How to prepare kombucha at home: how to season it correctly, how many days to steep

Kombucha originated in China around 220 BC. during the Qing Dynasty. At that time he was called Divine Che or Lin-che.

Several hundred years later, it was introduced to Korea and Japan, and as trade routes expanded, it came to Russia and then to Europe. Up until World War II, the drink of fermented tea or kombucha was widespread, but then it was forgotten.

Throughout its history, kombucha has been constantly endowed with magical properties and was considered a cure for all diseases. Scientific research regarding the health benefits of kombucha began around 1917-1918 and really expanded in the 1950s. in the 1960s, scientists proved some of its healing properties. But the power of advertising at that time was such that people preferred widely advertised and harmful drinks.

What is kombucha or kombucha?

This is a naturally fermented drink made from tea (black or green) and sugar.

To start the fermentation process of sweet tea, you need to add a SCOBY to it (SCOBY) - a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast.

The drink originated in ancient China, where it was called “tea of immortality.” It has been popular for centuries in Europe, Japan and Russia. Not so long ago it migrated overseas, where it created a real sensation as another “superproduct”.

Transplantation into a permanent container

After a week, you can observe the result - if a cloudy film (mold) appears on the surface, it means that the emergence of mycelium has begun.

When the kombucha has been successfully spawned, the container should be left in the same place for another 1.5-2 months. During this period, the mushroom will reach the required size and will be ready for transplanting. Usually a three-liter jar is used for this.

Before transplanting, it is carefully washed with warm water. Brew fresh black tea, cool, strain and fill the jar 2/3 full. The mushroom is dipped into the tea solution and the container is covered with gauze. First it falls, then rises in an even layer to the surface.

Irina Selyutina (Biologist):
If you did not grow kombucha yourself, but brought it from friends, then when replanting it to a permanent place of “work”, use the following tips:
leave the plate filled with warm water at room temperature for adaptation in a jar closed with a double layer of gauze;
prepare a permanent container for the mushroom to live in (preferably two, so that there is somewhere to put the washed mushroom after draining the infusion);
for the adaptation period (24 hours) do not feed with sweet tea;
Consider the composition of the nutrient medium on which you will grow the mushroom.

Make sure that the infusion does not become cloudy, otherwise the mushroom may die, and the infusion itself will lose its beneficial qualities.

What composition of kombucha is responsible for its beneficial properties?

Kombucha is made from black or green tea. Therefore, the beneficial components of the drink largely coincide with those present in the brew itself. Other healing compounds are formed during the fermentation process.

Contains:

catechins with antioxidant activity;
amino acid L-theanine, which promotes relaxation;
stimulant caffeine;
glucuronic and glucaric acids, responsible for the detoxifying activity of the drink;
acetic acid, which destroys pathogens and helps fight obesity;
butyric acid, useful for detoxification and suppression of inflammation;
lactic acid, which nourishes brain neurons;
raspberry acid, which prevents the rapid onset of muscle fatigue and improves the appearance of the skin;
oxalic acid, which improves energy metabolism and suppresses the proliferation of cancer cells.

The kombucha drink is rich in probiotics - beneficial bacteria and fungi that support the functioning of the intestinal biocenosis.

Kombucha contains alcohol (ethanol) - no more than 0.5% in commercially available products and up to 3% in homemade versions.
There must be sugar, without which the fermentation process will not proceed.

Medusomycete: who is it and where does it come from?

When you first meet a mushroom, comfortably located in a jar, it is not easy to understand which natural environment it belongs to - the plant or animal kingdom. Its appearance resembles a jellyfish. This visual similarity influenced the scientific name - medusomycete. The living creature is a light layered mucus up to several centimeters thick, with small processes along the body. Such a jellyfish lives in a sweet, liquid “atmosphere”.

According to the biological classification, kombucha belongs to the zoogleas. This is a mucous mass formed by the accumulation of cells of beneficial bacteria and microorganisms.

Biography

The pedigree of kombucha is full of secrets and riddles. According to some sources, his place of birth is Ceylon, according to other sources, Tibet. The first written evidence dates back to 250 BC. e., and the first biological description of this zooglea was in 1913. Following the Chinese, the mushroom was considered the “elixir of immortality” in Japan and India.

For centuries, scientists have been working to “unravel” the strange organism, trying to study its composition and types. Thus, the main three varieties were named, which have a common body type - zooglea:

Chinese tea mushroom - the mucous mass is heavy in structure;
Indian sea rice - is a transparent piece of ice-shaped rice;
Milk (kefir) Tibetan rice - visually resembles cottage cheese, used for fermenting milk.

Main components

Medusomycete is a “union” of active microorganisms: yeast and acetic acid bacteria. When the “magic” drink ferments, in addition to wine (ethyl) alcohol (about 2.5%) and acetic acid, a number of natural acids appear. By the way, in terms of their quantity, as well as taste, it is similar to classic bread kvass.

The following components can be found in the composition:

organic acids (gluconic, lactic, pyruvic and others);
vitamins (B1, “ascorbic acid”);
lipids (fatty acids, phosphatins, stearins);
pigments (chlorophyll);
enzymes;
mono- and polysaccharides;
tannins, caffeine (comes from tea);
natural antibiotic substances.

Using kombucha at home requires the presence of an environment suitable for development. We are talking about sweetened tea, which once again proves: the mushroom, just like tea bushes, has Asian roots.

Why can you drink kombucha if you have diabetes?

In animal experiments, kombucha has been shown to have antidiabetic effects. Drink:

protects pancreatic β-cells necessary for insulin synthesis;
slows down the breakdown of food carbohydrates, preventing a sharp rise in blood glucose levels after eating;
helps prevent diabetes complications.

Although the findings look promising, scientists are not yet considering kombucha drink as a true antidiabetic agent.
Because to date no clinical studies have been conducted. However, there are no contraindications for its use by diabetics. But it is important to monitor the amount of sugar in the product, as the commercially prepared versions sold in the store may have too much of it.

Apple Cider Vinegar Kombucha

There is another old and interesting recipe. Our grandmothers knew well how to brew kombucha and care for kombucha from homemade vinegar prepared with their own hands. We hope that you will like this method, although it takes more time than the previous one.

Sour apples must be thoroughly washed and dried. Then they should be grated on a coarse grater with the peel and core. Place applesauce (400 g) in a clean jar and fill with cold boiled water. Add 15 g of yeast and 150 g of honey. Place the open jar in a dark place. This mass should be stirred daily.

After ten days, you need to squeeze the applesauce through a thick sieve, and pour the liquid into a clean jar, cover it with gauze and leave to ferment for one and a half to two months. The liquid becomes noticeably lighter at the final stage of the process. A multi-layered kombucha appears on its surface. How to brew it? It’s very simple: put it in a clean jar of sweet tea, and then prepare the drink according to the traditional recipe.

Benefits of Kombucha as an Antimicrobial Food

One of the main compounds that is formed during the fermentation of tea is acetic acid, which can destroy many pathogens. In addition to acetic acid, the drink contains large protein molecules and catechins, which enhance its antimicrobial and fungicidal effect.

In vitro experiments have demonstrated that kombucha:

destroys pathogenic bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus, Agrobacterium tumefaciens, Escherichia coli, Bacillus cereus, Salmonella choleraesuis serotype Typhimurium;
slows down the reproduction of Entamoeba cloacae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Aeromonas hydrophila, Shigella sonnei, Staphylococcus epidermis, Leuconostoc monocytogenes, Yersinia enterocolitica, Campylobacter jejuni, Helicobacter pylori;
suppresses the spread of Candida albicans fungi.

At the same time, the antimicrobial activity of the drink does not affect bacteria that are beneficial to humans - probiotics.

All confirmed antimicrobial and fungicidal effects of kombucha were demonstrated only in a test tube. There is no clinical data yet that would confirm that drinking a drink helps people get rid of bacterial and fungal infections.

Contraindications

There are some precautions to use:

contains sugar and honey, so it should not be consumed if you have diabetes or obesity;
contraindicated for people with fungal diseases due to the sugar content;
for anyone who suffers from high acidity of the stomach (gastric juice), it is worth drinking along with a small amount of honey (it neutralizes the acidity of kvass);
Do not over-expose, as the drink turns into vinegar;
You cannot use a sugar substitute during the cooking process.

Other healing properties of kombucha

Helping the intestinal biocenosis. The drink is made by fermentation (natural fermentation method). As a result of fermentation, microorganisms beneficial to humans - probiotics - accumulate in it. These are Gluconacetobacter, Acetobacter, Lactobacillus, Zygosaccharomyces. The intestinal biocenosis is involved in many processes from digestion to maintaining immunity. Therefore, the therapeutic effects of kombucha can be diverse.
Prevention of atherosclerosis. In experiments on rats, drinking kombucha has been shown to improve blood lipid profiles by helping to reduce levels of low-density lipoprotein (“bad” cholesterol) and increasing the amount of high-density lipoprotein (“good” cholesterol).
Cancer protection. In tissue culture experiments, it was found that the drink extract suppresses the activity of genes that promote the growth of cancerous tumors. There is no clinical evidence of such activity of the product yet.
Mental support. Some studies suggest that probiotics are useful in treating neurotic and depressive disorders. Since kombucha is rich in probiotics, it is reasonable to assume that it has this effect. But no research has been conducted on this matter.

Possible problems and their solutions

Kombucha should always float on the surface of the water. This sign is the main indicator of his health. When a mushroom sinks and does not rise from the bottom, it is likely that an error was made in its contents. So how to store kombucha? What problems can be expected in the preparation of tea kvass and by what symptoms can they be recognized? There are ten main signs that indicate that all is not well with the medusomycete.

The kombucha is moldy. Mold occurs only on the upper side of the mushroom that comes into contact with air. The reason is unfavorable conditions (the most common are cold air, cigarette smoke). It is recommended to replace such a mushroom, but if you still decide to revive it, first remove the mold. This is easy to do with two forks. Then wash the mushroom carefully. To disinfect and revive it, soak it in apple cider vinegar overnight. The next morning, transfer to a clean jar with new tea solution and a tablespoon of fruit vinegar.
Does not carbonate. The most likely reason is that the kombucha is overripe (overstayed). After washing it, “drink” it with new tea. In addition, such a reaction is possible when the weather is too hot. You need to move the jar further from the window or hot radiator.
Stopped wandering. Temperature conditions are violated, there is a shortage or excess of sugar.
Brown spots. These are burns that resulted from adding granulated sugar directly to a jar of tea jellyfish. Brown marks are left by sugar granules that fall on the body of the fungus.
Darkened. This happens if the liquid is not drained for a long time. The consistency of the nutrient solution becomes stronger due to the increased dose of acetic acid. The mushroom is washed and poured with fresh tea. It is necessary to regularly care for the kombucha so that it does not darken: its aging time is on average three to five days, after which the finished carbonated infusion is drained and the jar is filled with new tea.
Delaminated. Zooglea grows very quickly. Without waiting for your help, the overgrown mushroom begins to divide on its own. It must be carefully peeled off and placed in a prepared container for further cultivation.
Has become cloudy. There may be several reasons, and all of them are associated with violations of the preparation technology, namely: low-quality water was used, the jar is under direct sun, the temperature is lower than recommended.
Worms are crawling. To eliminate such troubles, block insects’ access to the jar. For this purpose, use gauze around the container.
Became dried out. This option is possible if you completely forget about kombucha. The jar with the evaporated liquid is again filled with sweet tea.
Overturned. This is no cause for concern. This is how the grown mushroom gets used to its new habitat and forms surfaces that are different from each other. Turn it over so that there is a rough layer at the bottom with hanging lint threads. The mushroom feeds on this side. With a smooth and light layer it comes into contact with the air, that is, it breathes.

Knowing how to grow kombucha at home, you can get a healing and tonic drink. This does not require special investments or special efforts, but only strict compliance with all requirements for its content. Kombucha is a real laboratory behind glass. Watch how the thin mucus grown by your hands thickens, turning into an elastic “blanket”.

It is a pleasure to grow it. Watch a video of how people grow it. Experiment (only wisely) with making nutritious teas. Each time you will receive a drink with different tastes. And an infusion of kombucha, frozen in cubes, will be an excellent tonic and cooling remedy on hot summer days. By the way, the finished drink can be stored in the refrigerator for a considerable period (a month to a month and a half) without loss of taste and nutritional qualities.

Does Kombucha Have Weight Loss Benefits?

Kombucha is a drink that promotes weight loss. You can't lose weight with it alone. But you can and should include diets for weight loss in your menu.

Improving the functioning of the intestinal flora. In people with significant excess body weight, the species composition of the biocenosis in the intestines is usually disturbed. These violations spur further weight gain. The drink helps normalize species diversity and thus helps you lose weight.
Slowing down the absorption of carbohydrates. Animal experiments have shown that kombucha can reduce the rate of breakdown of dietary carbohydrates. This helps to avoid a rapid rise in blood sugar after eating and the massive release of insulin that follows this rise. It is the abundant release of insulin that leads to the rapid formation of excess fat deposits.
Kombucha is considered a drink that energizes and lifts your spirits. This effect is useful for those who want to lose weight, as it allows them to move more and less often resort to harmful snacks out of boredom and nervousness.

How to grow kombucha at home from scratch

Ingredients:

7 glasses of water;
½ cup granulated sugar;
4 bags of black tea or 1 tablespoon of loose tea (for growing a crop from scratch, it is not recommended to use tea other than black);
1 cup store-bought kombucha (it is important that it is unpasteurized, unfiltered, and does not contain any flavorings, etc.).

The stages of cultivation are as follows.

Brew sweet tea and cool to room temperature. Remove tea bags or tea leaves.
Pour the tea into a large glass jar. And then pour in a glass of the ready-made store-bought drink. If there is sediment in the bottle with the purchased drink, this is good. Be sure to transfer it to your “sourdough”.
Cover the jar with several layers of gauze or a coffee filter. And leave at room temperature in a place inaccessible to direct sunlight. If you have a very bright kitchen, wrap a towel around the jar.
For the first few days, the mushroom “starter” will stand without showing any visible changes. Then bubbles will begin to rise from the bottom to the surface.

Gradually there will be more and more bubbles. And they will begin to form a transparent gel-like mass on the surface. The smell of the tea will take on a vinegary note.

Be careful! If your tea smells like cheese or rotten meat and/or you notice mold in it, immediately throw away all the starter. Even if you are not entirely sure that you see mold on your mushroom or cannot accurately determine whether its smell is normal or not, throw it away without hesitation.

Little by little, the gel-like mass will become thicker and thicker, and its transparency will disappear. When the thickness of the mass becomes 6-7 mm, and the transparency has virtually disappeared, the kombucha will be ready to be “brewed” to obtain a healing drink.

Moreover, it may have different thicknesses in different areas. The edges may be torn and there may be holes in some places. This is fine.

It takes 1 to 4 weeks for the mushroom to ripen. The time depends on the temperature in the room and the strength of the culture in the drink that you purchased in the store.

How to properly divide kombucha for propagation in another jar

All manipulations with the jellyfish-shaped mass are done with clean hands; the dishes must also be clean, without traces of detergents, tea leaves or grains of sugar. Any foreign matter or objects can kill microorganisms. Do not forget to wash off the remnants of the old solution and mucus when transplanting, but in no case with a too hot stream.

Where to get mushrooms for drinking and how to grow them? The secret of giving birth to a floating, jellyfish-like creature is quite simple: in addition to water, tea leaves and sugar, it needs to be fed, and this means warmth, air, and quality care.

From sweet tea

Peculiarities. The most common way to obtain kombucha is through tea. To do this, prepare a clean and dry jar (3 liters), first wash it with baking soda. We also arm ourselves with gauze, boiling water, granulated sugar (brown sugar is also suitable), tea (medium or large leaf, not flavored).

Step by step cooking procedure

Brew a couple of teaspoons of tea in boiling water (1 liter is enough).
Let it sit for at least 10-15 minutes.
We carefully filter the brew.
Sugar (two or three tablespoons), stir.
Cool the tea to a comfortable temperature.
Pour into a dry jar.
Cover the dish with gauze rolled up in several layers and tighten the fabric along the rim of the jar with an elastic band or thread.
Leave the jar warm and alone in a place protected from light. The optimal temperature is 25°C.
Approximately on the third to fifth day, an oily film will begin to appear on the surface of the water - the future adult mushroom.
After four to six weeks, the medusomycete will grow, its membrane will strengthen to the point where it can transform simple tea into a miracle drink with gas bubbles.

On women's forums, the topic of growing kombucha is very popular and, accordingly, there are a lot of observations and advice. In particular, it will appear faster if you pour a glass of apple cider vinegar into the brew. The process of growing the organism must be accompanied by complete rest: it is not recommended to rearrange or move the jar again.

From rose hips

Peculiarities. You can make tea kvass from rose hips. There are known methods in a glass bottle and in a thermos. To do this, prepare appropriate containers, tea leaves, rose hips, boiling water, granulated sugar.

Procedure for preparing drinking mushroom in a jar

Prepare tea (a large spoon of tea per 1 liter of water), filter after 10-15 minutes.
Measure out two tablespoons of sugar and dissolve in tea.
Once cooled, pour into a container with 15-25 rose hips.
Cover the jar with folded gauze and put it in a warm place, protected from the sun.
The approximate time for the birth and strengthening of the tea jellyfish is from one to one and a half months.

Thermos cooking procedure

Pour wild rose berries (15-20 pieces) into a thermos.
Fill with boiling water or strained hot tea not to the brim.
We close the cork for a long time (from six to eight weeks).
After this period, we remove a thick, slimy “disc” from the container, which we move into a regular jar for further growth in diameter.

Peculiarities. The method of growing medusomycetes from beer is little known, but deserves attention for its ease and 100% effectiveness.

Cooking procedure

Pour 100 g of unpasteurized beer into a liter jar.
Add a teaspoon of sugar and a tablespoon of sour wine there.
Mix, cover with gauze and send to a warm, dark corner.
We carefully move the “newborn” jellyfish into sweet tea (at least after a week).

From apples

Peculiarities. As knowledgeable housewives assure you, you can grow mushrooms at home from fresh apples or apple juice. In this case, you can get several useful products at once.

Grind the chopped apples on a grater or in a meat grinder.
Transfer the resulting mass into a large jar.
Fill with water 3-4 cm above the level of the apples.
Add sugar: per kilogram of apples you need at least four tablespoons of granulated sugar.
Stir and cover the jar with gauze.
We put the container in a secluded place for a couple of weeks, shake or stir daily with a wooden spatula.
After 14-15 days, filter and leave for another couple of weeks in warmth and darkness.
Around the seventh to tenth day, a film of fungus appears.
We transplant the mucous organism into sweet tea.

Using this method, you will kill two birds with one stone: prepare both kombucha and apple cider vinegar. To do this, you just have to wait until the end of fermentation (when the apple juice “calms down” and becomes light transparent), filter it and store it in the refrigerator.

To start propagation, you can take a piece from friends, buy a cutting, or grow it yourself. The last method is the longest, but at the same time simple.

To start, take a large 3 liter glass jar. Pour 500 ml of medium strength tea. Pour in 50 g of sugar and mix.

The container is placed in a dark place. There is no need to hide the workpiece in the closet. You can leave it in the room, but so that direct sunlight does not fall on the jar. There is no need to cover with a lid. It is enough to cover it with gauze so that there is a constant flow of fresh air and debris does not get into the tea.

Temperature is important for Kombucha to propagate. It should be within 20°... 25°C. If the indicator drops below 17°C, the body will stop developing and may not grow at all.

After at least a week, a light foam will form on the surface. This is the beginning of the formation of medusomycetes. It will grow for about three months. You can tell that he has gotten stronger by his size. The body must become at least 1 mm in thickness. At the same time, a sour, but at the same time pleasant aroma will begin to emanate from the container.

To speed up growth, you can pour a vinegar solution into the tea. Its amount should be 1/10 of the total volume of the infusion.

When the body has grown considerably, it must be divided. Then transfer to a separate container with a pre-prepared solution. How to properly separate kombucha can be seen in the video presented at the end.

Medusomycete can only grow in the right conditions

The division of medusomycetes is a necessary process for which there are two reasons:

Tea jellyfish are separated for reproduction if there is a desire to share a useful product or sell for additional income.
The organism grows to such a size that it can hardly fit into containers. As a result, it becomes difficult to wash and maintain accordingly. Therefore, it must be divided and relocated to different banks.

How to separate kombucha is shown in the photo.

The separated part is placed in fresh tea

Separating kombucha is a simple process, but it must be done correctly. Very often this cannot be done, since the body will not have time to gain weight and fully saturate the infusion with the necessary nutrients.

A layer is separated from an adult medusomycete when it reaches at least 8 cm in width. The thin young plate is not touched, since it will not be able to survive the traumatic process and will die.

A tea jellyfish that has been growing for a long time, in which many layers with crevices have formed, must be separated.

Advice! The medusomycete is placed in the container with the dark side.

You can divide the organism in layers.
Having divided the kombucha for propagation, you will need to transplant it into another container. To do this, the jar is sterilized. Pour a little old infusion, then add a new sweet brew.

The body is washed with boiled water and placed in a new place of residence. Then close the neck with a clean piece of gauze. They insist for two weeks. After this, the drink is ready to drink.

The jar must be pre-cleaned and sterilized

Is it safe to grow your own kombucha at home?

Safely. In fact, the process of fermenting a crop is not much different from sauerkraut or apples.

And all that is required to successfully complete the process is hygiene and basic precautions. Otherwise, the drink may cause food poisoning.

So the jar into which the tea will be poured must be absolutely clean and dry. Like any kitchen utensils, and hands that come into contact with tea and mushroom on its surface. You should also not open the jar unless absolutely necessary. And everything will be wonderful.

Growing your own SCOBYs at home from scratch is no more difficult than starting cabbage.

Features of care

Caring for a mushroom will not cause you any trouble

Caring for kombucha at home is not difficult at all. The best place to keep it is a transparent glass jar, through which it will receive enough light.

Basic care:

Every few days the kvass will be ready, so ½ of the volume is poured out and replenished with freshly prepared solution. A strained, slightly warm and sweetened drink is added to the jar. Do not allow granulated sugar or tea leaves to come into contact with the mushroom.
Some fans drain all the tea kvass and then replenish it with a new solution, which takes a little more time. For preparation, you can use not only black, but also green tea, a decoction of rose hips, strawberries, blackberries, plantain or nettle. The main thing is that the custard product does not contain dyes or flavors.
The neck of the container cannot be covered with a nylon lid, otherwise the mushroom will simply suffocate, become covered with black mold and die. Cover with gauze and then tie with an elastic band. This is convenient during draining - there will be no need to further strain it.
The old mushroom, which is covered with a brown film, should be divided and transferred to a new solution with a new container. Once a month, the mushroom should be washed in warm water to wash away unnecessary particles and microorganisms that have settled on its surface.
Basic home care includes ensuring a certain temperature regime - constantly maintaining the room temperature at +20...+25°C. At a constant temperature below +20°C, the mushroom will die. The same outcome awaits him if he places the jar in direct sunlight. At a temperature of +18°C, growth stops and the mushroom may become covered with a black coating, become moldy, or worms will appear in it.
The greatest nutritional value is provided by a drink that is no more than 10 days old. If you keep it too long, the beneficial properties will be lost, it will turn into vinegar and become unfit for consumption.
After a week of aging, the drink becomes carbonated and contains a small percentage of alcohol. Therefore, it is worth separating ½ of the drink and adding a fresh solution to the rest.

Irina Selyutina (Biologist):
For kombucha to feel normal, it needs a “bath day.” When washing the mushroom, do not forget:
very carefully, trying not to damage it, remove the kombucha from the jar and place it on a wide plate, being careful not to deform it;
place the plate with the mushroom in the sink, rinse with warm (not hot!) water;
leave the mushroom in the air for a few minutes (but no more than 2-3).
Place the kombucha in a clean jar, fill with the solution and cover with gauze.
This procedure is necessary to maintain the health of your “home healer”. Otherwise, it will acquire a brown tint, then begin to delaminate and die.

Do not forget that mushroom kvass suitable for use should always be transparent.

How to prepare a kombucha drink in a 3 liter jar

Ingredients:

3.5 liters of water;
1 cup granulated sugar;
8 tea bags or 2 tablespoons of loose leaf tea (you can take black, green or a mixture of these teas);
2 glasses of the previous drink (if this is the initial preparation, then you need to take the tea in which your culture grew, or borrow it from someone, or buy a ready-made drink in a store);
1 kombucha, grown at home from scratch or purchased at a pharmacy.

If there is a desire to give the drink additional flavor, you can add the following to the jar for making it:

1-2 cups finely chopped fruits;
2-3 glasses of fruit juice (natural);
¼ cup honey;
2 tablespoons of any spices, such as cinnamon.

Be careful with fruit juice and honey. Don't forget that they are an additional source of sugars, and preparing the drink without them requires the use of sugar.

We make tea. It should be 3.5 liters. Cool to room temperature and remove tea bags or tea leaves.
Pour 2 glasses of ready-made kombucha drink (or the medium in which it grew) into freshly brewed tea.
Now we transfer the mushroom itself into the bottle. Handle carefully with clean, dry hands. We do not use metal objects under any circumstances.
A SCOBY can occupy any position in a bank. Usually floats on top. However, it can sink to the bottom or gravitate towards the walls. These are all normal situations.
Close the jar with gauze, securing it with a rubber ring.
Leave at room temperature for 7-10 days in a place out of direct sunlight. If there is no such place in the apartment, cover the jar with something, for example, a towel.
After a few days, a new mushroom will begin to form in the tea. It usually floats on top and has a connection with the old one.

However, it may be that the mushrooms are completely separated or connected to each other only by dark threads. And they do not float on the surface. This is all normal startup culture behavior. Don't be afraid.

Problems begin when the drink takes on the smell of rot or mushrooms or cheese instead of a light vinegar aroma.

If, when such a smell occurs, you do not see traces of mold on the mushroom itself, then you need to transfer it to freshly brewed tea and start fermenting again.
If mold is also visible on the mushroom culture itself, you will have to throw everything away. And then grow the mushroom from scratch.

After 7 days, you can start tasting the drink to determine its readiness. Proper kombucha has a sweetness and tartness that tastes good.

To test, carefully pour from the jar. Do not place metal spoons or ladles in it.

When the drink is ready, remove the kombucha from it to use for the next batch.

Carefully transfer to a plate with clean, dry hands and inspect. If it becomes too thick, separate the lowest old layer from it.

Also, do not forget to select 2 glasses of the finished drink in order to use it again as a seed.

Pour the remaining amount into glass bottles and store in the refrigerator. Kombucha can be stored there for a month.

If you want to use different flavors (fruits, honey, spices), add them to the containers with the finished drink.

Never fill bottles to capacity. The drink may foam. He needs space.

For video instructions on how to maintain the viability of kombucha, see below.

Caring for kombucha at home

This species is easy to grow at home, and does not require special skills or special equipment. If you want to get a mushroom, all you need is a three-liter jar and a donor, from which you can “pinch off” a part that will become a full-fledged body. You can buy a cutting or try to grow a mushroom from scratch - that is, from sweet tea.

Brief instructions for caring for it:

The first important step will be to thoroughly wash the dishes in which you plan to keep the kombucha. You should not use synthetic detergents.

Nascent kombucha
Remove the mushroom from the container, let it “breathe” for a couple of minutes on a plate, rinse with boiled water and place in a washed jar with freshly poured tea. Jellyfish cleansing should be done monthly.

Mushroom in a jar

Caring for a medusomycete is simple, the main thing is to follow the rules and then it will be a regular guest in the kitchen, and the healing drink from it will replenish the diet and improve the health of the body.

How to pause kombucha mushroom?

What if you are going on vacation but don’t want to part with your kombucha?

If your absence will take no more than three weeks, “brew” the mushroom as described above and leave it at room temperature. It’s not worth drinking something that takes 2-3 weeks to prepare, as it will be too sour. From the resulting medium you need to take 2 glasses of liquid and the mushroom culture itself and put it back to ferment. Discard the rest or use as a disinfectant for kitchen surfaces.
If you plan to go away for longer than 3 weeks, transfer the SCOBY to a small jar. Pour in freshly brewed tea and a small amount of the tea drink itself. Cover the jar with gauze and place in the refrigerator.

Mushroom propagation

In rare cases, an old mushroom forms a new daughter one. A thin transparent film separates from it and sinks to the bottom of the jar. Then you can safely store the old mushroom in another container or throw it away. Fill the new mushroom with fresh solution and it will begin to grow. A thick and old mushroom begins to produce a lot of acid. It is suitable for making vinegar.

The mushroom can also be propagated in another way. Pour a little solution into another jar and place it in a bright place at room temperature. After some time, a thin film of microorganisms forms there. This is a new mushroom.

Source

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Which tea is better to make it with?

Best on black. Especially a young mushroom that you put into fermentation for the first time after growing it.

As your SCOBY becomes more seasoned, you can diversify the teas. For example, take green or white. As well as different combinations of black, white and green.

In addition, you can use herbal tea, but be sure to add black tea to it.

It is prohibited to use teas with the addition of essential oils, as well as various flavors.

How to care for kombucha so that it lives long?

Culture lives for quite a long time. But it doesn't last forever. There always comes a time when the mushroom turns black and must be thrown away.

It is impossible to say exactly how long a SCOBY lives, since it depends on the conditions in which it exists.

To live longer, you must adhere to the following rules.

“Brew” in strict accordance with the recipe.
Try to use mostly black tea, as this type is the most nutritious for the culture.
Do not touch the mushroom with metal objects, especially aluminum (this metal significantly shortens the life of the crop and makes the drink from it less pleasant to taste).
Be sure to separate the old layers of the mushroom from the new ones (you can give them to friends). If you are greedy and make your mushroom look like the one shown in the photograph, it will quickly become unusable.

What to feed

There are two methods for infusing mushrooms. The classic method is to make a drink from weak, sweetened tea. The herbal option is no less popular.

Traditional tea. The dosage is as follows: three to four teaspoons of tea leaves, five tablespoons of sugar, 2 liters of water. The mushroom can be “seasoned” with both black and green tea. According to reviews, the latter is more tonic and contains more vitamins. It is useful to replace sugar with honey. It is diluted in cooled liquid.
Herbs. There are many recipes for making a drink based on herbal infusions. So, at your own discretion, you can combine green tea with rose hips (chopped berries and leaves), linden flowers, birch leaves, raspberries, strawberries, currants, blackberries. Mushroom brewed with nettle, white thorn, and plantain will be no less useful. Use two to three teaspoons of herbs per 1 liter of boiling water, leave for at least a couple of hours. Sugar is diluted in the strained infusion, cooled and added to mushroom kvass. You cannot use herbs that contain essential oil: for example, sage and chamomile are not acceptable for “feeding” kombucha.

The mushroom is ready on the fifth or sixth day in winter, on the second or fourth day in summer. This is easy to understand by the bubbles and unobtrusive sour aroma. The percentage of sweetness of mushroom kvass in all preparation options will depend on the amount of sugar that the medusomycete is fed with. It has a characteristic aroma that is given to it by tea and some varieties of yeast.

Possible harm of kombucha: contraindications and side effects

A strict contraindication is allergies.
Since kombucha contains a lot of organic acids, it can negatively affect the condition of people suffering from stomach ulcers, gastritis with high acidity, esophageal reflux, and pancreatitis.
The drink is not indicated for people with histamine intolerance and mast cell activation disorder.
Doctors do not recommend using it for people with seriously compromised immunity. The product contains a lot of bacteria and fungi that are not pathogenic. But with true problems with immunity, they can have a negative effect.
Commercially available kombucha drinks sometimes contain excess sugar, which can lead to weight gain.
When drinking homemade kombucha, there is a risk of food poisoning, since sterilization rules are not followed.
The drink is not recommended during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Because its effect on fetal development and the quality of breast milk has never been studied.
A large amount of gases and FODMAPs compounds in kombucha sometimes provokes severe rumbling in the stomach, flatulence, abdominal pain, and diarrhea.
Naturally fermented foods rich in tyramine, such as kombucha, can cause migraines in some people.

Kombucha division

When the mushroom has grown, start dividing it. The mother "jellyfish" will be ready to divide when it reaches 3-4 cm in thickness. If it's too young, don't touch it so it doesn't tear. Also, do not tear off pieces from it, which will also negatively affect further growth. Preserving a tattered mushroom is difficult.

The division is carried out at the site of separation of the mother jellyfish. You will notice them when you look at the mushroom from the side through the glass of the jar. In the presence of such layers, the mushroom is always easily divided into parts. Each of them is placed in a clean jar with fresh tea solution.

In some cases, the adult mushroom independently separates the young kombucha from itself. It sinks, and thin mold along the diameter of the jar rises to the top - now you can safely transplant it into another container. A mushroom that has drowned should be washed and transplanted into a new solution.

There is another option to quickly get a new copy. To do this, you will not need tea leaves, but a ready-made drink that contained the mother jellyfish. It is tied with gauze and placed in a warm place, but not in the sun. After a few days it becomes moldy, which means that a new “jellyfish” has been born. The microorganisms contained in the tea drink stimulated the rapid process of growing new kombucha.