Tea for kombucha fermentation - What you should consider
We help you to find the right tea for your kombucha fermentation at home
Good and tasty tea is a basic requirement for a flavorful kombucha. Kombucha was already made with the tea plant Camellia Sinensis in ancient China. The tea plant belongs to the genus of camellias (Camellia) and the tea shrub family (Theaceae). Either black or green tea is made from all parts of the tea plant (buds, leaves, stems and flowers). Black and green tea are made from the same tea plant. The variations in the types of tea arise from different processing and the different conditions during plant cultivation.
Why do you need tea for kombucha?
The tea fungus is made up of various yeasts and bacteria and various small microorganisms. It needs nutrients such as caffeine, nitrogen and theanine to grow and thrive. These are found in the Camellia Sinensis teas described above. The tea also contains vitamins C and B and provides the scoby with various antioxidants and polyphenols.
Possible types of tea for delicious kombucha
Black tea
If your Scoby could talk he would probably advocate always being merged with black tea. A particularly nutrient-rich base with which it can work quickly and ferment quickly.
Our favorites:
- Golden Monkey
- Darjeeling
- Frisian mix (Assam, Ceylon, Indian Himalaya)
Green tea
You can usually ferment your kombucha a little faster with green tea. It gives a sweet note, which is a bit sour in the finish. However, the scoby with green tea does not grow as quickly as the one with black tea.
Our favorites:
- Sencha & Matcha
- New Spring
- Chun Mee
White tea
White tea has less caffeine and is high in antioxidants. It tastes a little sweeter than green tea. It is especially suitable for mixing with green or black tea. You shouldn't ferment with white tea only. Your Scoby could suffer as a result.
Our favorites:- Silver needle
- Shou-Mei
- Oolong tea
Oolong tea
Oolong tea is a Chinese semi-fermented tea with a long tradition. The tea, dried in the sun, gives it a unique taste. Sometimes it tastes a bit smoky or has a sweet note of honey. It can be a perfect base for the Scoby and is also a perfect kombucha companion when mixed with other types of tea.
Our favorites:
- Red robe
- Iron Goddes
- Phoenix Mountain
Which water to boil the tea?
It's hard to believe, but the quality of the water plays a big role in fermentation. The rather inconspicuous ingredient can have a positive and negative effect on your tea fungus. Ordinary tap water may have residual amounts of chlorine and chemicals, as well as fluorides. These substances can damage the scoby. It is therefore best to always use filtered water.
Which tea is not good for your kombucha??
Important! There are a few simple rules to keep in mind when choosing a tea. - Do not use tea with a high proportion of essential oils or artificial flavors (e.g. fruit tea, tea made from sage or lemon balm).
- Use prefer loose tea as bag tea.
- Should you use fruit tea or other tea than black, green or white tea, only mix it not pure!r!
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Thank you for reading! |