The Kombucha Diaries

Kombucha and I have a like-apathy relationship.  Don't get me wrong, I like kombucha.  To begin with, I like tea.  So much so that an entire shelf of my pantry is devoted many, many different varieties of tea.  So, how could I not like a different way to prepare tea so that it is fizzy and soda-like?

I also like that kombucha is easy to make at home.  Very easy.  A new batch only takes about 20 minutes of preparation (including steeping) and is ready after less than two weeks of fermentation.  This ease of preparation is, in part, what has led to the apathy side of my relationship with kombucha.

I enjoy a glass of kombucha maybe every ten days.  It is great as a soda replacement when watching a movie, for example.  Or on a very hot day after working in the barnyard.  I do not; however, drink a gallon of kombucha within a two week period.  Ever.  Since I am the only one in our household who currently partakes, I feel like it is "needy" for requiring my attention every two weeks.  The nerve!  I am a very busy person. And so, the bottles of kombucha in our beer fridge keep piling up.

As other things occupy my time, I have a tendency of "forgetting" about my kombucha sitting high up there on the kitchen cabinet constantly beckoning for attention.  Me: "Sorry kombucha, I am busy today.  Please wait your turn." And before I know it, "kombucha apathy" has set in and as weeks turn into months, my kombucha turns into vinegar (which is also tasty, by the way).

This batch of kombucha has been sitting on the shelf since Christmas.

Anyway, today it was finally kombucha's day in the sun, so to speak.  I brought it down off the shelf, brewed fresh tea, and revitalized the whole shebang.

My SCOBYs (Symbiotic Colony Of Bacteria and Yeast)

Brewing black tea.

My new batch.  Back to the shelf for fermentation.
My SCOBY hotel is on the end.

Now the timer begins again....t minus 14 days.