Real Vanilla Bean Kombucha

A co-worker does some work with some vanilla farmers in Mexico. He hooked me up with this vanilla bean.  They sell for $6- if you are interested.

I never knew that vanilla beans were bendable and almost soft like.  They smell amazing!! I decided to make some kombucha with the vanilla.  I also am making some vanilla extract with the pod.

Look how a good pod bends.



I made the kombucha base- with only black tea.

    These are the seeds- they are so tiny!

I sliced open the pod and scrapped out the seeds,  I also never knew the seeds were so small.  I added the seeds to each gallon of kombucha.

Then in 8 days after the kombucha was ready to bottle and make it carbonated.   When I took the mother out of the F1 Kombucha, I could see all the vanilla beans attached to the mother- it was a bit odd.    But, I tasted the F1- before the kombucha carbonated and it was really good.  You could totally taste the vanilla in the kombucha!  I had no idea how it would turn out, but the flavor was wonderful.





Now, I have bottled it with apple juice for a week to make it carbonated, and the real test will be how it tastes then!  I will let you know how it turns out!

I finished the kombucha on Saturday evening but I waited until Monday morning to try it until I got together with my tasting buddies!!  I have been having fun trying flavors with Scott and Doug.  Doug is the one I got the vanilla seeds from. 
It was hard to wait to try the kombucha, but I really wanted to wait for the guys to try it.  The results are in- we love it!!!  My boss bought 3 bottles of it.  

We said that the vanilla flavor is suttle and you taste it at the end.  I am so very pleased with the results!!