Pomegranate Chia Black Tea Kombucha

[GregP507]

Here's my best recipe so far:

• Brew some black tea extra strong.
• Pour 1 liter of the black tea into a 2 L bottle after it has cooled to about 135F or 60C (The warm temperature speeds up the water-absorption process).
• Pour in 200 ml of Chia seeds (or 10% of your final batch size) and shake immediately, or it will coagulate into a solid mass. Shake a few more times until about 5 minutes has passed.
• Pour in a few tablespoons of your previous batch (This speeds up the fermentation process).
• Pour in pure pomegranate juice to top up the 2L bottle. Shake again, and leave the bottle at room temperature with the lid on.
• Check for gas every few hours by loosening the cap, and listening for escaping gas. (This can take a few hours to a day or more).
• The batch is ready when the batch starts to lose sweetness, and much more gas is being produced. (Do this to personal taste and preference).
• Put in fridge to slow down the fermentation process. (It will continue much more slowly when refrigerated).

 

[sleepspeaking]

Photos or it didn't happen....


Sounds good.

 

[GregP507]

I made 4 more 2L bottles of Pomegranate Chia Black Tea Kombucha yesterday. I think I've perfected the recipe.

One bottle was ready in less than 24 hours; it started to effervesce nicely when I loosened the cap. It had a pleasant bubbly taste, and I could tell that about half the sugar had digested. I had put 5 teaspoons of sugar into each bottle. Two other bottles followed about 12 hours later, each being refrigerated after becoming mature. The last one was ready after 48 hours of fermentation.

The difference might be in the shaking. The organism needs help to spread out in the bottle, through the gelatinous mass of the chia. I shook each bottle vigorously about every 4 hours, but I think some bottles were mixed better than others. I had upped the proportion of chia seeds a bit, because I like my kombucha thicker.

I'm not sure what more I could do to improve on this one; perhaps I'll experiment with other flavors.
Cheers

 

[GregP507]

Photos or it didn't happen....


Sounds good.

If you'd like to see photos of 2L plastic bottles with a funnel in them, I'd suggest Google image search. You might also search for a teapot, and a bag of chia seeds. I think however, my textual description was suitable to the task of explaining the process. ;-)

 

[BCbuchaBoy]

i tried your recipe yesterday and was wondering if your finished product had any carbonation. it has only been 12hrs for mine but not much for bubbles yet. thanks

 

[ericbw]

If you'd like to see photos of 2L plastic bottles with a funnel in them, I'd suggest Google image search. You might also search for a teapot, and a bag of chia seeds. I think however, my textual description was suitable to the task of explaining the process. ;-)

"Pics or it didn't happen" is a recurring joke. I'm sure he meant no harm.

 

[GregP507]

i tried your recipe yesterday and was wondering if your finished product had any carbonation. it has only been 12hrs for mine but not much for bubbles yet. thanks

Yes, the batch will begin to effervesce when pressure starts to build up in the bottle. If you let it go too far, the contents will explode when you remove the cap. Refrigerate the batch when you see lots of bubbles effervescing through it when you release the pressure.

It may take longer than 36 hours your first time, because the strains of organism may not have adjusted to your recipe. That will change over time, as you inoculate each new batch with a previous batch.

 

[GregP507]

Some people have questioned the authenticity of my recipe, which is simple, quick and easy to do. But the resulting kombucha is absolutely the real thing.

It has all the benefits and good taste of the finest kombucha. Once the first batch is created using a scoby, and letting the microbes establish in harmony with the mixture, there's no need to start from scratch each time. The microbes from the last batch are perfectly suited to go to work on a fresh batch, and usually accomplish the task in about 36 hours at room temperature.

I have been making a new batch every week or so, and I have been enjoying it's health benefits for almost 2 years. I think part of the reason is that once the probiotic organisms establish in your gut, they absorb nutrients out of your food that were unavailable before you had the organism. At any rate, I can count over 50 ailments that I no longer have, or have been reduced greatly since I started drinking kombucha.

 

[KombuchaJim]

I saw a chia kombucha at the store...it looked most unappealing. My guess is it was filling with soluble fiber and looks of good stuff. Do you drink the chia seeds?

Love the pomegranate juice!