "Champignon de longue vie", "Teekwass",
"Kwassan", and "Kargasok Tea". The Kombucha
fungus is built in membrane form and is a symbiosis of yeast cells
and different bacteria. Among these are: Bacterium xylinum, Bacterium
gluconicum, Acetobacter ketogenum and Pichia fermentans, Saccharomyces
ludwigii, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, and Torula varieties. The
Kombucha fungus needs to live in a solution composed of tea (black,
green and some herbal teas will work well) and sugar ( acceptable
alternatives are maple syrup, Sucanat, honey will work but it
has antibiotic properties which will slow the process down). The
yeast culture transforms the sugar and tea into enzymes and polysaccharides
useful for the body including glucuronic acid, lactic acid, acetic
acid and several vitamins and about 0.5% alcohol. According to
Gunther Frank in his book "Kombucha", these enzymes
provide an antibiotic effect, are excellent for the colon, and
help to stimulate our system. Rosina Fasching in her book "Tea
Fungus" claims success with Kombucha against some forms of
cancer.
Health
benefits:
·
Kombucha contains a
wide range of beneficial yeasts and bacteria, much like Kefir. This makes it a
good probiotic, introducing beneficial organisms to compete with candida and
non-beneficial intestinal flora.
·
The byproducts of the
fermentation process help your liver detox your body. This is achieved through a
process called conjugation whereby the liver produces compounds that attach to
toxins making them water soluble; these conjugates are then bound to bile and
excreted into the intestines for elimination. There are a number of conjugation
pathways but the one most relevant to Kombucha involves glucuronic acid which
conjugates ‘used’ estrogen in order to ‘escort’ it out of the body.
Unfortunately this bond is often broken in the intestine by an enzyme called
glucuronidase and the ‘free’ estrogen is then reabsorbed into the blood
resulting in excess estrogen. Kombucha has a glucuronidase inhibitor which
prevents the breaking of the bond. This enhances detoxification and increases
the efficiency of the liver.
·
It is reported that
Kombucha contains metabolic pre-cursors for Vitamin C, glucuronic acid, and
glutathione which are all used by the liver for detoxification
How to
prepare Kombucha tea:
Ingredients:
1. 1 Kombucha
culture or SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) plus liquid
2. 3 litres
(3 1/2 quarts) fresh water (preferably un-chlorinated spring water; tap water
should stand to allow chlorine to dissipate)
3. 10 grams
tea leaves (two tablespoons) or 5 tea bags
4. 140 ml
maple syrup or 105 grams sugar or organic sugar
5. A
stainless steel saucepan. DO NOT USE ALUMINUM
6. A clean
glass or ceramic container with a wide mouth
7. A piece of
cheesecloth or coffee filter and a rubber band to close the jar
Primary
fermentation:
1. Boil the
water and then remove the saucepan from the heat
2. Add the
tea, let it steep for about 15 minutes, then strain
4. Add the
sweetener and stir thoroughly
5. Let the
tea cool down to less than 300C or 900F
6. Pour tea
into glass container and add the Kombucha culture including liquid.
7. Close the
top with the cloth and rubber band.
8.
Place the jar in a warm
area 25-300 C. This is VERY IMPORTANT in order to start
the fermentation quickly and prevent other molds from starting up.
At 25 - 300C
the kombucha will be ready in minimum 5-7 days. At lower temperatures the
process will take longer and may lead to contamination. As the process of
fermentation proceeds the Kombucha tea will get progressively stronger and it
will eventually
8.
Place the jar in a warm
area 25-300 C. This is VERY IMPORTANT in order to start
the fermentation quickly and prevent other molds from starting up.
At 25 - 300C
the Kombucha will be ready in minimum 5-7 days. At lower temperatures the
process will take longer and may lead to contamination. As the process of
fermentation proceeds the Kombucha tea will get progressively stronger and it
will eventually become vinegar. If a stronger flavour is preferred extend the
fermentation time. Once the desired taste is reached the fermented drink should
be strained, bottled, and sealed. Keep the bottles in the same warm area for
another week to produce some carbonation; this is called bottle conditioning.
At this point it can be refrigerated. You can experiment with fermentation and
bottle conditioning times to produce a Kombucha brew that exactly suits your
taste. Reserve the culture in some Kombucha liquid (50ml or 2oz) and store for
the next batch. For short-term storage keep the culture in the Kombucha liquid
at room temperature in a glass jar; for longer storage keep in the fridge in the
liquid in a glass jar. If mold contamination occurs during the fermentation
discard the liquid, wash the culture in warm water, and add 50 ml. (2oz.) of
apple cider/wine vinegar. After 10 to 14 days of fermentation a new Kombucha
culture will grow on the old one. The new culture can be separated from the old
one and given to a friend or reserved for subsequent use.
New batches:
Repeat above steps using fresh ingredients and either the old or a new culture.
The old culture can be reused a few times but should be disposed of eventually.
It can be used to fertilize plants, applied to wounds, or used cosmetically. It
will pick up colour from the tea and can be washed in warm water.
The above
procedure will produce a relatively sweet and bubbly refreshing drink. This is a
pleasant way to get introduced to Kombucha. However this process still leaves
too much residual sugars and this is a problem for the body in numerous ways. To
produce a much healthier Kombucha you need to get rid of these residual sugars.
A SECOND fermentation will accomplish this without making the drink too vinegary
and sour tasting. The second fermentation needs to be in a closed system to
prevent oxygen from being in contact with the drink, as this produces vinegar.
Second
Fermentation:
1.
At the point in the primary fermentation stage, when you have achieved
your desired flavor profile by tasting it (as above), you can initiate a second
fermentation by separating the liquid from the SCOBY and placing it in a
small-mouthed glass gallon jug fitted with it with an air lock device. These
are available at wine/beer making stores.
2.
Keep this vessel in the same warm area and let the closed fermentation
proceed for at least one to two weeks, or to taste
3.
Bottle and allow some carbonation to develop in the bottles before
refrigerating – bottle conditioning.
Recommended
dosage:
120 ml. (4
oz.) every morning to start; increase dosage as you get used to the effects.
Keep in mind that the Kombucha culture is a living organism and that
fermentation is a biological process. It is very important to wash hands well
with soap and water before handling the culture to avoid contamination with
bacteria and/or molds. Thoroughly clean the equipment used to ferment the tea.
Do not set the fermentation container near plants.
WARNING:
PREPARATION
OF THE CULTURE MUST BE DONE IN CLEAN CONDITIONS. IF THERE ARE ANY SIGNS OF MOLDS
GROWING ON THE SURFACE OF THE LIQUID, DISCARD THE LIQUID, WASH THE CULTURE IN
WARM WATER AND ADD VINEGAR. START OVER MAKING SURE YOUR BATCH IS IN A WARM AREA
(25-30 C).
MOLDS CAN
PRODUCE TOXIC SUBSTANCES AND MUST BE AVOIDED.
