Kombucha

What are you drinking when you're day trading the forex market?    Years ago I discovered Kombucha.  (Booch for Short).  No not the country Kombucha (Cambodia), but the drink.  It is organic, super healthy, detoxifies your body, and gives you energy.  And it's sweet and bubbly but does not have many calories.

Kombucha has been around for thousands of years, mainly in Asia and Russia.   In Japan there is a kelp tea.  The Japanese word for kelp is Kombu.  That is quite similar.  Others say the drink was made popular by Dr. Kombu from Japan and Cha means tea.

If you are in Europe or North America then you are lucky and can purchase Kombucha in organic stores.

I started making Kombucha for fun and to save money.  At $5 per bottle, 3 times per day = $15 per day or $450 per month.  Making it costs you only a cup of sugar and 8 tea bags per 4L batch.  The biggest expense is the Scoby (Symbiotic Colony of Bactery and Yeast).  It's a starter culture that will multiply and produce baby Scoby's with every batch you make. 

Kombucha Scoby

How do you make Kombucha?  In a nutshell, all you need is Water, Sugar, Black & Green Tea Bags (or loose leaf), mason jars, and a Kombucha Scoby. 

First you boil the water, add the sugar, boil some more, add tea, simmer.  Let it cool down and then transfer to a mason jar and add the Scoby.  Cover and wait 5 days.  The Scoby will ferment the tea.

You can do a second fermentation by moving the Liquid (without the Scoby*) to a bottle and adding berries or sugar & ginger, or other fruits.  The key is having enough sugar for it to ferment.  It will become nice and bubbly in 3 to 5 days.  After that you can keep the Kombucha in the fridge.  *Store the Scoby in a glass jar with lid or add it to a new batch.  It should have enough liquid to cover it.

Here are the illustrated instructions, and a good place to buy your first Scoby and Starter Liquid if you are in North America.   Always get a Scoby from a local source or from within your country or continent.   I had a hard time finding one in Thailand and it was expensive but now I have many Scoby babies. 

First Fermentation

Second Fermentation

Do's and Don'ts:

• Do keep all your equipment clean
• Do use quality glass mason jars
• Do use glass bottles to store
• Do use white sugar (best for fermentation)
• Do filter the tea before adding it to the jar if you're using loose leaf tea
• Do cover tightly and double up in warmer countries (otherwise you get mold)
• Do use very clean freshly laundered cotton cloths, only use them for Kombucha
• Do add some vinegar if you are in a warmer country (otherwise you may get mold)
• Do ferment in a dark area that has good air circulation and no dust, garbage, cooking smells, or smoke
• Do check on your Kombucha every day and check for mold (anything fuzzy, colorful)
• Do throw out any moldy Kombucha and Scoby
• Do use a stainless steel pot to boil the water (stainless steel kills bacteria)
• Do NOT let any stainless steel utensils or containers get in contact with the scoby or Kombucha (stainless steel kills good bacteria too)

Where to Get a Kombucha Scoby?

If you are in Thailand then google "Kombucha Phuket Craigslist" and you will find my ad. 

I sell 1 Scoby for 300 Baht and 2 for 500 Baht.  I can also ship within Thailand for an additional 200 baht.