Here is a delicious recipe for kombucha flavoured with chaga and honey, a delicious fermented drink with a slightly sweet, woody taste.
After fruits and plants, why not flavour your kombucha… with a mushroom? No, we are not saying that kombucha is a mushroom. Also, we are not suggesting making a chanterelle or morel kombucha (although…) but to use a fascinating boreal mushroom: the chaga!
Chaga grows in birch forests of Canada. However, it can be found in many northern regions around the world. It has been consumed for hundreds of years in Russia for its therapeutic properties. It has impressive concentrations of antioxidants.
Its aspect may seem strange and it looks like a burnt stump on the tree! For consumption, it is found in the shape of small, dark, hardened nuggets, with brown and ochre tones.
Don’t be fooled by its burnt appearance! Chaga decoction has a woody, earthy taste with a slightly sweet finish. It can be reminiscent of coffee, without its bitterness. It also has mild aromas of maple or birch syrup.
In this recipe, the deep taste of the chaga is extracted through a long decoction. All the flavours are extracted from the small chaga nuggets. The earthy taste is counterbalanced by the honey to create a well-rounded and tasty kombucha. A must try!
Discover chaga and other delicious plants in our article on How to flavour your fermented drinks with wild plants from Canada.
Honey and Chaga Kombucha Recipe
Equipment
- Small saucepan
Ingredients
For the Kombucha
- 3 L water
- 12 g tea
- 1 kombucha scoby and its liquid culture (about 350ml)
- 200 g sugar
For the Chaga Decoction
- 500 ml water
- 12 g chaga nuggets
- 60 ml honey
Steps
Kombucha Preparation
- Pour 500 ml of boiling water into the jar with the tea. Let it brew for 15 minutes, then remove the tea.
- Add the sugar and stir well to dissolve.
- Dilute the sweetened tea with the remaining water for the kombucha.
- Once the tea is cold or lukewarm, add the kombucha scoby and its liquid culture.
- Cover with a cotton cloth and secure with a rubber band.
Fermentation
- Ferment the kombucha for 10 to 15 days. Taste from the 5th day onwards. The kombucha will become tangier.
- When you like the taste (not too sweet, not too tangy), go to the next step.
- Remove the kombucha scoby and about 500 ml (2 cups), and save for your next kombucha recipe.
Preparation of the Chaga Decoction (Flavouring)
- Put the chaga and water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 3 to 4 hours.
- Strain the decoction and collect the chaga nuggets. Keep for your next recipe (see note).
- Add the honey to the decoction and stir to dissolve.
- Let the decoction cool.
- Add the decoction to the kombucha and stir well.
- Bottle the kombucha in pressure-resistant bottles and leave it at room temperature for 3 to 4 days.
- When it is bubbly to your liking, refrigerate!
Enjoy on a mountaintop, after a forest expedition, dressed up like a coureur des bois.
Note: Chaga can be used to brew a decoction 3 to 4 times. If not used within a few days, put it in an airtight container in the freezer. Each time you use it, however, the chaga will lose a little more potency, so adjust the recipe as needed.
