Kombucha 101
Kombucha is fermented black tea filled with good gut bacteria & tart flavor. It is fermented by a scoby which is essentially a colony of bacteria. The scoby is what makes the fermentation process possible & it's also what provides all of the probiotic benefits. You can rack up a serious grocery bill buying this delicious bev, but luckily it's also super easy to make at home. Here, I'll teach you how and give you some extra tips to make the process more seamless.
What you'll need:
1 scoby
8 black tea bags
1 c sugar
1 gallon water
1 coffee filter
1 rubberband
1 glass storage container that will hold >1 gallon of liquid - with spout preferred
1 mason jar that will hold scoby
How to:
1. In a large pot, bring ~1/2 gallon of water to a boil (If 1/2 gallon does not fit in your pot, it's not the end of the world - fill with as close to 1/2 gallon as possible)
2. Remove from heat & add add sugar; stir until dissolved
3. Add 8 tea bags to the water (you can tie the strings of tea bags together for easier removal) & let the tea steep for 5-10 minutes
4. After steeping, remove the tea bags & transfer the tea from the large pot to your glass storage container
5. Add the other 1/2 gallon of water into the tea and mix. Let the tea cool completely.
6. After the tea is cooled completely, add your scoby to the glass storage container with the tea
7. Place a coffee filter around the top opening of your container & secure with the rubber band (pictured above)
8. Let the kombucha sit at room temperature for 10 -14 days, or until the desired flavor is achieved. The longer you let the kombucha ferment, the more tart it will become.
9. After the kombucha tastes as tart as you would like, remove your scoby & store in a mason jar with kombucha covering ~1/2 of the scoby. You don't need a lot of liquid. Store in the fridge until you're ready to use again.
10. Divide kombucha into sealable glass bottles. This is where you can add flavoring to each individual bottle such as lemon, ginger, fruit, juices, etc. if desired. Store in the fridge until you're ready to drink.
11. If you've added flavorings to individual bottles, give them a few days to sit in the fridge before enjoying. Drink within the next few weeks.
Tips:
You can get a scoby from a friend who already has one or buy online. When you make a batch of kombucha, your scoby will generally produce a thin layer of new scoby that is lighter in color than the rest. This is called a baby scoby. You can detach the baby from the mother scoby and give the baby scoby to a friend so they can make some booch too. The scoby does not have to be refrigerated.
Always handle your scoby with clean hands
Ferment kombucha at room temp in a glass container
Having a spout on your fermenting container makes bottling easier
The top of your container should be covered as pictured. You want to cover with a breathable material that allows air to flow through but keeps dirt out. You could also use a cheese cloth or a thin dish towel but I have found coffee filters to be easiest as they're less bulky & similar in size to the opening.
Boiling only 1/2 of the water, then transferring it to a new container & addin the other 1/2 of room temperature or cold water helps to speed up the cooling process
Always make sure your tea to 100% cooled before adding the scoby - a higher temperature can kill the bacteria
Never add flavorings to the same container the scoby is in (aka during fermentation) as the scoby will absorb the flavorings can all of the kombucha you make from there on out will be that flavor.
If you're new to booch/not down to have a bacterial colony in your fridge I would highly recommend Health Ade kombucha. Some of my favorite flavors are bold orange carrot ginger, grape vibes, bubbly rose, and tropical punch.
Happy Boochin!
xx Desa