Kombucha Happy
Thank you, Ron! You are my ambassador of booch!
I love kombucha. It’s a healthy but guilty pleasure (only cuz it’s not cheap). If you’ve never heard of kombucha, it’s a fermented tea drink. My son Chase affectionately refers to it as booty water, a reference to its pungent aroma. What I love so much about it is its natural carbonation, essentially bacteria farts, that make it fizzy. I love fizzy! And it’s low sugar if you get the right brands.
About a year ago, someone gave me a scoby, the slimy looking thing that grows and ferments, producing the beneficial bacteria that is in kombucha. It’s also called a “mother.” Sadly, I killed the mother. That was the end of my kombucha brewing attempts.
About three weeks ago, my friend Ron dropped by with a homemade kombucha kit, complete with the scoby floating in a plastic bag. I made the batch of tea and commenced the first cycle of fermentation. Chase dropped by and happened to glance at my brewing kombucha. He said, “Mom, your pond scum looks really nice.” He swears you can clip your toenails, put them in the bathtub with water for a few days, and come up with the same thing I was attempting to brew.
Three days ago, I transferred the booch to flip-top bottles for it to begin its second fermentation. I added pineapple and ginger to some of the bottles and cilantro and cucumber to others. I was bummed I had no jalapeno to add — next time for sure.
This is the stage where the magic happens—if you’re lucky. Over the next few days, if all goes well, natural carbonation develops and you get a delicious, healthy, fizzy drink. I’d been warned the bottles might explode if too much pressure built up, so I admit I pondered the seriousness of my commitment to booch brewing for a minute. Determined not to let fear keep me from my booch, I proceeded to lock the lids down tight and wait for my fizz.
Tonight’s the night I was to burp my booch. I approached the bottle with the same fear and trepidation as Buddy the Elf when he was cranking the jack-in-the-box, waiting for it to pop up. I flipped the top….
It burped! The magic had happened!!!
Now for the taste test.
It was delicious and fizzy! I’m so happy! I didn’t kill the mother, and I successfully brewed my first batch of kombucha.
It’s not a Nobel Peace Prize or stepping onto the moon. But it sure made me happy tonight.
Cheers.
