Kombucha Starter Culture – Manchurian Mushroom
$15.00
Out of stock
Description
Kombucha starter or “mother” culture in one cup of sour tea, enough to get started brewing up to one gallon of kombucha tea. You’ll need a cotton cloth, rubber band, suitable 1 gallon glass brewing container to get started. Brew guide with instructions supplied.
The Kombucha is a tough rubber-like skin, which is actually a complex symbiosis of yeasts and bacteria. SCOBY (scO-bee, symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast), is grown on an infusion of tea and sugar, allowing the yeast and bacteria complex to proliferate, producing an acidic and sour cider-like beverage usually referred to as Kombucha tea. Often called the Manchurian Mushroom, it is not a mushroom at all.
Some alcohol is produced by the yeast during fermentation, but is ultimately changed to acetic acid by the bacteria . The finished Kombucha Tea will contain roughly 0.5 to 1% alcohol as well as lesser amounts of lactic acid, tartaric acid, malic acid, malonic acid, citric acid, and oxalic acid. A small amount of caffeine may also be present if the brew originated with black or green teas.
Many wild claims have been made about the health benefits of drinking Kombucha tea. There is little evidence to support much of it, in fact most contemporary studies have proven the finished tea to contain no antibiotic activity beyond the natural mild detoxifying effects of the acetic acid and lactic acid. As a pleasant to drink, easy to brew healthy beverage, Kombucha tea may contain some health benefits, though not nearly the cure-all panacea often claimed. Some studies suggest regular drinkers experienced a reduction in the number of colds. It is also reported to be a good protectant against the daily assault on our bodies from various environmental pollution.
Will it make you strong like an ox, with eyes of the eagle, and the youthful vigor of a spring chicken? Who knows… brew some tea and enjoy!
With each brewing you may produce new baby cultures on the surface of your tea. These baby scobies can be utilized to expand your brewing or given to friends as gifts!
Kombucha has enjoyed a recent resurgence in the US, but has been used as a traditional herbal remedy for thousands of years. The first reported use of Kombucha dates to the Tsim-Dynasty of the Chinese empire in 221 B.C.
Note: Due to the nature of this item shipping restrictions may exist for international order requests. For orders outside the USA, please verify that you are able to legally import this biologically active material before placing your order.
Note: as with any beverage that makes “medicinal” claims, it is worth spending some time exploring the literature available. Please consult the following books and links for more information on Kombucha, brewing, and consumption.
