Pink Fizzy Kombucha
First ferment jars and second ferment jars fermenting on the counter at the same time. This way there’s always kombucha on hand!
Kombucha is a delicious fermented tea that gets fizzy in the second ferment. It helps detox, digestion, and contains many antioxidants and beneficial enzymes and acids.
Ingredients for the first ferment
Buy the Fermentaholics SCOBY as a starter to make kombucha (on Amazon).
Green tea leaves (not a powder) like from Frontier Herbs on Amazon
Raw organic cane sugar (will be converted into amino acids by the bacteria)
Supplies for the first ferment
gallon glass jar
piece of woven cotton for the top of the lid so the kombucha can ‘breathe’ in the first ferment
smaller jars with a small neck for the second ferment.
Ingredients for the second ferment
Juice
Raw organic sugar (optional
Supplies for the second ferment
Smaller glass jars with a small neck and tight cap
funnel
Ferment kombucha according to Fermentaholics’ instructions, which comes printed on the Scoby packet. After approx 7 days the tea should taste sour and ready to use. It tastes much better if you do a second ferment to give it flavor and fizz.
Take out the Scoby and 1 C of the active fermented green tea and place in a small jar to use later to jumpstart the next batch.
The rest of the fermented tea will be flavored and consumed. Add 3/4 cup of apple juice and 3/4 cup of pomegranate juice to the gallon jar. Then transfer to smaller glass jars with small necks. The best is a jar with a metal cap, to keep in the fizz. After 2-3 days, the second ferment is ready and you can store the bottles in the fridge.
If you want it to be very fizzy and the fizz to last in the fridge, each jar should get some additional sugar (approx 1 teaspoon for 1 quart). This will be more food for the bacteria and will be consumed by the bacteria over the course of the 2-3 day second ferment. The extra sugar will make the bacteria very active and then fizzy. When the kombucha is tart and not sweet, you know the sugar was consumed and the kombucha is ready.
Tip
Juices in a supermarket that can last in the fridge are full of unlisted toxic chemicals (called GRAS). You can juice fresh organic fruit to flavor the kombucha (Nama juicer is best) or buy juice from an organic store, preferably stored in glass, one that only lasts a few days in the fridge.
There are so many ways to flavor the kombucha is the second ferment. This is just one simple recipe that will please everyone.
Kombucha has many health benefits.
The Scoby and komchucha contains all 9 essential amino acids and other amino acids. Kombucha contains organic acids that give it the tart flavor and additional health aspects. Acetic acid boosts energy, aids digestion, assists the absorption of calcium and magnesium in the gut, reduces blood sugar levels and blood triglyceride levels and increases feeling of satiety. Another acid, 5-keto-gluconic (5KGA) is a byproduct of the sugar being changed into amino acids and is a precursor to vitamin C and tartaric acid. Citric acid content helps detox. The Lactic acid fuels brain and muscle by enabling them to fuel carbohydrates more efficiently.
4ethylphenol is a common yeast in kombucha that adds earthy flavor. It is created from p-coumaric acid, an antioxidant that helps prevent carcinogens in the stomach.
There are many antioxidants in tea and the fermentation process increases them. Many enzymes (protein molecules that act as catalysts for physical processes) are present in kombucha.
The yeasts in kombucha synthesize B vitamins as they break down the sugar, multiplying the B vitamin content in the tea once it’s fermented.
Catechins are plant messengers that regulate plant physiology and are powerful antioxidants. They are antifungal, anticancer, anti-inflammatory. They are also increased during the tea fermentation process.
Many diabetics consume kombucha without an issue since the yeasts metabolizes sucrose by breaking it into fructose and glucose. Fructose rather than glucose makes up the majority of any of the low residual sugars left in kombucha after fermentation. And kombucha is antidiabetic and may lower levels of blood glucose and normalize liver and kidney toxin levels.
Kombucha has been shown to kill H.pylori and the bacteria that causes ulcers.