Kombucha Tea and Mavi Recipes for Better Health

As American become more health conscious, they are expanding their dietary repertoire. An example is the sudden popularity of Kombucha Tea. Kombucha is a fermented beverage made from green or black tea, or even both. While this can be purchased at health food stores, it is also possible to make it yourself. Here is a quick recipe to make your own Kombucha tea:

Ingredients:
3 green tea bags
3 black tea bags
1 cup sugar
2 quarts of water
1 kombucha mushroom
2 cups of previously fermented kombucha brew

Add tea to the boiling water and allow to steep for 20 minutes. After steeping, add the sugar and allow it to dissolve. You can substitute sugar for honey or agave, but just remember that it will need additional time to ferment. I usually add an additional week. When the sugar has dissolved, allow the tea to cool until it is room temperature. Put the tea into a sterile fermenting container, cover with with a clean white cloth or a coffee filter and keep it in a dark, quiet, spot where it is sure to be undisturbed. After 7-8 days, test the tea and make sure that it has a fizzy, fermented taste. Remove the mushroom and pour into smaller glass containers. Make sure you save at least to cups for your next batch.

Another delicious fermented drink is called Mavi. I make sure to get some every time that I go to Puerto Rico. Instead of a mushroom, it is made from bark. Here is a recipe that I found on My Recipe Collection:

INGREDIENTS:

1 ounce Mavi Bark

1 ounce fresh ginger

1 whole cinnamon stick

1 1/2 cups water

12 cups water

2 1/2 cups sugar

2 1/2 cups dark brown sugar

2 cups Mavi (made on previous occasion)*

DIRECTIONS:

• Boil first four ingredients for 5 minutes. The water will turn golden.
• Remove from heat, strain liquid, and let completely cool.
• Mix next 3 ingredients in a deep pot.
• Mix in strained liquid and 2 cups mavi (previously made and also known as the "pie" or foot) to bowl and continue to mix until it starts to foam. *
• Pour into large bottles like a thorougly washed plastic gallon milk container filling only 3/4 of the way.
• For each bottle, prepare a plug made of cloth.
• Place plug in opening of bottle to fit slightly snug but not too tight.
• Place bottles outside where it will not be hit by drafts and leave in the sun about 6 hours. This will ferment the Mavi.
• Place mavi in fridge and serve once very cold. The colder, the better.

*If you don't have any pre- existing mavi, don't worry. Your first batch of mavi with the "pie" will be a little milder than the subsequent batches. Just remember to always save a couple of cups of your existing mavi!
Both beverages are delicious and full of nutrients! Add fruit juice to them for an interesting twist.

**Mavi recipe taken from http://myrecipecollection.googlepages.com/mavi