T'ej: a grape-less wine that will blow your mind.

T'ej is the national drink of Ethiopia. A sweet golden honey-wine, it is indigenous to the country with roots going back to the 1,000 BCE. It is considered to be one of the oldest alcoholic beverages ever produced. Traditionally, it was used to toast the bride and groom at weddings. T’ej is usually home-brewed for family consumption and rarely sold commercially. Each household has its own family recipe with variations in taste resulting from the type of honey used, as well as the materials and time involved in making the mead.

Unlike kombucha, t’ej is spontaneously fermented. This means that no lab-grown yeast is added for fermentation purposes and instead, wild yeast and bacteria present in the air ferment the honey water that is used as a base. T’ej has a deceptively sweet taste that masks its high alcohol content, which varies according to length of fermentation.  Although grape wines were introduced into Ethiopia over fifty years ago, the preferred wine is still t’ej!

A berele of homemade t'ej.

Making Kombucha

Timeframe: 2 - 4 weeks

Special equipment:

- 1 gallon-sized glass jar

- Cloth (preferably organic cotton) and rubber band to cover the jar

Ingredients for 1 gallon:

- 1 SCOBY

- 6 tea bags

- 1 cup organic cane sugar

Process:

Brewing your tea.

1. Clean your brewing area, jar and utensils with soap and warm water.

2. Bring 1/4 gallon (4 cups) of water to boil in a 4-quart pot.

3. Turn off stove and add in all 6 tea bags to the pot of hot water. Steep tea for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Remove tea bags and add the 1 cup of sugar. Mix well.

5. Add 1/2 gallon (8 cups) of cold water.

6. Pour the cool tea into your glass jar.

Kombucha fermentation.

1. Make sure your tea is below 90 degrees F. If it is not, wait for it to cool.

2. Once cool, add SCOBY.

SCOBY goes in.

Hello, SCOBY.

3. Cover your jar with the cloth, held tightly over the rim with a rubber band.

Now! It's time to play the waiting game...

After a day or two, the SCOBY will sink to the bottom of the jar.

In a little less than a week, you will notice speckles forming at the top of your 'cha. You are witnessing the birth of a brand new SCOBY.

SCOBY speckles.

In 2 weeks or more, a new, pearly white SCOBY should be floating on the surface of your 'cha. This means that the kombucha is ready to drink! Let it ferment for a little while longer if you desire a particularly strong, pungent brew.

Kombucha: the gift that keeps on givin'.

When you want to consume your 'cha, put the new SCOBY in a ziplock bag and store it in the fridge. Do not discard the old SCOBY. It will be darker in color and a bit ragged-looking, but it can still make wonderful 'cha. 

Kombucha Prep

Where can I buy a SCOBY?
I received my SCOBY after participating in a seminar-style class about  fermented foods at New York's Natural Gourmet Institute. However! It can be purchased at Kombucha Brooklyn (a fantastic resource for all things related to 'cha.) A quick search on Amazon, Ebay or even Etsy will provide inexpensive SCOBY options as well. If you have a friend who brews kombucha, ask them; they will surely have extras. Or you can even make your own.

What kind of tea should I use?
Black tea is made from leaves that have been fully fermented. It gives the kombucha a strong taste and beautiful amber color. Its woody, smoky tones compliment the sharp flavor the SCOBY will give your 'cha. For these reasons, black tea is my favorite for kombucha.

Black tea

Oolong tea is half way between green and black tea. It is gently rolled and allowed to partially ferment until the edges of the tea start turning brown. Depending on the oolong you use, the 'cha can be an earthy amber like black tea 'cha or light and grassy like green tea 'cha.
Green tea is withered then heated to prevent oxidation and then rolled and dried. It has a delicate taste and light green color. Kombucha made from green tea is light in color and taste, which varies depending on the specific green tea you choose. It can range from grassy to fruity, from buttery to nutty.
White tea is the rarest and most delicate of tea, plucked 48 hours or less between the time the first buds open and the time they become fully mature. White teas are expensive but they produce a wonderful light, floral taste. The white tea kombucha brings a natural sweetness and delicacy from the tea to the 'cha.

For my first-ever batch of kombucha, I used 2 bags of white tea, 2 bags of green tea and 2 bags of black tea. It worked beautifully! This time, I selected 4 bags of black tea (a dark chai) and 2 bags of white tea.

A personal favorite.

Teas to Avoid
Do not use teas like Earl Grey that use essential oils (i.e. Bergamot in Earl Grey) to add flavor. This can upset or even kill the kombucha culture. Smoked teas like Lasang Suchong are best avoided as well. They make a very odd tasting kombucha. Herbal teas should not be used on their own unless they are a blend of real tea and herbs. Make sure your tea does not contain artificial flavoring, sweeteners or essential oils. This is imperative!
Loose leaf teas can be difficult. You don't want tea leaves floating in your 'cha, as they might stick to the SCOBY and effect the fermentation process. If you decide to use loose leaf tea, be very careful when straining.

Kombucha: A Short History

Kombucha is an effervescent tea-based beverage. It is often consumed for its anecdotal health benefits. Kombucha is available commercially and can be bought at many health food stores, including Whole Foods, for nearly $5 a bottle! Luckily, it can be made at home for much cheaper. 

One makes kombucha at home by fermenting tea using a visible, solid mass of yeast and bacteria that forms the kombucha culture. This mass is often referred to as a SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast) or a 酵母 ("yeast mother").

Yum!

What can Kombucha do for me?

Yeast and bacteria in kombucha at 400x

Although there is little published research on the health benefits of kombucha, proponents claim that it aids digestion, helps with cancer and joint recovery,  increases energy, sharpens eyesight and improves skin elasticity. In my experience, I always feel a jolt of energy after imbibing a bottle. I've also found that kombucha helps settle the stomach.

The scientific research that has been conducted about the health benefits of kombucha mostly focuses on glucuronic acid, a compound that is used by the liver for detoxification. The idea that glucuronic acid is present in kombucha is based on the observation that glucuronic acid conjugates (glucuronic acid waste chemicals) are increased in the urine after consumption. The glucuronic acid present in kombucha assists the liver by supplying more of the substance during detoxification. So, essentially, kombucha is the miracle elixir for hangovers.

Who created Kombucha?

[courtesy of San Francisco Chinese Historical Museum]

There is a legend saying that Doctor Kombu, supposedly from Korea, brought the fungus to Japan in 415 CE to heal the dying emperor, Ingyō. The Emperor was healed and from that time the bacteria was labelled Kombu-cha (cha means tea) in honor of Dr. Kombua and his magic cha. 

Kombucha has been popular in Japan for centuries, praised and respected as a wonder of nature. Japanese geishas drank kombucha to maintain slim figures and smooth skin.

From Asia, it traveled via the Silk Road to Russia and consequently all of Europe. The most definite recorded history of kombucha began in Ukraine and Russia during the late 19th century. In Russian, the kombucha culture is called čajnyj grib (literally “tea mushroom”), while the beverage itself is known as grib (“mushroom”) or “tea kvass”. 

Kombucha was very popular in Russia and Europe until World War II, when sugar and tea were rationed, making them difficult to come by for the average family. Being as they are most important ingredients, it is easy to understand why the practice was lost. Fortunately, enough preserved the tradition, and after the war, it enjoyed a resurgence among the Italian elite, then began its ascent again through Eastern Europe.

Kombucha came to the Western world via G.T. Dave. When Dave's mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1995, he was desperate to help. After doing research, he started brewing the pungent-tasting cultured tea, which she began drinking regularly. She beat cancer and credited her success to Dave's concoctions. Flash-forward 15 years and G.T. Dave is the king of kombucha with a net worth of $75M. 

Last year, kombucha sales made up 1% of Whole Foods' total annual revenue.
That's a lot of money.

G.T. Dave's kombucha is popular with Western audiences.