The Complete Guide to Home Brew Kombucha

Mitch James Evenden

Description

Your guide to brewing and enjoying homemade Kombucha! From the history of booch to brewing it in your own kitchen, this guide will be a staple part of your journey from conception to production. Skip through all the trial and error and find the answers to any questions with this guide to be successful on your first batch!

Sujets

• Cuisine
• Cuisine par ingrédients
• Beverages
• Cooking

Informations

• Publié par: Tablo Pty Ltd
• Date de parution: 03 septembre 2019
• Nombre de lectures: 1
• EAN13: 9781922309884
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 3 Mo

Extrait

Disclaimer
The ideas, concepts, and opinions expressed in this book are intended to be used for educational purposes only. This book is provided with the understanding that author and publisher are not rendering medical advice of any kind, nor is this book intended to replace medical advice, nor to diagnose, prescribe, or treat any disease, condition, illness, or injury. 
It is imperative to use good judgment when consuming kombucha and never to consume any kombucha that looks, tastes, or smells unpleasant. Further, before consuming kombucha or any other fermented or cultured food, you should receive full medical clearance from a licensed physician. Author and publisher claim no responsibility to any person or entity for any liability, loss, or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly because of the use, application, or interpretation of the material in this book.
 
Author Bio
Why Kombucha? Well, because it tastes good, it makes me feel good, and my incredible family that I share my life with LOVE it! I was searching for ways to improve our gut health and stumbled across an article on how to make Kombucha at home. Being a stay at home dad at the time I decided this could be something fun and a great sensory activity for the kids and I. So we took a trip to the shops, bought what we needed and the rest is history! 
Years later I now realise the potential health benefits of this very easy to make elixir and really want to teach people to start making it themselves. For lots of little info gems follow our Kombucha story on Instagram @kombuchamt :D 
Table of Contents
An Introduction to Kombucha
Fermentation and gut health History of Kombucha What is Kombucha? A scoby? What’s that?
Kombucha, broken down
Beneficial bacteria Yeast Organic acids Vitamins and minerals Caffeine & L-Theanine content Alcohol content
Health benefits of Kombucha
Seven evidence-based health benefits
Ingredient selection for brewing Kombucha
Tea Sugar Water Starter tea A scoby Ingredients Equipment  Procedure
Equipment selection for brewing Kombucha
Fermenting containers and spigots Covering your container Useful extras
Brew your first batch of Kombucha
Shopping list Equipment Procedure
Start your first continuous brew Kombucha
Shopping list Equipment Procedure
Everyone loves flavoured Kombucha
How do I alter the final flavour of my Kombucha? Why should I flavour my Booch with a second fermentation? What you need to think about when beginning the second ferment! Steps to start your second fermentation
Potential problems and troubleshooting
Mould Insects Black (dead) scoby No sign of fermentation Potential side effects of drinking Kombucha Safe consumption of Kombucha
Alternate versions of Kombucha
Kombucha Beer and Kombucha Ale Kombucha Wine and Kombucha Champagne Kombucha Coffee
Bonus information
Scoby hotel Creating and Incorporating a flavour POWERHOUSE – The Ginger Bug! Ingredients Equipment Procedure What makes Ginger healthy? Fermenting Kombucha vinegar and it’s various uses Creative ways to use extra scobys
Recipes/ Flavour combo ideas
Salad dressings Marinades Sauces Family favourite treats Scoby jerky
An Introduction to Kombucha
What is Kombucha, where did it come from and how do I make it? I will answer these questions and more in the following guide! The complete guide to home brewing Kombucha!
Fermentation and gut health
Consuming a wide array of fermented foods and drinks is a great way to increase the diversity of your gut microbiome. Obviously, this book is going to focus on the benefits contained in a delicious glass of ice cold Kombucha, but there are many fermented food and drink options out there, all with their own unique make up of bacteria and yeast that can benefit your body in one way or another.
Gut health is one of my favorite things to discuss as I believe it is one of the most influential components of our body, and it can affect one’s health in drastic ways, for better or worse. The average human microbiome contains up to 2kg of bacteria and yeasts, most of it in the stomach. There are more bacteria in our guts, then there are cells in our entire body, to be more precise up to 90% of our cells can be bacterial, quite amazing when you think about it. The only way we can really change which bacteria and yeast is present is by consuming the correct food and drinks. The more nutrient dense and healthy our food is, the more beneficial bacteria we have in our gut and body. Generally speaking, the good guys like to eat healthy food. Peoples food cravings can be swayed in a large way by their gut microbiome.
The gut is now being called our second mini-brain as research is showing that hormones like serotonin are produced mainly in the stomach, up to 90% of production. Serotonin is a feel-good hormone that is very important in mental health. Our guts contain a lot of the same neurotransmitters as our brains and even contains more neurons then our entire spinal cord. These neurons make up the enteric nervous system and allow the gut and brain to communicate via the gut brain axis. This communication controls things such as appetite and food desires.
A huge reason as to why I am passionate about gut health is that recent studies have shown a direct link between autoimmune disease and gut health. As a Type 1 Diabetic (an autoimmune disease) I think about all the other problems this must create for people and believe that so many issues could be prevented if we all just started to be more conscious of what we put in our mouths.
Things you should start doing to improve gut health: Include fermented foods in your diets such as kombucha, kefir, sauerkraut, sourdough bread, kimchi and yogurt just to name a few Avoid things like alcohol, painkillers, and antibiotics as these have all been shown to negatively affect your gut microbiome. (although red wine in small doses can be good for gut health) Try to live as stress-free as possible as bad hormone balance can mess with gut health If you do have a cheat meal or splurge on something that you know is unhealthy ensure that your next meal contains lots of vegetables and healthy starch fibers, this will ensure that the beneficial bacteria can make a fight back against the bad ones that will start reproducing. Wash that meal down with a nice chilled glass of freshly brewed Kombucha 😊
Hippocrates once said, “All disease begins in the gut” , and funnily enough even though his research and teachings are 2000 years old, they are proving his findings can stand the test of time. Gut health has a link to almost every known health problem both mental and physical. Just a little research will show this to you.
There is a constant influx of new studies coming out showing the benefits of improving gut health and the most noticeable effects are generally a positive change in body composition, a reduction in anxiety and depression, and improved general well-being. So without further ado, lets start learning about Kombucha.
History of Kombucha
The Tea of Immortality or as its now known, Kombucha, is thought to have been discovered in Manchuria (north-east China) during the Tsin Dynasty. The earliest record of Kombucha was from China in the year 221BC. It was later in Japan, in the year 415AD that it got its name, Kombucha. Apparently, a Korean physician named Kombu treated the Japanese Emperor Inyko with the wonderful elixir, and it took his name, Kombu, and cha meaning tea in Mandarin. Kombucha has deep historical ties with Russia and Eastern Europe as well, and some claim it was discovered in Russia or Germany. It doesn’t matter where it was found as Kombucha is now known across the globe.
Kombucha has been known by many different names in many cultures. It was known as Cajnyj Kvas in 18th century Russia, as Cha Gu in China and as Heldenpilz in Germany. Although it has had different names, one thing remains, that is the benefits to health this wonderful tea has been providing people for thousands of years.
Around World War 2 Kombucha was hard to come by as sugar and tea were scarce commodities. It probably wasn’t until the 60’s that Kombucha started to make a comeback. 1960’s California seems to be a hot spot for Booch or Groovy Tea it was apparently called. And in 1995 an American created the first Kombucha brand. GT Dave started the largest Kombucha producing company with his mother after seeing the positive effects Kombucha had on her during her fight with breast cancer.
Today, we know Kombucha as a tasty fermented tea that can provide numerous health benefits. So really, not much has changed aside from the fact that we now have the technology to study and break down how and why Kombucha does what it does.
Note: I once read a story that Dr Kombu placed an ant in sweetened tea and told the Japanese emperor to drink the tea once a skin had formed on the top. I assume that the “ant” was more likely a fruit fly of some sort that must carry similar bacteria on its body or legs which meant it was able to ferment the tea. Who knows weather this is true or not?
What is Kombucha?
Kombucha is a fermented beverage made from a mixture of organic sweet black, green or oolong tea; the mixture is fermented by adding a Kombucha Culture (often referred to as a scoby, mushroom or mother) to the sweet tea, whereby fermentation occurs. The sweet tea is consumed by the scoby which is made up of at least one species of both bacteria and yeast. All kombucha cultures contain the bacteria species: Acetobacter and Gluconacetobacter , these two bacteria species are responsible for the production of gluconic and acetic acid which makes Kombucha, Kombucha. And the yeast species Zygosaccharomyces, the yeast feeds on the sugar converting it into ethyl alcohol and leaves behind b-vitamins, CO-2, and acids. The alcohol is then partially oxidised, which results in the formation of acetaldehyde. Then, the bacteria feed on the by-produc