Kombucha Magic – Anywhere

When you’re traveling all the time to new places, it is often hard to find things you would usually eat and drink–especially kombucha! 

I have a lot of stomach issues and sometimes eating new foods that my system is not used to processing messes my belly up, so I like to drink kombucha to calm my tum tum and keep things regular. 

Wait Whaaat – What is Kombucha?

Wikipedia Definition: Kombucha (also tea mushroom, tea fungus, or Manchurian mushroom when referring to the culture; botanical name Medusomyces gisevii Lindau^[1]) is a fermented, slightly alcoholic, lightly effervescent, sweetened black or green tea drink commonly intended as a functional beverage for its supposed health benefits. Sometimes the beverage is called kombucha tea to distinguish it from the culture of bacteria and yeast.^[2] Juice, spices, or other flavorings are often added to enhance the taste of the beverage. The exact origins of kombucha are not known.^[3] It is thought to have originated in the area of Northeastern China, and was traditionally consumed there, but it was in Russia and eastern Europe too.

I love making my own booch but sometimes finding a Mother (SCOBY) can be difficult. Yeah, I like the store bought kombucha but most are really sweet and sugary. When I making my own booch, I can make it the way I like—slightly vinegary and with a hint of sweet and lots of bubbles.

Why am I so set on finding a Mother? 

Well, I certainly can’t carry on a big mucusy SCOBY on board a plane—can you imagine to what airport security would think if that found this in your bag=yuck! 

Ok, I am being melodramatic–she is kinda cute–and some folks do pack dehydrated or powered SCOBYs. Nice healthy Mothers and powdered Scoby can be ordered online but I’ve never had to do that.

When I get to a new place, I stop by local organic stores and farmer’s markets and ask around to see who might have an extra Mother that they might want to give away. But sometimes when I am new in town I don’t know anyone, so this is what I’ve done in the past.

Making a Mother from Scratch

I like to make my own Mother from scratch when traveling. Renting fully furnished apartments or houses usually means your kitchen is stocked with the basic cooking pots and utensils.

We were staying in Merida for 6 months and I knew I had enough time to grow a komboucha Mother and make a few bottles of booch to drink during my stay.

So, I went on a hunt to the local organic food store but couldn’t find any booch there. Then I hit the farmer’s market, and a nice couple was selling komboucha there–so bought a couple bottles. 

I went home and boiled up some bottled water and added 6 to 8 tea bags of decaffeinated green tea in a large pot, let it cool, and then mixed in about a 1/4 cup of honey and 2 cups of the original kombucha.

Most folks use sugar but I prefer honey and it works just as well and I think gives it a softer milder sweetness. I put the mixture in a big glass jar and covered it with a cotton towel and fastened the top on with a rubber band.

We had an open-air kitchen and little buggys were always flying around and the cover kept the Mother safe but gave her enough air to breathe too. I placed the jar under the counter in an open-air but dark place. 

It is crazy hot and humid in Merida, so the Mother was formed within 10 days. I waited until she was about ¼ of an inch thick and I could smell the tea had a nice slight vinegar scent. 

Homebrewed Booch

The Mother was formed and now I wanted to make some kombucha. I started by boiling a new pot of tea and added the honey when it cooled and set it aside.

I carefully used a wooden spoon to ladle out the Mother onto a plate. I poured the new booch in a glass pitcher, but left about two cups of her juice still in the container. Then I covered the pitcher with a cotton cloth and set it aside for bottling.

Then in the original Komboucha container, I added the new batch of cooled tea + honey to the remaining booch juices and carefully slid the Mother back into the concoction, covered the jar with a cotton towel and placed her back under the counter again.

I find some of my Mothers to be very social and they like being part of the action and not locked up. I also like to whisper kind words to her <3

So, I had a large pitcher filled with the new booch I made and refill the clean komboucha bottles I bought at the market and added a couple tablespoons of honey and placed them in the same dark space under the counter. 

Within 5-7 days the bottled booch fully fermented with bubbles and was ready to drink (fermenting times may vary depending on temperatures so smelling and tasting your brew once in while can be helpful).

But this was my first time making kombucha and when I opened the bottle, it exploded all over me. I didn’t realize how fizzy booch can get—so don’t forget to burb your booch by turning the cap open and closed quickly several times to let some of the carbonation out. 

Please note: By adding more honey to the bottle gives the booch a sweeter taste but can also help with creating more carbonation. Sometimes you can see the bubbles forming in the bottle and this is usually a sign that it is finished fermenting.

Also, make sure you use bottles with tight screw tops but sometimes these leak and so you won’t get good carbonation. I love the cutie cork top but you have to tie it down, and it is a bit of hassle, and they might leak too. I really like the flip-top bottles but most of the time, I use whatever I can get my hands on but most of the time I use recycled bottles.

But please be careful with your bottle choices. A few times, I’ve been awakened during the middle of the night by a loud noise and thought someone trying to break into our place. I would creep around the house scared out of my mind but didn’t find anyone there–only to discover in the morning that a fermenting booch bottle had shot its top and sprayed all over the kitchen. Needless to say, I had a huge mess to clean up=ugh.

The kombucha definitely came in handy when I got bad belly in Mexico. I felt really queasy with a touch of Montezuma’s Revenge and immediately downed a couple glasses of my booch, and within an hour, I was up and back to my normal daily routine.

Production in Merida was beyond good. I was able to make enough komboucha for me and even had some to share too. Before I left Merida, I gave my entire booch production line to a young Yucatecan woman, who had started making it for her friends and family. She said she loved how the kombucha tasted, made her skin look radiant and said it was helping her with a little weight loss too. 

Kombucha Recipes

Here are my recipes again and if you need more info, there are lots of great sites online to explore too.

Create a Mother

Boil bottles or filtered water in a big pot (I find bottled water works best)
6 to 8 tea bags (caffeinated or decaf)
¼+ cup of honey
2 cup of original kombucha (homemade or store bought)
Top covered with cloth + bound with a rubber-band
Store in an open-air place dark or somewhere out of the sun
Wait 7 to 10 days or more depending on temperature
Take Mother out and place her on plate
Leave 2 cups of new booch in the original container
Pour fermented komboucha in a pitcher, cover and set aside to bottle
(see recipe below)

Brewing Kombucha    

Add cooled tea + honey mix to original kombucha in the container
Carefully place the Mother back into the container
Store in an open-air but dark space again
Wait about 7 to 10 days
Smell for a slight vinegary scent
Give it the taste test to see if it has a bit of a bubbly spritz

If it’s ready–Start boiling a fresh tea and honey concoction
Remove the Mother and place her on a plate
Pour new booch into a pitcher and set aside to bottle (see below)
Leave 2 cups of new booch in the original container
Add cooled tea + honey mix to original kombucha in the container
Carefully place the Mother back into the container
Store in an open-air but dark space again                          

Bottled Booch

Take new homemade kombucha in the pitcher
Fill 2 bottles
Add 2 tablespoons or more of honey
Cap + store in dark space
Wait 5-7 days
Taste for sweetness and fizz
If you likey
Then drink drink drink!!!!!

How much kombucha should you drink daily? There is not a lot of research out there but many other websites suggest 8 to 12 ounces. It is up to you how much you want to drink. I personally choose to have a cup a day–when I can.

Hope this info helps all you traveling booch lovers out there!!! ☺