Kombucha Recipe, Kombucha Benefits & How To Make Kombucha; All-in-One

Perhaps it is appropriate that we do not know for sure what were the true origins of Kombucha. We know for sure that Kombucha has been around for centuries, probably a few milleniums. Kombucha is purported to have been invented in the Qin Dynasty, around 220 BC. Chá is the Chinese word for tea. Kombu+cha = Kombucha. Sometimes the story is told instead in 415 AD in Japan, where a Korean man, Dr. Kombu, uses his "Cha" (Again, Chinese for "tea") in the treatment of Emperer Ingyo. While this explanation for Kombucha's name has always seemed a little too convenient, the evidence of links to ancient China is compelling. The Chinese are famed for their quest for all manner of longevity elixirs. From Kombucha to Chinese medicine, the Chinese have always looked to nature to cure what ails them.

Many countries and cultures have adopted Kombucha as their own. From China, it traveled via the Silk Road to Russia and consequently all of Europe. In China, it was traditionally the grandmother who cared for and cultivated the Kombucha and was passed down from mother to daughter. During the Cultural Revolution, every household had a pot of Kombucha brewing, but it has fallen out of the daily routine of the modern Chinese lifestyle.

It was very popular in Russia and Europe until World War II. During World War II, sugar and tea were hard to come by. Being as they are most important ingredients, it is easy to understand why the practice was lost. In Russia it was called tea kvass (though sometimes also called "grib") and was attributed to saving Nobel Prize winner Alexsander Solzhenitsyn's life while in exile in Siberia. There is a really great article by Norbert Hoffman on this subject.

It has since enjoyed a revival in Europe and has become popular in both Australia and the United States. Although health scares around Kombucha abound, there is little evidence proving that it is the cause of any illness. Clearly more research needs to be carried out on many topics concerning Kombucha, but due to its inability to be patented and controlled by pharmaceutical companies, little money is available for this kind of wide-scale research and clinical trials. However, there is a body of research being cobbled together all over the world. Gunther Frank, noted Kombucha scholar and author, has done the yeoman's job of collecting reports from doctors all over the world regarding the success of using Kombucha in treating diseases such as gout, rheum, arteriosclerosis, arthritis, constipation, impotence, obesity, diabetes, kidney stones, cholesterol, cancer and more. Worth a read for sure.

Yes, you can do it in half the time with this "short-cut-method. The trick is not waiting for the boiling tea to cool. You'll see.

Making Kombucha is easy. If you can make a cup of tea, then you can make Kombucha!

This is the standard Kombucha Recipe for 1 gallon. Scale up or down depending on the size of your vessel.

Here's What Ya Need:

- 1 cup organic sugar
(you can use white sugar but most unlabeled white sugar is GMO beet sugar)

- 4-6 bags tea
(for loose leaf, 1 bag of tea = 1 tsp)

- Kombucha Culture (SCOBY)

- 1 cup starter liquid
(retain from top of previous batch or substitute white distilled vinegar)

- purified water

- tea kettle

- brewing vessel
(glass, stainless steel or oak - you can use food grade plastic, but what with BPA's, I avoid it!)

- cloth cover
(NO CHEESECLOTH! The weave is too loose and will allow fruit flies in your brew.)

- rubber band
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Here's what ya do:

1. Boil 4 cups of water.
When water is near boiling (steam is trailing out of the tea kettle), turn it off.

2. Add hot water & tea bags to brewing vessel. Let steep for 5 minutes.

3. Remove tea bags.

4. Add sugar and stir to dissolve.

5. Fill vessel most of the way (leave 1-2 inches from the top for breathing room) with purified cold water - the cold water will bring the temp of the hot water to a level where it won't kill the yeast (they love lukewarm). This is where you save all that time! Go ahead, give yourself a high-five. Nice.

6. Add SCOBY and starter liquid. Cover with cloth cover and secure with a rubber band.

7. Do not disturb for 7 days, then insert a straw beneath the SCOBY and take a sip. If too tart, then reduce your brewing cycle. If too sweet, allow to brew for a few more days.

8. Decant & flavor (optional). There are some fantastic Kombucha flavoring recipes in this video. Experiment and enjoy!