How to Make Kombucha

Reprinted with permission from Zach McCabe of McCabe Chiropractic.

After I posted a picture of some of my recently completed kombucha brews on FB, I received a few inquiries about it.  Some were wanting to know how to make the flavored brews I had created, others were wanting to know how to  start brewing it themselves, but most people simply asked “what in the world is kombucha?”  I thought a quick blog post could sum it up for all.

First, a quick history and overview of kombucha.

Kombucha is a fermented sweet tea used for centuries as a healing elixir, having claims of almost miraculous properties that cure a myriad of ailments from arthritis to cancer.  The fermentation process happens due to the presence of a “kombucha mushroom” which is added to the tea and allowed to ‘brew’ for a short period of time.  This ‘mushroom’ isn’t really a mushroom at all, but a Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria and Yeast (SCOBY).  The SCOBY itself looks more like a pancake, and along with ‘mushroom’ and ‘SCOBY’ may be called a ‘mother’, ‘pancake’, ‘disc’, and others.  The healing properties do have some validity, but very little research has been done on it.  What we do know is this:

1) It’s a probiotic.  As a culture that contains apparently ancient strains of bacteria and yeast, the brew itself even after being filtered and ready to drink contains significant amounts of probiotic organisms, and therefore seems to be a great source of good bacteria.  Our digestive system was, is, and always will be full of bacteria.  It’s how our gut is designed to work.  There are good bacteria that are supposed to be there, that help us maintain health, help us digest food, absorb nutrients, and fend of invaders.  However, with a poor diet, radiation, or antibiotic use, those good bacteria fail to thrive and bad bacteria can take over and can reek havoc on our bodies and our health.  Drinking kombucha can help keep our gut populated with good bacteria.

2) It’s a detoxifier.  Kombucha has been shown to contain glucuronic acid, which is an amino acid naturally produced in the liver and used for detoxification in our body.  Specifically, glucuronic acid binds toxins in the blood stream and allows for them to easily pass through the kidneys and out of the body.  Of most importance, glucuronic acid is one of only a few binding agents that effectively removes estrogen metabolites and estrogen like environmental toxins (think BPA and pesticides).  Given that fact alone, the cancer fighting claims of kombucha may have some validity.

3) It’s a alkalizer.  We westerners have an acidic diet.  What kombucha does is help create a less acidic blood pH because even though the drink itself is “acidic” it leaves an alkaline ash.  To learn more about acid and alkaline ash click here.  There’s certainly controversy on this topic, but in my opinion, it works.

From what I can gather, the origins of Kombucha are a mystery.  Some sources have it originating in China a few centuries before Christ.  Others claims put it first in Japan, Korea, and Russia.  It goes by a number of names (Kvas is Russia for example), but the name kombucha seems to originate in Japan where in the 4th Century Emperor Inyko was treated by a Korean physician called Kambu with the tea and it took his name, “Kombu” and “cha” meaning tea.

So, how do you make kombucha?

First, you’ll need to find a SCOBY.  Although you can find them as starter kits online, finding someone else who is already brewing it is the best solution.  SCOBYs continually grow and multiply while they’re fermenting, and therefore anyone actively brewing tea will typically have extra SCOBYs as a result.  If you’re fortunate enough to know someone who can give you a SCOBY, they’ll give it to you in a container with some previously brewed tea in it already, and there you have your starter.

Second, you’ll need to make some sweet tea and then the kombucha tea.  Here’s the recipe I use: