What is kombucha?
How to grow kombucha at home
What is kombucha? Just a drink, or …?
Safety precautions
Perform this experiment only under adult supervision.
Equipment
- 3 tbsp black tea;
- 100 g sugar;
- 4 tbsp apple cider vinegar;
- 1 L boiling water;
- large glass jar;
- gauze;
- rubber band.
Step-by-step instructions
Pour 3 tbsp black tea and 100g sugar into a glass bowl. Add a liter of boiling water. Stir and wait for the mixture to cool. Transfer to a wide-neck glass container and add 4 tbsp apple cider vinegar. Cover the container with gauze and store it in a warm, dark place for 3 weeks. During this time, you will be able to observe how a thin film of tea fungus forms on the solution's surface, which gradually thickens and turns into a fully-fledged SCOBY!
Process description
A SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria and Yeast) is a symbiotic organism consisting of two components: bacteria and yeast, as the name suggests. The yeast ferments sugar to form alcohol and carbon dioxide, and acetic acid bacteria oxidize the alcohol and convert it into organic acids. They gradually create a complex system that forms a thin film on the liquid's surface. As the bacteria and yeast multiply, the film thickens and acquires a characteristic jellyfish-like shape. This gives it its name: Medusomyces gisevii. But not all bacteria and yeast will form SCOBY – sometimes this process just results in mold. Wash the glass container thoroughly with baking soda and rinse with boiling water to prevent this. But if at first you don’t succeed, don’t worry! You can buy a ready-made culture and add it to the tea solution. Over time, the same organism will grow out of it. Your labors will result in a fragrant, pleasantly sour drink rich in organic acids, antioxidants, and probiotics – kombucha!