A delicious and healthy drink is prepared from Kombucha (kombuchi), resembling a yellow-brown jellyfish with a loose base and a dense upper part, with hanging long thin threads. It contains acetic acid bacteria, yeast fungi, which turn ordinary tea into a sweet and sour infusion, slightly resembling kvass to taste.
This drink contains many vitamins, organic acids, lipids, enzymes, sugars and caffeine. It has a beneficial effect on the body and prolongs life. It is no coincidence that even in Ancient China this drink was called the elixir of immortality. Today it can be prepared at home and enjoy a delicious, refreshing and healing elixir every day.
The peak of the popularity of this drink in our country came at the beginning of the 70s. Then our grandmothers knew well how to brew kombucha. A miracle product, which was recognized not only by the people, but also by official medicine, was present in almost every family. And no one considered the consumption of tea and sugar, since the panacea for all ailments was worth it.
Over time, the drink was forgotten, it was replaced by numerous dietary supplements, but nowadays there is an increased interest in it. In this article we will talk about how to brew Kombucha.
Kombuchi Features
Representatives of traditional medicine managed to prove that kombucha (medusomycet, kombucha) has many medicinal properties and may well compete with expensive pharmaceuticals. A drink with an unusual taste gives vigor and strength, increases the tone of the body, successfully fights many diseases.
The origin of the puff "jellyfish" is associated with the activities of such living cultures as yeast and bacteria. During the life of organisms so diverse in nature, sweet tea turns into a sour drink with a number of healing properties:
- reduces the risk of cancer;
- increases the protective functions of the liver;
- normalizes metabolism and clears toxins;
- lowers cholesterol;
- restores intestinal microflora;
- normalizes the activity of the heart muscle and blood vessels;
- improves the activity of the digestive tract.
And this is an incomplete list of the benefits of Kombucha. A pleasant drink, which is rich in vitamins, organic acids, trace elements and enzymes, helps to reduce excess weight, quenches thirst, reduces appetite, but it can not replace the daily diet. In order to get the maximum therapeutic effect, you should know how to brew Kombucha.
Indications for use
Based on the results of studies of the properties of Kombucha, it is recommended as a tool that helps to recover from a number of diseases:
- scarlet fever;
- ARI, flu, tonsillitis;
- viral diseases of the eyes;
- diseases of the ear, throat, nose;
- problems with the gall bladder and liver;
- tonsillitis;
- dysentery;
- diphtheria.
This drink is both a choleretic and diuretic. In addition, he assists with hair loss, hypertension, nail fungus and various cosmetic procedures. Before talking about how to care, brew and consume Kombucha, you should talk about several ways to grow it at home.
Tea Leaves Kombucha
Thoroughly wash a three-liter glass jar with baking soda and let it dry naturally. In a separate container, fill with a liter of boiling water 3 tablespoons (teaspoons) of green or black tea and let it brew for 15 minutes. Strain it and add 5 tablespoons (tablespoons) of sugar. Sweet tea must be cooled to room temperature. Pour it into a pre-prepared jar and place the container in a dark and warm place.
The neck of the jar should be covered with gauze and braid. Open it briefly so that the liquid is fed with oxygen. After four days, you will notice a thin film on the surface - this is your future Kombucha. After about 20 days, the liquid in the jar will clarify and acquire a characteristic sour smell, and the film will increase significantly in thickness. By the end of the process of growing the fungus, a thickened mobile substance will appear on the surface.
The formed mushroom is carefully washed under a stream of warm water and transferred to a clean jar. Then you need to prepare a new nutrient solution and fill it with kombucha. In the first bank, the composition is ready for use. It is filtered and stored in a cool place to stop the fermentation process. And the drink in the second can will be ready in a week.
For those who are interested in how to brew 3 liters of Kombucha, we presented the traditional and most common method. Medusomycete grown in this way is quite unpretentious, but requires regular care (we will talk about this later) and cleanliness.
Apple cider vinegar
There is another old and interesting recipe. Our grandmothers knew well how to brew kombucha, take care of a kombucha from home-made vinegar, prepared by hand. We hope you enjoy this method, although it takes longer than the previous one.
Sour apples must be thoroughly washed and dried. Then they should be grated on a coarse grater with a peel and a core. Transfer applesauce (400 g) in a clean jar and pour cold boiled water. Add 15 g of yeast and 150 g of honey. An open jar is put in a dark place. This mass should be mixed daily.
Ten days later, it is necessary to squeeze the applesauce through a thick sieve, and pour the liquid into a clean jar, cover it with gauze and leave for fermentation for one and a half to two months. The liquid noticeably brightens at the final stage of the process. On its surface, a multilayer Kombucha appears. How to brew it? Very simple: transfer it to a clean jar with sweet tea, and then the drink is prepared according to a traditional recipe.
Medusomycete on beer
We are sure that few people know how to brew and care for kombucha in beer. Meanwhile, this is a fairly simple and relatively quick way. Mix 100 ml of live beer with wine vinegar (10 ml) and granulated sugar (5 g). The mixture is poured into a jar, cover the neck and put in a warm place. Very soon a film appears on the surface. When its thickness reaches 2 mm, it is transferred to a container with sweet tea. After seven days, a pleasant and healthy drink is ready.
We have listed methods for those who are just mastering the cultivation of Kombucha. And for those with whom acquaintances or friends shared the separated layers of the finished product, the task is simplified. If you connect imagination, then the healing properties of jellyfish can be significantly enhanced.
Kombucha on herbs
You already know how to brew kombucha, and the herbal collection can be selected depending on your disease or personal preference. Two hundred grams of selected herbs pour 3 liters of boiling water and leave overnight. In the morning, add a little honey to the drink and put the mushroom in it. In a week you will receive a healthy and tasty drink. Hibiscus tonic can be prepared in the same way.
Care for jellyfish
It is not enough to know how to grow Kombucha. In order for him to actively develop and multiply, he needs regular and proper care. The main indicator of the health of the fungus is its buoyancy. If it sinks to the bottom and does not float to the surface on its own, then this indicates that the medusomycete is “sick” and needs to be saved.
The optimum temperature for its content should be no higher than +25 ° C, because at temperatures below +17 ° C and direct sunlight, the activity of Kombucha slows down, and algae appear.
To protect jellyfish from viruses, you must have two containers: one will be contained in it, and the finished drink should be pumped into the other. The thickness of the mushroom should not exceed 4 cm. The grown extra layers are carefully separated from the top and placed in other banks. The bottom is considered the most productive.
The healing properties of the drink last no more than two weeks. Then it loses its taste, turning into vinegar, less and less resembling an invigorating elixir.
A week after feeding the mushroom with sweet tea, it is half drained and put in the refrigerator for storage. And strained tea is added to the jar again.
"Bathing days"
Kombucha should be bathed every two weeks. Remove it very carefully from the can. Trying not to injure, rinse with warm water. Then leave it on a plate of a suitable diameter for a few minutes to breathe air.
Pour the drink from the can into a clean container. Wash the jar thoroughly and return the mushroom to it.
Secrets of Cooking Kombuchi
Do not use metal containers (except stainless steel) to prepare the drink.
- As a basis, do not use too strong tea, which inhibits the growth of kombucha.
- Make sure that the sugar in the tea is completely dissolved, and only then place the mushroom in the liquid. The fact is that sugar crystals cause burns on the body of the fungus. The same effect is caused by grains of tea leaves, so the liquid must be filtered and cooled well - hot tea is harmful to the fungus.
- If part of the kombuchi turns brown, it is necessary to carefully separate the affected part, gently rinse the mushroom, and it can be used further.
How to take a drink
We elaborated on how to brew Kombucha. You should drink it, observing the basic rule - do not mix it with food. The drink speeds up the digestion process, so you will want to eat very soon. Kombucha can be taken as a non-alcoholic aperitif half an hour before meals.
However, doctors recommend taking the elixir three hours after meat or fish dishes and two hours after eating plant foods. A pleasant drink, drunk on an empty stomach in the morning, energizes, tones, and in the evening calms and speeds up falling asleep.