Kombucha With Hibiscus

Known as the “elixir of life” Kombucha has been consumed for thousands of years and is a fermented drink originating in ancient China around 2,000 years ago. The fermented drink is claimed to be a beverage with tremendous health benefits extending to your heart, your brain and especially your gut. Kombucha is said to improve digestion, detoxify the liver, rebuild connective tissue, boost energy, reduce blood pressure, relieve headaches and migraines, be a high source to antioxidants (destroy free-radicals that cause cancer) and help to reduce inflammation and arthritis.

Hibiscus is a traditional medicinal herb recognized for its calming effects on the nervous system and its health boosting antioxidants with a fruity, but slightly tart taste. Hibiscus contains enough tannins to make the scoby thrive so you don't have to add green or black tea which is usually used to brew kombucha. 

Ingredients

2 litres of water
1-2 tbsp of hibiscus tea
6 tbsp organic cane sugar
1,5 dl starter tea (brewed kombucha)
1 SCOBY

If you're familiar with kombucha, you're probably also familiar with that pancake-like blob called a SCOBY. The acronym stands for "symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast" and is the culture required to make a good batch of kombucha tea. 

Instructions

1. Bring the water to a boil. 

2. Add the hibiscus to a tea bean or a stainless steel tea ball and let soak for 15 minutes.

3. Add organic cane sugar and stir until dissolved. Let cool.

4. Pour the tea into a mason jar or another container made of glass.

5. Add starter culture and scoby and cover with a clean towel and place the mixture to a place without direct sunlight (and preferably somewhere warm)

6. After a week or two a whole new SCOBY baby will have formed on the surface and the liquid should taste somewhat vinegary, just like kombucha. 

7. Now you’ll want to set aside your SCOBY and desired amount of starter liquid for your next batch. 

8. Pour the kombucha into glass bottles with a tight-fitting lid. You can go ahead and drink this batch as is, as the hibiscus flowers make a great taste by itself so you don't need to add any other flavor. 

9. Let it second ferment to make it more fizzy leaving the bottles out in room temperature for a few days.

10. Store the kombucha in the fridge.

Second Ferment: A second fermentation period allows the flavors to meld and achieve a deeper and more complex flavor and it's where you add berries, veggies, herbs or fruit to make your own combinations. Additionally, if bottled in an airtight container, the carbon dioxide produced during fermentation will remain, giving the kombucha the fizzy texture it is often known for.

Keep in mind that the sugar isn’t for you; it’s food for the bacteria. It needs sugar to grow and create beneficial probiotics, acids, vitamins and antioxidants. With an average 7 to 14 day brewing time, the culture processes most of the sugar, leaving you with a healthy, delicious, and low-sugar beverage.

This recipe is inspired by the talented Bente Brunvoll and her blog.