Plain kombucha served with ice, mint leaves, tequila and agave worms. Delicious!
Me: Hey Bob, would you like a glass of kombucha?
Bob: Yeah OK, thanks, but what are those floating stuff in the bottles?
Me: Oh them, they’re nothing, don’t worry about it. I hardly notice them. They’re just leftover strands of the SCOBY which was used to ferment the kombucha, mixed with the fruit juice and other stuff that was used to flavour the kombucha and make it go fizzy. It’s all natural and normal of course. Well, from what I’ve read about making it at least. In fact, I’ve drunk store-bought kombucha with these strands in it before, so I think it should be OK. Anyhow, did you know that you can tell the quality of the kombucha by the amount of strands and stuff that are floating in it? [Note: I made this last sentence up.]
Bob: Oh really. No, I didn’t know that. Is that right?
Me: Nooo – hahaha – I’m just joking. But it is true that it’s a natural thing that exists in the kombucha, and they’re meant to be harmless. [Note: This point is true.] Besides, I’m going to strain it out first before serving it, so you won’t taste or feel the stuff at all.
Bob: Well, OK then. If you say so. Perhaps I can stay for one drink, but I should hurray up afterwards because I have an appointment to go to.
[Two drinks later]
Me: Now that wasn’t too bad was it?
Bob: Wow, that was great! It’s a very refreshing and tasty drink Padaek. Well done!
Me: Thanks Bob. Yes, I’m very impressed with it actually. And considering the time and effort that I put into making it myself at home, it’s kind of been worth it. Would you like another one?
Bob: Well, I wouldn’t say no. I mean, I would hate to see all of those bottles go to waste, and considering that kombucha is high in probiotics and good for my inner health, I could stay for just one more. And that shot of tequila and agave worms do go well with it doesn’t it? Hahaha – do you mind?
Me: Of course not Bob. 1
~
[dropcap]How[/dropcap] is this weather possible? It’s so unpredictable and unreliable atm. I’ve been postponing this update post for the kombucha for days now, waiting for the right sunny day to come, but just as I’m getting ready, it sombres up. I’ve had enough waiting and finally decided to go ahead with this post yesterday, even if it was overcast which explains why the photos look a little dark.
Anyhow, I’m glad that I opened the bottles yesterday because the kombucha tasted amazing! bigsmile There’s so much flavour, character, deliciousness and effervescence in them. I think I’ve found my new favourite cold drink and I think it would make a great beverage to have at Christmas lunch or any get together.
It was an outstanding culinary experience with significant health benefits. ~ my beloved guinea pig.
Please note that I kept the kombucha bottled for the “second ferment” for 7 days. After which, I stored them in the fridge for 4 days, and then opened them yesterday for the first time to taste and drink them.
Would I buy kombucha again? Seeing that I can make my own great tasting supply of kombucha at home, I can’t see why I would. I can’t tell you the properties of my kombucha nor properly compare it to store-bought kombucha, but the flavour is indeed similar and it does taste extremely delicious and refreshing! It’s also cheaper to drink homemade kombucha too. So, the answer is most likely no, and I’ll probably only buy kombucha to try new flavours/brands.
Note: The title of this post is a reference to Kate Bush’s #1 80s hit “Babooshka“. Whilst I’m not particularly well versed with Kate Bush’s catalogue, the song did ring in my mind several times during the kombucha making process. I do think that Kate’s voice is exceptional, and the other singer that I know of that comes close is Kate Miller-Heidke. Like Babooshka, the homemade kombucha can take different forms/appearances (flavours), including plain uncarbonated (without the second ferment), plain carbonated (with the second ferment), apple, blueberry, or blackcurrant – as I’ve demonstrated. Unlike Babooshka, the homemade kombucha looks and tastes fabulous/delicious in all of its incarnations. Especially after it’s been refrigerated. 2
If you would like to make your own kombucha at home, here’s the series of post to show you how:
1. How to make kombucha, Part 1: grow your own SCOBY mother/mushroom/baby
2. Meet XING – our new kombucha SCOBY baby/mother/mushroom/starter culture
3. How to make kombucha, Part 2: Finally, just brew the kombucha tea
4. How to make kombucha, Part 3: The second ferment – make kombucha soda
5. All yours – kombucha, kombucha, kombucha, ya-ya!
Left to right: kombucha with cloudy apple juice, kombucha with whole fresh blueberries, kombucha with blackcurrant syrup. Both if us think that the one with black current syrup is the best – perfect sweetness, and has the most fizz! The other two are great too, but were less intense in flavour and had less fizz. Neither bottles bubbled up when I opened the lid, and only the blackcurrant kombucha fizzed up when I poured it into the glass. I’m not sure why, perhaps because of the higher sugar content in the syrup? There was definitely fizz, zing and tang in the taste of all the bottles though, especially compared to before they were bottled.
Note: All bottles of kombucha, including these three had “stuff” (strands, floating SCOBY-esque things) growing in them when they were fermenting at room temperature for 7 days. Strangely enough, after I put the jars in the fridge to stop them fermenting, nearly all of the floating stuff and strands had disappeared from the surface and sank to the bottom of the bottles (as if they died). The kombucha became cleaner and clearer. I’m not sure why this happened. I advise to store the bottles of kombucha in the fridge for a few days before drinking for this reason. I actually did not need to strain the kombucha for the first few glasses. Excellent!
Front row are both plain kombucha. As you can see, both bottles have sediments at the bottom, and the one on the right had a SCOBY growing in it. SCOBY mania! But besides that, the kombucha is quite clear of “stuff” floating in it. For some reason, the half bottle of plain kombucha on the right was the fizziest out of all the bottles. There was a welcoming fizz sound when I opened the lid. I’m not sure why/how it became so fizzy/carbonated, but am surprised and glad that it worked and turned out well! Didn’t drink/eat the SCOBY in it though.
Plain kombucha served with ice, mint leaves, tequila and agave worms.
I know this post is about the kombucha, but how delicious do those agave worms look?
Blueberry kombucha served with ice and blueberries.
Apple kombucha served with ice and granny smith apple slices.
Blackcurrant kombucha served with ice. Fanta-bulous! Notice the extra fizz/bubbles in the blackcurrant kombucha?
Blackcurrant kombucha served with ice.
Meanwhile, XING and her siblings doing their thing, making more green tea kombucha for us. Go XING!
Notes:
- The conversation between Me and Bob is not real. It’s an enactment. ↩
- “Babushka” is the Russian word for “grandmother”, although the stress in Russian falls on the first syllable, not the second. Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babooshka_(song). ↩