Thursday, July 31, 2014

Adjust the Flavor

Just a quick post to let you know that if you're brewing Kombucha Tea and the flavor is too strong i.e. too vinegary or too sour, you can adjust the  potency by shortening the fermentation period.  The average number of days for the first fermenation is 9 days.  If you ferment longer, let's say up to 14 days, your batch will be more vinegary.  Just shorten the time period to adjust the flavor.  Check out this valuable book for more info.


 Kombucha!: The Amazing Probiotic Tea that Cleanses, Heals, Energizes, and Detoxifies



Let me know how your doing.  You can also email me at kombuchacafe@gmail.com.

Be great!
Dora



Monday, July 28, 2014

Kombucha Tea Peps Up Annual Block Party

Last Saturday our block association held it's annual block party.  My husband and I ended up giving countless samples of our home-brewed Kombucha Tea to our friends and neighbors, of whom most of them said that they want to start home brewing themselves.  We always suggest that you purchase Kombucha Tea from a health food store or supermarket so you can taste the difference between the commercial brands and your own brew.  We also suggest that you begin consuming the tea regularly (my research has led me to sites which recommend around 16 oz./day) until your first batch is ready to consume.  You can purchase it here:


GTs Enlightened Organic Raw Kombucha Original, 16 Ounce -- 12 per case.




Here's an excellent article which gives much info about Kombucha Tea.  Also, if you are in the New York City area and wish to get a sample of our homemade brew, let me know.




To your health!

Dora

Saturday, July 12, 2014

What is Kombucha?


Kombucha is a fermented, probiotic beverage which is generally made from brewed black or green tea, sugar and healthy bacteria.   It can be brewed as a carbonated beverage and a non-carbonated beverage.  The key ingredients are the tea, sugar, vinegar (or starter tea) and the bacteria culture, commonly referred to as a SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast).  


 
Kombucha is referred to as the “elixir of life” and “tea of immortality”.  It’s origin dates back thousands of years and to date there remains controversy over its actual origin.  Many people attest to the healing properties of Kombucha Tea.  Here at Kombucha CafĂ©, we are not medical doctors and make no claims or recommendations.  We personally drink Kombucha Tea daily and are sharing our personal experiences with you in respect to the many improvements in our overall health, energy, and reversal of life-threatening medical conditions.  Please do your own research and check with a licensed medical practitioner in all of your health endeavors.  That being said, enjoy our blog and we look forward to your questions and comments.

Here is an excellent source of information regarding Kombucha – this book will benefit both the novice and the seasoned brewer:



Kombucha!: The Amazing Probiotic Tea that Cleanses, Heals, Energizes, and Detoxifies


Dora




Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Feeling Great!

 After drinking Kombucha Tea daily for about six weeks now, I feel terrific!  The increased energy really comes in handy while multitasking, and despite the incredible energy levels, I am able to effortlessly fall asleep at night.

I would be remiss not to mention diet and exercise at this time.  Studies show that a healthy diet, along with a exercise routine greatly improves the state of one's health.  For those of you who have been following me, I have successfully recovered from Type 2 diabetes which I was diagnosed with in 2009.  I am completely medicine-free after needing 4 shots of insulin/day ( was prescribed Novolog and Lantus).  I will post my complete story for inspirational purposes in a future post.  In the meantime, know that diabetes mellitus is 100% reversible.  The key to remember for now is to avoid processed foods and refined sugars like the plague!



Visit this blog often and stay in touch.  Here's to your health!

Dora


Monday, July 7, 2014

Welcome to Kombucha Cafe



Welcome to Kombucha Cafe, a healing place for body, mind and spirit.  We're not medical doctors and make no healing claims and accept no liability, but we love sharing information which has helped us and believe it may help you too! Feel free to share your experiences as well.

So why Kombucha Cafe?  It is customary in many cultures to offer a beverage to a visitor, whether at home or the office.  We offer the healing beverage Kombucha Tea.  I recently conducted a survey of 100 individuals, and basically I asked whether they were familiar with Kombucha Tea.  Only 2 out of 100 said they were familiar with it, and one of the two told me that she had recently learned of it about two weeks ago when she noticed it at a health food store.  As such, I am on a mission to raise awareness of this healthy, probiotic beverage which has been around for thousands of years.  (The history to follow in subsequent posts.)

I was introduced to Kombucha Tea about fifteen years ago from an acquaintance who was giving it away to those of us who were attending an unrelated business meeting at his home.  This man gave raving reviews to this health beverage which none of us at the meeting was familiar with.  I can still recall the unique flavor as being both sour and sweet, and nothing like I had ever experienced.  He then disclosed that he made this tea himself and we were welcome to come to his home and receive more Kombucha Tea (free of charge) whenever we happened to be in his area.  After the meeting ended, I went about my way and never had a reason to stay in touch with this man and so I pretty much forgot all about Kombucha.

My husband and I met a vendor earlier this year who was selling homemade Kombucha Tea.  He promoted several flavors along with the health benefits.  I mentioned to my husband that I had learned of the tea years ago before we were married, and he said that he had known about it also for at least 25 years!  The vendor was giving out samples, and we ended up purchasing two bottles at an extremely high-end price.  I knew that I wanted to include Kombucha Tea in our daily nutritional regimen, however the price point was a challenge.  We later learned that we could purchase it from health food stores as well as the supermarket, for about ¼ the price of the vendor’s brew, which we did for a short while.  Then I decided that I would learn to make the tea at home because purchasing it ceased being cost effective.  As of this writing, we have completed about 15 brews and we drink the tea daily.



As far as health benefits – I know that Kombucha is not considered to be a panacea – that is, a “be all, cure all”, however I would be remiss if I did not talk of its affect on my health.  Already, my “floaters” have begun to diminish, my hair has suddenly began growing rapidly – as evidenced by challenged areas from constant braiding beginning to fill in, my bladder control has improved (by the way, I am 57 years young), my blood sugar levels are improving, my cravings for sweets and for food in general have diminished, I sleep through the night, my stress levels have improved, and my stamina during my weekly jogging has increased.  I am regarding Kombucha Tea not necessarily as a panacea, but rather as an adaptagen – going to those areas of the body where it is needed most and helping the body to heal itself.
 
I have been spending countless hours researching the pros and cons of Kombucha Tea, and the pros win by a landslide.   More to follow in future postings, but in the meantime, the health benefits far supersede any contrary information which I've come across.  If you're not familiar with Kombucha Tea, why not try some, and start a health kick of your own?!  

Dora