in november i introduced you to homemade milk Kefir. today i will be reporting about komubcha. i knew Kombucha better than kefir, since i was already drinking this tea drink when i was a teenager. back then this hype startet around it and even then i already had to try everything i think you could/can get it in different flavors and i did quite like it. all the more interesting to produce it myself according to my likes. however kombucha isn’t something that was invented a few decades ago, but has been around for more than 2000 years, predominantely in china.

i didn’t know though that kombucha is made through fermentation and based on tea.

the tea fungus doesn’t really look like a fungus i think, but is a round, thick slice which is rather slick. important for the production (as with all things) are high quality products like organic tea – you can use all kinds of black and green tea – and a kombucha fungas free of any chemistry, for me also in organic quality. than just add some sugar and you don’t need anything else, besides some patience. it takes about 5 to 14 days before you can enjoy the kombucha. if you keep some of the drink as new starter fluid, you can make kombucha yourself for a very long time. the detailed instructions give you some more tips & tricks.

during the fermentation process you don’t really see much like when you do with milk kefir. the fungus doesn’t change much, but a new one will develop. very useful to give to your friends and family. once the tea drink is ready you have a slightly bubbyl, sweet tasting refreshing beverage, which, depending on how strong you made the tea, taste more or less like tea. i like it a lot, it is a nice change and most importantly i know what’s in it. you can find much more information about kombucha at natural kefir drinks.

just like for the milk kefir, i was supplied with a complete starter set, with which you can instantly start:

• organic kombucha beverage with kombucha fungus
• green and black tea
• raw cane sugar
• 1 big fermentation tank incl. lid, cotton cloth and elastic band
• 2 glass bottles
• 1 plastic sppon
• 1 plastic sieve
• 1 plastic funnel
• 1 detailed, easy to understand instruction set

if now you can’t wait to try the production of kefir & co yourself, use the code “surfingthekitchen” to get a 10 % discount on your order

for a sweepstake to win a kombucha fungus please check out the german version of this post.