About 3 or 4 months I discovered a tea called kombucha that is reported to have tons of health benefits (filled with probiotics for gut health, helps maintain blood sugar, joint care, detoxification) and has been around for thousands of years.
I love tea so this naturally appealed to me, but I’ve also been struggling with early menopause and insulin resistance and looking for ways to heal myself naturally.
I started drinking this regularly and immediately noticed that my sugar cravings were drastically reduced (and if I maintain a healthy diet of non-processed foods then they’re almost gone).
I get a LOT of questions about my kombucha tea recipe so I hope that y’all fall in love with it as much as I have.
How to Get Started with Kombucha
I didn’t start out making kombucha myself. You can buy it at most grocery stores in the refrigerated vegetable section where you’d find bottled fruit juice.
I’ve found that it’s really best to try lots of different kinds (and always check whatever store you’re in for the brands they carry) to find the ones that you like best. My neighbor and I are kind of working together on this. We’ll both get new brands of it and then have a kombucha tasting party.
My favorite (today) is GT’s Enlightened Synergy – Trilogy. If you are just starting out with kombucha, then you should take it slow and only drink about 1/2 a bottle a day. Because of the high level of probiotics, some people have a “reaction” (know what I mean) so starting out slow is a good idea.
I personally drink at least 16 oz a day…some days more. But it can get expensive since each bottle is about $3.50 (but I feel so much better and have stopped taking some of my meds so I figure it all comes out with reduced medical costs). I did find a 6 pack of their Gingerade at Costco for $14.99 which makes them only about $2.50 a bottle.
Kombucha Tea Recipe
Kombucha is seriously easy to make. You will be so surprised. The hardest part is making sure you are constantly making some so you don’t run out and have to go buy some.
You should start by ordering a scoby. A scoby is a colony of bacteria and yeast that is used to make kombucha. It’s also called a “mother” and is kind of creepy looking but absolutely necessary to make kombucha. (You can create your own scoby, but I think the fastest way to get started is to buy one from a trusted source and then you’ll always have it if you care for it properly.)
I bought one from a store called Kombucha Kamp. They send you the scoby, a cup of starter liquid, and directions for how to brew (I also got a starter bag of organic tea leaves which was awesome but not sure that’s in every order.) You’ll also need a gallon sized glass jar for brewing.
Ingredients
- 1 gallon of purified drinking water
- 5 bags of black tea (once you get your basic recipe down you can experiment with other kinds of tea, but start with this.)
- 1 gallon sized glass or ceramic vessel for brewing
- 1 cup of sugar (just white sugar is fine it will be processed by the scoby)
- 1 scoby
- 1 cup of starter liquid (I sometimes use 2)
- 1 dish towel
- 1 rubberband
Instructions
- Bring 4 cups of water to a boil over medium heat.
- Remove from heat and add the tea bags for 10 minutes.
- Take the tea bags out and stir in the sugar until it dissolves.
- Add the tea to the brewing vessel and then add additional water until it's about 3/4 full.
- Cover it with the cloth and leave it to cool completely.
- Once the tea is completely cooled, add the starter liquid and scoby.
- Place the towel back on it and secure it with the rubber band.
- Place it somewhere out of direct sunlight.
- In 3 days, put a straw in and go past the scoby and take a drink. If it's still sweet, then it's not ready...try again in 2 days.
- Depending on the temperature, your kombucha should be ready in 5-7 days. When it starts to have a slight vinegary taste, it's ready.
- Remove the scoby and place it and 2 cups of your new kombucha into a glass bowl. If you will not be making more immediately, then place plastic wrap over it and put it in the refrigerator until you are ready to make more.
- I have saved all of my store bought kombucha bottles and use those for bottling my own kombucha....best to use a funnel!
- You can try and get it to ferment and get a little bubbly by leaving it on the counter a few more days (this hasn't ever really worked for me plus I'm too excited to drink my own brew.)
I hope this kombucha tea recipe helps you figure out how to get started with kombucha.
I was telling someone the other day that I’m just not sure how I’ve managed to lose the last 6 lbs or so (20 lbs in 2015 so far) and the only thing I can think of is that it’s the kombucha (and kefir too). I think I’ve finally found something to help heal my gut and it’s making big changes in my body both inside and out.
Have you ever tried kombucha?
PS – I am not a doctor and make no medical claims that this will work for you. This is just my experience.