Kombucha Tea: 3 Joys to Fermenting at Home

  I love kombucha. Let me just start with that. And when I discovered this delicious beverage, I determined to make it a staple of my diet. But that can be expensive. A 12 oz. bottle of it generally starts at $3.50 and that’s too rich for my blood. I live with disabilities that make it difficult for me to work, so I took a look online and discovered three reasons to ferment at home: Consistent quality, economics, and your own favorite flavor profiles make fermenting at home your best (and least expensive) option to good kombucha for daily consumption.

     The best resource for home brewing I’ve found so far is Kombucha Kamp. The self-proclaimed “Kombucha Mamma” and her partner have been working with kombucha for over a decade and have a lot of good information alongside their shop. It’s a large site, with youtube video links, a blog, and a moderated forum for people at all levels of knowledge to learn from one another’s wisdom. She writes about the ease of brewing at home, and the desirability, here.

                                                                                          kombucha with fruit

     The next best resource I’ve found is Kombucha Home. This article breaks down exactly how much a person needs to do kombucha at home, with relevant links and great infographics. It discusses the different outlays a person does if they buy kombucha every day versus regular costs of home brewing, but then the author does their article one better by explaining how a person can brew on the cheap.

  The message is clear: Do It Yourself! With a little investment, you too can be brewing delicious, inexpensive, and high-quality kombucha at home.

I live in Cleveland with my fiancée, our two dogs and one cat. I started fermenting in earnest when I decided to make my own pickles and branched out into vegan kimchi and gallons of kombucha. In 2016 I started taking social media marketing classes through Coursera, along with going back to Cuyahoga Community College to complete my A.A. with a focus in Journalism. You can reach me via Twitter and Instagram @mollyblack

Things I'm considering writing about in the future:

1. Kombucha hotels: how to keep them viable and thriving
2. How to make a good tea blend: where to buy good tea and different flavor profiles
3. What to use for second bottling ferments: different bottles to use and how to burp them
4. Ideas for alcoholic mixed drinks using kombucha: bourbon and rum ideas for mixed drinks
5. How to create your own signature vegan kombucha kimchi shot: hint - the umami isn’t fish, but still comes from the sea).