Wellbeing Week 2020
Our annual Wellbeing Week took place last week at our Creative Laboratory in London and the star of the show was a workshop with East London kombucha makers JARR Kombucha on the Wednesday evening.
For those not in the know kombucha is a delicious dose of goodness for your gut, low in sugar and packed full of naturally occurring probiotics, antioxidants, vitamins, enzymes and amino acids. Essentially it is a living, nutrient rich drink that not only tastes amazing but also happens to have beneficial properties that have been proven to help digestion, increase energy, detoxify the organs and balance the blood sugar levels. In its simplest form, kombucha is a blend of tea, water, sugar and a SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast).
After an insightful introduction into the world of kombucha from JARR Kombucha co-founder Adam our guests were introduced to the basics of home brewing, and they made their very own brew to take home.
KOMBUCHA RECIPE
JARR Kombucha has outlined a basic brewing recipe that will produce 2 litres of home brewed kombucha. What you’ll need to get started:
- 500 ml starter liquid/ SCOBY
- 2 litres filtered water (500 ml boiling/ 1 litre cold)
- 4 x organic unflavoured teabags (8 grams loose-leaf tea)
- 120 grams organic cane sugar
- Glass jar capable of holding 2 litres
- Stirring utensil -Breathable cotton/ cheesecloth
- Rubber band
- A warm and airy space to let your booch brew
Brewing Steps:
*Sterilise your jar and stirring utensil with boiling water before brewing.
- Boil 500 ml of filtered water. While you’re waiting, drop the 4 tea bags into your jar. Pour the 500 ml of boiling water into your jar and allow the tea bags to steep for approximately 5 minutes. *Different teas require different steep times and temperatures so please research the specifics of your tea before brewing.
- Remove the tea bags with your stirring utensil and add your 120 grams of sugar. Mix until dissolved.
- Top up your 500 ml of sweetened tea with 1 litre of cold filtered water and stir. This will cool the liquid down to below 35 degrees, making it safe to add your starter liquid/ SCOBY.
- After the tea is cooled, add 500 ml of starter liquid/ SCOBY to the jar and stir.
- Secure the cloth over your jar with a rubber band. Place in a warm, airy space out of direct sunlight. The ideal brewing temperature for kombucha is between 23 and 26 degrees.
- Leave your kombucha to brew for 5 days. After 5 days, remove and dispose of the layer of cellulose that has grown on top of the liquid. Begin stirring your kombucha with a clean utensil, bottom to top for 1 minute, twice daily. This will help to oxygenate the liquid and encourage healthy bacteria growth which will speed up the fermentation process, dissipate much of the ethanol produced and ultimately produce a cleaner and more delicious tasting kombucha.
- It is now entirely up to you to determine when your kombucha is ready based on your own personal preference. We recommend a period of about 2 weeks when fermenting at 24 degrees. If you’d like to get more specific, you can purchase ph strips/ litmus paper. Finished kombucha normally sits between 2.8 and 3.1 ph. When your kombucha is ready, put a lid on your jar and place it in the fridge. This will stop the fermentation process.
* Remember to save at least 1/4 (500 ml) of your final 2 litre brew as starter liquid/ SCOBY for your next batch. If you’d like to scale up to 4 litres for your next brew, save 1 litre of this batch.
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