Now that my manuscript for My Best Decision – Sara’s Story is off to the editor, I am catching up on a few things around the house. No, this does not mean binge-watching Netflix (although I am really enjoying season one of Mad Men and the last season of The Ranch)! I’ve been in the kitchen more than usual the last two weeks.
What have I been making, you might ask?
Kombucha.
(Long pause here. Cue the crickets.)
Don’t know what kombucha is? Well, I’d be happy to tell you.
Kombucha is fermented black or green tea. People have been drinking it for thousands of years. It is said to be good for your health. There are all sorts of health claims, ranging from improved digestion and lowered blood pressure all the way to curing cancer and AIDS. (Disclaimer: the research into the kombucha’s benefits is ongoing and have not been proven.)
I like kombucha because it is tart and carbonated and is a good replacement for soda. Water is my beverage of choice, but variety is the spice of life!
Anyway, grocery stores sell kombucha for $2.50 to $5 per bottle. My math isn’t great, but if I drink a bottle a day, that comes out to $17.50 to $35/week or $910 to $1,820/year. When you look at it like that, I’m sure everyone has something else they would like to do with their money. (FYI: I just checked – I can get a 2 roundtrip tickets to Maui for less than $1,820.)
I asked for and received a Kombucha starter kit for Christmas. (Thank you, honey!). I put off opening the box until we all got back to our regular routine as I thought it would be a hard process, but boy, was I wrong. The hardest part about the process is the waiting. It takes about two weeks for a batch to ferment. The prep involves making sweet tea and pouring it into the fermentation jar (or whatever container you are using). I tasted my kombucha every few days and once I thought it was “ready”, I moved to the second phase, which was carbonation.
I bought some bottles (they turned out to be beer bottles, but they work) for the carbonation process. The first batch turned out great! So great, I was inspired to move on to flavoring the kombucha. I’m experimenting with lemon, lavender, basil and lemongrass. I have another day or two before I know if it worked, but I’ll update you in the next month or two.
While it does require a little time, the cost of making my own kombucha is nominal compared to buying it. The starter kits range from $25 to $45. The bottles for the carbonation run around $20 for six and are reusable. The tea, vinegar and sugar you need to make two batches are another $5. So going back to my not-so-great math, you have a one-time start-up cost of $45 to $65 and a $5 cost for every 12 bottles. To make a year’s worth of kombucha, it takes my time, plus between $200 and $220.
Now there is something to be said for the convenience of purchasing things, and I’m sure I’ll still buy a few bottles here and there. But I am excited to be consuming something that I made.
Almost as exciting as publishing a new book. Not quite. Almost.
Until next week…
Photo by Klara Avsenik on Unsplash