Monday, November 16, 2015

Continuous Brewing - a better quality kombucha?

An 8.5l Jar - on special this week at the Warehouse :A plastic spigot would be even better!
Continuous brewing or continuous ferment is a more traditional way of making kombucha.  It was the way they made it for centuries before our modern age.  Many people say the kombucha made this way has more nutrients and health-giving qualities.  This is due to the fact that it is a true mix of long and short fermented kombucha.

Also this method seems to avoid the mould problem some people have from time to time.

Basically you are making a large quantity of kombucha in a large glass container- MUST be glass -  and after several days when it is to your liking you draw off say a small bottle full - and replace that liquid with a fresh mix of sugar and tea.  You then let that ferment again for a few days - the fresh mix will have diluted the original kombucha a bit - and then draw off another bottle - ad infinitum :-)  As you ferment this way you can draw off larger quantities as the brew will be stronger after a few weeks of this method.

You need to wash out the container when you see it needs it - you'll know by the crust around the waterline and murk - but in the old days this was done rarely and it is better not to disturb it for as long as possible.  So only clean when absolutely necessary.

In many ways this is a lot easier that the single ferment most people do - and as I say a ;possibly better quality kombucha.

You need a glass container with a spigot/tap - the Warehouse have ones for $25 this week and Briscoes ($37) etc have them too.  I don't even bottle mine - I just use the spigot/tap to pour the kombucha into a glass and drink it straight away (I don't mind that it's not very fizzy.   Then I put and equivalent amount of sweetened tea in the container to replace what I took out.  Easy peasy!

No comments: