Everyone knows that it takes a kombucha mother in order to obtain the popular kombucha tea. However, only a few are aware that even after you remove the scoby from the fresh beverage, the bacteria will continue to develop and facilitate the formation of a new culture. So this would be the less obvious connection in between these two.
Everyone knows that it takes a kombucha mother in order to obtain the popular kombucha tea. However, only a few are aware that even after you remove the scoby from the fresh beverage, the bacteria will continue to develop and facilitate the formation of a new culture. So this would be the less obvious connection in between these two.
Have you ever thought on how to brew kombucha and prep the healthy tonic all by yourself? If not, we have to tell you that the most difficult part would be to actually obtain a decent starter. This starter is, in fact, the initial culture used to make the tea leafs and the sugar to ferment. You can either get it, buy it or grew it and we strongly advise you to go for the third option.
The best things are the ones you can control and no matter how well intentioned is the person willing to provide you with the starter kit, there are lots of things that can go wrong. If you decide to order it, most likely you will get a dehydrated kombucha mother, under the pretext that bacteria and yeasts are better preserved in this way throughout the shipping. And still, it is more than obvious that these bacteria need plenty of moisture. Dehydration is definitely something that may alter their properties.
Consequently, the only way left to enjoy a healthy and steady culture is to personally take care of it. So you can first begin by taking the juice from a reliable source and let a small amount of it to continue the fermentation process. In this way, within one week you should start noticing how the mushroom starts forming at the surface of your kombucha tea. In a yellowish, almost white shade, the scoby must be smooth, without bruises or molds and have a constant thickness.
If mold occurs, it is a sign that something went wrong throughout the process. Also important, your culture may not be healthy if the beverage you have initially used to obtain it was pasteurized. This means that most of the bacteria and yeasts were destroyed.
But if you do manage to obtain a beautiful and healthy mushroom, you can easily start preserving it. Begin by preparing a regular cup of tea, either green or black. In the water still warm add up to two tablespoons of white sugar and stir until it dissolves. In a very clean glass recipient with up to three inch in diameter add the beverage that you bough and the tea you have prepped. Isolate the jar with a thick cloth and a rubber band and leave it in a dark warm environment for at least 7 days.
By the end of that week you should start noticing the mushroom forming. Depending on the factors that have interfered with the process, you might have to wait up to three weeks as well. However, if nothing happens in all that time, you definitely need to brew kombucha again.
While you may consider buying kombucha tea http://www.getkombucha.com/buy-kombucha/categories.php?category=Bottled-Kombucha-Tea straight from the shelves of a local shop, brewing this culture on your own can be highly rewarding. Learn more about kombucha mother http://www.getkombucha.com/topics/kombucha-mother-culture and how to obtain the sweetest and most flavored healthy beverage.