Last week I attempted to make kombucha tea without a starter “mushroom.” Instead, I used a jar of kombucha that I’d bought at the grocery store. Kombucha is so incredible at reproducing itself that I wanted to see if the live cultures in it would form a mushroom. Well, after twelve days, here it is.
Normally, a kombucha mushroom will take the shape of the container it’s in. You can see that this one is hardly a shape at all! But there were bubbles; it was fermenting. So, if it looks like kombucha and smells like kombucha, is it kombucha? I tentatively decided to give it a try.
It didn’t taste as potent as kombucha tea normally does and wasn’t quite as carbonated. It was also much sweeter. I guess there weren’t enough cultures to consume the sugar and ferment it. It tasted kind of like sparkling cider! Not bad. I put it in the fridge and think we’ll still drink it. Since I have another bottle of kombucha from the store, I thought I’d try again. This time I halved the recipe and lowered my sugar ratio.
I’ll let you know next week how it turns out! If this doesn’t work, I’m going to find a mushroom for those of you who have never heard of or brewed kombucha. They’re pretty amazing!
Post script: No head wounds were incurred in the making of this batch! *big smile*
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I've heard of kombucha, but didn't really know much about it. Thanks for sharing how to make the tea.
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure, chica!
ReplyDeleteVery cool! I guess i kinda thought kombucha mushrooms were just from a System of a Down song... lol (oh my "heavy" music days...). Can't wait to see how it turns out- thanks for visiting my blog :)
ReplyDeleteBlessings!
Ha-ha! I'd never heard that song. He musta had a bad trip with kombucha mushroom people. ;)
ReplyDeleteEco Yogini-I happened upon your blog by way of your recent interview of Mel. That was great. What a cool idea. I look forward to your posts.
I am a kombucha junkie! I finally got my own mushroom from a friend who was tired of being my supplier. :)
ReplyDeleteNow I am getting requests to spread the love. Oh the elixer of love. We have a very small refrigerator aboard the boat, and a disproportionate part of it is dedicated to my kombucha habit.
:)
That's funny-I can picture your fridge! You know, in the book I read, the author talked about the mountain people who he got the recipe from. I think it was from Kyrgyzstan. He said they kept their kombucha in a crock and just kept the mushroom growing in it. No refrigeration. I'm not sure that I'm that brave.
ReplyDelete