Making Kombucha Mushroom Tea
There are numerous exaggerated claims associated with Kombucha Mushroom Tea but nevertheless we thought we should give it a try.
The Kombucha mushroom is known by many other names such as Manchurian Mushroom, Kargasoki Mushroom and so on. Most likely these names reflect the locality where it is used so perhaps there are also small botanical differences. Who knows?
There are stories of the many centenarians living in Siberia who have sipped Kombucha tea all their lives. It is said that the Russian military and the Moscow Ballet use it today.
Our original mushroom came from the Ukraine via Toronto.
The "tea" is not actually derived from the mushroom, but from the fermentation of various yeasts and bacteria. In that regard the preparation of the tea has much in common with making your own wine.
If nothing else, overall cleanliness, if not actually sterile conditions, is required for success. Foreign bacteria and even tobacco smoke floating in the air may cause trouble.
It is not intended to provide here an exhaustive commentary on Kombucha such as all the benefits, claims and preparation - in fact all the information you require is to be found online - so try this: Google - where you may find over 20,000 English page results. The search results will open in a separate window - it may be kept open, minimized or closed to return here.
Although we have received numerous inquiries we must state that we do not sell the Kombucha mother for a number of reasons with the primary one being the difficulties relating to shipping. If you are looking for international commercial sources we suggest that you check out a site such as this: Kombucha commercial sites.
We hope that our photographs and comments will help you to visualize the process as we have experienced it.
Please note: This page is for information purposes only. We are not in the business of supplying Kombucha.
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The Kombucha recipe that we have settled upon is basically this: in a stainless steel pot boil 5 litres (20 cups) of pure well water. Or you must purify municipal water... Then dissolve 2¼ cups of white sugar and add 7 Orange Pekoe tea bags. Let it steep for about 15 minutes before discarding the bags.
The tea is then covered with a lid and allowed to cool to room temperature.
We acquired two large (4 litre) Pyrex mixing bowls that are used solely for the purpose of fermenting. There must be no ceramic or metal in contact with the mushroom culture. The Kombucha mushroom colony is floated on the tea with the smoother side uppermost. It helps if a little of a previous batch of tea is added along with the mushroom. In fact, as the mushroom is usually stored in this previous tea it is not a problem.
There are two old clean pillow cases dedicated to covering the bowls which sit in a warm corner of the kitchen to ferment. The pillow cases are doubled so provide four layers of cloth but still allow the culture to breath. The coverings are secured with large elastic bands.
Let the fermentation continue undisturbed for a couple of weeks or more. The temperature (much like making wine) must be around 22° Celsius (74° F).
When you finally open up the bowls you will find that a new "baby" colony has formed on the surface of the tea. Remove and save the mushrooms and strain the tea (using a glass mug or something similar to pour) into clean bottles and store at refrigerator temperature. I say refrigerator because ours are in the root cellar!
Some bottles of Kombucha tea and a large jar where the new mushrooms are stored for future use - again, stored at refrigerator temperature to discourage spontaneous fermentation.
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Please note: This page is for information purposes only.
We are not in the business of supplying Kombucha.
Disclaimer
The information presented here for information purposes only. It is based on scientific studies or traditional usage. This information is not intended to be an endorsement of any product or course of action or for the diagnosis or treatment of any condition. You should consult your healthcare professional before taking any of the products referred to herein, changing your diet or discontinuing any course of treatment.
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| The "Holmestead" is located at: |
| 140 Thunder Beach Road, 17th Concession, Township of Tiny, |
| ONTARIO, L9M 0T3, CANADA |
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