It’s a lovely bubbly drink that is becoming increasingly popular in supermarkets and restaurants in France and elsewhere: Kombucha is a cold tea, flavored, light and sour and sparkling, making it an ideal drink during the hot summer temperatures. Like kefir, kombucha is made from fermentation an ingredient for the less original: a mushroom. Some people attribute medicinal properties to kombucha, but no scientific studies have confirmed this yet. However, it would be a shame to do without its good taste. So here’s how to get started making kombucha.
To make homemade kombucha, you first need a “mother kombucha” (similar to a “mother of vinegar”). These are just bacteria and yeasts that, when grown together, become a slime mold. You can ask someone close to you to give you a piece of their own culture or buy it commercially, especially in supermarkets and organic supermarkets.
Once you’ve gathered your kombucha mom, you’ll also need this to make your new favorite drink:
- 4 tea bags (green or black)
- 1 liter of water
- 1 liter of cold water
- 100 grams of organic cane sugar
- 100 grams of fruit, juice, herbs of your choice
- 250 ml ready-made kombucha
- several 1 L glass bottles (with a pressure-resistant cap for storing beer or lemonade)
- 1 glass container of 4 l (jar type)
- various fine-mesh fabrics
- 1 elastic
- a wooden spoon (not stainless steel)
- 1 strainer (silicone or plastic)
For the rest, watch this playful video of the small chard: