The first time I met Angelica Kelly, creator of of the world’s largest kombucha YouTube channel and author of “The Kombucha Crafter’s Logbook,” was, ironically enough, the first time that I tried kombucha. We were camping in Joshua Tree, California, several summers ago when she passed around bottles of colorful and slightly cloudy liquid, each one delightfully effervescent, delicately vinegared and perfectly fruity. Kelly explained that this fizzy tea-based beverage had been concocted in her very own kitchen, and as it went down easily in the 100-degree heat, I became a kombucha convert.
You may have seen this probiotic-rich beverage in the health food aisle of your grocery store, packaged in apothecary-like bottles at super-high price points, but never really known what was in it.
“Kombucha is fermented sweet tea. It’s basically a type of vinegar ferment that uses beneficial (not harmful!) bacteria and yeast cultures to naturally turn sweet tea into a fizzy, slightly acidic drink,” Kelly told HuffPost.
According to a study conducted by John Hopkins Medicine, this fermentation is what helps create probiotics that aid in digestion, improve gut health, boost immunity and encourage a healthy metabolic system.
Kelly’s passion for at-home kombucha-crafting has long since surpassed hobby-level, but that doesn’t mean there’s any less experimenting in the kitchen. In fact, this very process of trial and exploration is why she encourages people to start making it on their own.
“Like anything homemade, I love that I can control exactly what goes into it and tailor it exactly to my taste preferences, [such as] the sweetness level, the quality of the tea, the fruit flavors, the level of carbonation. It’s also a really simple process once you get the hang of it, and it’s really empowering to be able to make it yourself,” Kelly said.
The true magic ingredient to any brew worth drinking is also one of its most off-putting components: SCOBY, the alien-like gelatinous pancake that is actually a live culture, similar to what you would find in yogurt, wine or sauerkraut.
“SCOBY is an acronym that stands for symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast. It’s the culture that enables fermentation and turns sweet tea into kombucha,” Kelly said.
The nature of the drink means it’s important to follow best practices when making kombucha. Because you’re allowing bacteria to grow, improper preparation methods can result in the growth of unsafe bacteria or mold. On Kelly’s website, you can learn more about how to make SCOBY yourself or the best places to buy it, as well as step-by-step instructions for crafting your own delicious and customized kombucha.
Kelly also said to avoid buying any pre-made starter kits that are available online, as most of the time, the supplies in them are limited and over-priced for what you’re getting. Instead, she recommends looking around your kitchen to find the things that you most likely already have. For the items that you don’t, you can keep scrolling to see Kelly’s list of recommended basic materials to help get you started, as well as some helpful tips.
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This USDA-certified organic culture starter makes one gallon of kombucha and includes one SCOBY that was propagated in a lab-controlled environment to create the best fermentation possible.
This English Breakfast tea option favored by Kelly has a classic smooth and hearty flavor that you can expect from a black tea.
These BPA-free glass bottles, which are Kelly's bottles of choice, use lids with high-pressure gaskets and stainless steel closures, creating a secure, airtight seal.
This particular machine by Breville, which Kelly recommends, uses a unique extraction system to create optimal juice content filled with nutrients, instead of unusable froth.