Kombucha

[calumscott]

No, not a long lost Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, a sort of sour/lambic barely-fermented tea from New Zealand that an ex-pat school friend introduced me to via facebook.

The idea is that you make up a good strongish black tea, add whatever flavourings you fancy, berries, spices and such. Then prime it at slightly more than ale fizz, add the starter which I'm reliably informed is a "Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria and Yeast" or SCOBY as they call it. I'm thinking the champagne yeast/lacobacillus combo that we use for cider will be ideal.

Then just leave it to get fizzy and condition a bit. She reckons that it should be drunk 7-30 days from mixing.

Sounds bloody lovely for the scorching hot summer* we're about to get...

I'm going to give it a whirl I reckon.



* - unless yesterday was the sum total of it, of course

 

[graysalchemy]

This is what you want

 

[calumscott]

Jeezus! That's one strange looking amoebic erm... Thing. It's the bloody THING! :lol:

 

[calumscott]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SCOBY

Seems to be Acetobacter that gives the culture its THING-like properties...

 

[graysalchemy]

Alien Placenta ? :whistle: :whistle:

 

[tonyhibbett]

I made a brew purely from strong tea once, with sugar. It was virtually undrinkable when young, but quite pleasant 10 years later.

 

[Brewtrog]

I made a brew purely from strong tea once, with sugar. It was virtually undrinkable when young, but quite pleasant 10 years later.

I've done something similar, but found it rather enjoyable young, oddly similar to a sake.