Kombucha It’s trendy, but that doesn’t mean it’s a new drink. In fact, there’s archaeological evidence that people were already making it this year. 220 BCHe has now gained much fame through his fitness and lifestyle reports. social media. It has many health benefits, and users of these accounts inflate them until it is given the fictitious title of a superfood. For this reason, many food companies have added kombucha to their product catalog. This is not surprising, because the demand in the market has grown significantly, although there are also people who prefer to prepare it at home.
This is another fashion that we have been seeing for many years now. kefir. The microorganisms that are used to ferment the raw materials from which these products are obtained are almost like Tamagotchis for adults. They require every attention to stay alive. We can do this reproduce and give it to our friends. This way you can share your hobby of making your own drink from scratch.
You can make a basic kombucha by simply taking fermented teabut you can also put it flavorsIn the market we can find all kinds of kombucha flavors, from strawberry to pina colada. We can make it ourselves at home, so the options are endless.
The Ancient History of Kombucha
Although traces of its production have been found as early as the 3rd century BC, the first clear records of its consumption date back to the 5th century AD. A Japanese physician, Dr. Kombupopularized the use of fermented tea to treat a variety of ailments, especially digestive ones. In fact, that’s where its name comes from, since tea means tea.
Gradually its use spread to other parts of the world, where kombucha was associated with other medicinal properties. It is now consumed almost all over the world. In some cultures it is still used for medicinal purposes, although most consumers use it for pleasure. Of course, as a healthy treat, with many useful properties.
A mushroom that is not a mushroom
To make Kombucha at home, it is important that we have a good Scoby. This is also known as Kombucha mushroomalthough in fact it is not. It is a mixture of several microorganisms, in which Includes yeast and many types of bacteria.The latter are lactic acid and acetic acid bacteria, which are responsible for the two fermentations that occur during the production of kombucha.
Scoby can be purchased, although it is not necessary. We can ask someone we know to make kombucha. And once we make it for the first time, if we take good care of it, we will have Scoby for many other dishes.
To recognize this, we need to look at the free space of the container in which the kombucha was prepared. There we will see gelatinous massformed by several layers of cellulose, originating from one of the bacteria that make up Scobie: Komagataeibacter xylinus.
Other important ingredients
Scoby is essential for making kombucha, but we also need other ingredients. First, we need to have starter. This is only 20% of the last kombucha we brewed. It is used because It is already saturated with microorganisms.which join those present in Scobie. But also because its acidity is ideal for the fermentation reaction to proceed.
On the other hand, we have already seen that kombucha is a fermented tea, so we need green or black tea. Rooibos or other similar infusions are not allowed, since the leaves used must have tannins.
Finally, we can’t forget water and sugarThese are basic ingredients, so we can make kombucha.
Kombucha in your kitchen
The first step we need to take to get kombucha is to make the tea. To do this, if we need a liter of kombucha, we will heat a liter of water. It should not reach boiling. It is preferable that the fire is extinguished when it reaches 80°С; So if we have a kitchen thermometer, even better.
They are then added to water. three tablespoons of tea which we chose to prepare the infusion and 70 grams of sugarIt is important to monitor the quantity. Otherwise, fermentation may not produce the desired result.
Now it’s time to add the Scobie. However, we must remember that it consists of living organisms. If we add it immediately, we will char them. Therefore, we will have to wait until the infusion cools down. below 37 ºC. Again, it is ideal to have a thermometer. At this point you need to add Scobie as well starter.
All that remains is cover the jar with a clothto keep dirt out but still allow oxygen in and allow the initial fermentation to occur. This will take a few days, usually at least 10, although to ensure that the maximum amount of sugar is fermented it is usually left much longer, sometimes up to a month. Once this step is complete you can remove the Scoby and 20% kombucha for future preparation. The remaining 80% is mixed with the desired flavors and added to a tightly sealed bottle, where it is left for a few more days to complete fermentation. In this case, it is not necessary to leave it for a long time, at least two days are enough, although a week is ideal.
What happens during fermentation?
During this time we gave up kombucha at leisureinside it, there are a lot of different reactions going on. To begin with, the yeast in the Scobie breaks down sucrose into glucose and fructose. That sucrose is the table sugar we added in the beginning. The glucose and fructose are then metabolized to form ethanol.
Then bacteria come into play. acetic acidor which oxidize this ethanol, forming acetic acid. Acetic acid provides the necessary acidity to prevent kombucha from spoiling, and in turn gives it its characteristic flavor.
Is there alcohol in kombucha?
We saw that ethanol is produced during the fermentation process. Does that mean it is an alcoholic beverage? We also saw that a significant portion of that ethanol is oxidized to form acetic acid. That means almost all is lost. But it doesn’t do it all. There is something in most kombuchas less than 0.5% alcohol. It’s very little though pregnant Yes, they should be careful. Not only for that. Also because the final product is not pasteurized.
Having said all that, would you dare to make kombucha?
Source: Hiper Textual
