Make your own kombucha

“I undid the rubber band, peeled off the cheesecloth and took a tentative sniff. It smelled a bit vinegary, more peachy and a little earthy. But I was still afraid to take a swig. Was that stuff swimming around in my tea really ‘friendly’ bacteria? Visions of my future self hanging over the toilet in a sweat made me hesitant to test these waters. [...] So I poured a small glassful of my very first batch of kombucha and sipped cautiously. It tasted great. Tangy, peachy, tart, with just a hint of bitterness. And not too sugary. Then, in a moment of confidence, I poured a full glass and drank it down. I liked it better than store bought kombucha because it was more tangy than sour and less sweet.”

“I let my ginger kombucha ferment for 4 days during the second phase of the process and then kept it in the fridge for one day before curiosity got the better of me and I opened the bottle. It had a nice amount of bubbles by this point, but the taste could have been better. The first lesson learned: there’s no such thing as too little ginger. Next time, I’ll also try to have more patience and let the second fermentation go on a bit longer. It was nicely refreshing, though, so not a complete waste of time and resources. Three out of five stars.”