The Kombucha, how to find the mushroom?
Kombucha tea is a fermented beverage based on tea (green tea or black tea) and a culture of bacteria and yeasts . It comes from the eastern area of Asia and arrived in Germany through Russia in the early 1900s. This ancient home remedy is the healthiest of the various types of tea, also widely used in other countries against all possible ailments and if properly treated it grows robust, accompanying its owner for life. To prepare it, the first step is to "get hold of" this crop.
But where can this mushroom be found? To prepare this tea the mushroom is necessary and you can either buy it online or get it from someone, preferably from a friend. The latter is the best option, also because shops such as health food stores or organic stores are unlikely to find it. The "mushroom" then multiplies during fermentation, thus creating a new "mushroom", lighter in color than the previous one. The mushrooms already used must be thrown away and the new mushrooms can be used for the fermentation of a new drink. The multiplication of mushrooms for the preparation of Kombucha tea allows you to buy the product once and to pass the fungus from one generation to another, from one friend to another, from one family to another.
Here's what it takes to make Kombucha tea
For the preparation of Kombucha it is necessary: the ferment or culture of Kombucha, from 70 to 100 grams of white refined sugar for every liter of water, 2 teaspoons of green tea or black tea for every liter of water.
The best thing is to start with one or two liters. Prepare the tea by bringing to boil a liter of water in a large pot and pouring, with the heat off, a teaspoon of black or green tea in freshly boiled water. Leave the leaves to infuse for about 10-15 minutes. If you do not have the leaves, the sachets are also fine. Filter the leaves or remove the sachets and add about 70-100 grams of sugar before it cools, mix and leave to cool. Only when the infusion is warm can the culture be added. Care must be taken because the crop dies if it is placed in a hot solution. When the tea has cooled, pour the solution into the glass container. If this is the first preparation, add the liquid you had with the crop. (For the subsequent times it is necessary to always keep a certain amount of preparation - starting liquid or 'starter' - to add about one tenth - 10% - of the amount of new preparation that will be produced). Put the live Kombucha crop in the liquid, making sure to cover it all with a napkin or a cotton or linen cloth, fixing it to the sides with a large elastic band. Place the glass jar with the product in a quiet place, where it will never be moved. During the fermentation process, the fungus reacts: it feeds on sugar and, in return produces valuable substances such as: glucuronic acid, lactic acid, vitamins, amino acids, antibiotic substances and other products. The mushroom to prepare Kombucha is therefore a real miniature biochemical factory!
The final phase and the bottling
Thus begins the fermentation, which should last for about 8-12 days, depending on the temperature and personal tastes. The higher the temperature, the faster the fermentation; while less days are left to ferment, the tea will remain sweet, while it will become more acidic as time passes. The temperature of the liquid should not fall below 20 ° C or rise above 30 ° C (the ideal temperature is around 23 ° - 27 ° C). Light is not necessary. The crop also works in the dark, but not in direct sunlight, as it may be damaged.
When the tea has reached the right degree of acidity (pH 2.7 - 3.2), depending on personal taste, the culture must be removed with clean hands, washed with cold or barely warm water and fill the glass jar with new tea and repeat the operations. The preparation obtained is placed in hermetically sealed bottles, where the formation of a little sediment on the bottom is normal. To have the maximum satisfaction in drinking this drink you should let it mature for a few more days, about five, after bottling and in any case it will keep for months, keeping the bottles in a cool place. The drink has a pleasant taste, it is effervescent, slightly sour and refreshing. Normally you can drink three glasses a day, a glass (100ml) in the morning on an empty stomach, the second glass after a meal during the day and the third just before going to bed.
Curiosity: the information is freely taken from the website of Günther W. Frank, who also wrote a book entirely dedicated to this drink: "Kombucha - Healthy Beverage and Natural Remedy from the Far East" .
