Mānuka + Kānuka Kombucha
Sustenance
18 - 11 - 22
With the festive season on the horizon, now is the time to focus on strengthening digestion and promoting nutrient assimilation. A daily glass of home brewed kombucha makes this easy-peasy. The quenching, effervescent drink is loaded with natural health benefits, working to restore and replenish deep gut health. For this recipe, we've combined the pleasantly champagne-like taste of kombucha with the healing properties of Aotearoa's native Mānuka and Kānuka.
Bursting with vitality, and supporting the immune system, Mānuka tea leaves have been long honoured for their antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and antibiotic properties, including cleansing internal parasites. Kānuka's calming properties support irritated skin, even sunburn, and can also be an effective treatment for skin conditions including eczema, rosacea, and acne.
We get it, making your own kombucha feels like a big commitment, but it is really very simple — the brewing does all the hard work for you. And with our gardens and walkways currently abundant with Mānuka and Kānuka, it is at this time of the year that the tree's dark bark gives way to bright, rounded petals. Perhaps it's a sign... Nature's reminder to give care and attention to what's inside of us all.
Ingredients
INGREDIENTS
2 Tbsp. loose-leaf Kānuka and Mānuka tea leaves, steeped in 500ml water
½ cup sugar organic evaporated cane juice, or raw sugar (remember that the SCOBY is fed, not sweetened with sugar.)
2 cups of kombucha tea + SCOBY (from your last batch or acquired)
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
3.5 litres of filtered water
INGREDIENTS
2 Tbsp. loose-leaf Kānuka and Mānuka tea leaves, steeped in 500ml water ½ cup sugar organic evaporated cane juice, or raw sugar (remember that the SCOBY is fed, not sweetened with sugar.) 2 cups of kombucha tea + SCOBY (from your last batch or acquired) 2 Tbsp. lemon juice 3.5 litres of filtered water
EQUIPMENT
something to brew tea in (very large teapot or stockpot) 1 five-liter glass jar 4 one-liter flip-top glass bottles tightly woven cloth (a clean tea towel or paper towel) rubber band wooden spoon
METHOD
Place loose tea leaves and sugar into your big pot. Stir until dissolved. Pour 2 litres of filtered boiling water over the tea leaves. Let steep for 20-30 minutes (you want it to be very strong).
Add 2 litres of cold water to your brew, and leave to cool overnight.
Pour cooled tea into a sterilised jar. Using food-handling gloves or thoroughly washed hands, place the 'mother' in the tea and pour over the kombucha starter liquid. Cover with a cloth and secure with a rubber band. You can even use a piece of paper towel or a coffee filter. The point here is to allow air to flow in and out of the brewing container, while keeping pests like fruit flies out. Place the kombucha container on the bench, or in a place where it will not be disturbed or jostled, out of direct sunlight. Let your brew ferment for 7-10 days.
During the fermentation time, you may see a lot of activity in the brewing container. Bubbles, film-y bits, and the mother SCOBY floating around and changing positions are all normal occurrences. After a few days you’ll notice the surface of the tea changing and becoming cloudy. This is the new SCOBY forming and is a great sign that you have a healthy brew on the way.
The fermented kombucha will have a slightly vinegary flavour and an almost pungent aroma. Taste the kombucha every day from day 7 onwards, and bottle it once it’s reached a taste that you enjoy.
Once your tea tastes just the way you like it, take off all your jewellery and wash your hands thoroughly to remove the SCOBY and 2 cups of kombucha. Bottle kombucha using a funnel. Seal the bottles and place in the fridge.
*In respect of Aotearoa's native bush, we advise to only take what you need, and always return your steeped leaves to its source.
