Making Kombucha
Making Your Own Kombucha
Making your own Kombucha is easier than you might think. It does take a little trial and error to get it just the way you like it but it really is quite easy. If you can make a big batch of strong and sugary tea… you should be right.
What you will need:
8 bags of tea (Organic)
1 cup sugar (Raw sugar)
2 cups starter tea *
3.5 litres water (1 gallon = 14 cups)
Scoby (not necessary but makes the process quicker)
Glass Jar (1 gallon is good & common)
Cotton cloth or paper towel
Elastic or string
Funnel, plate & knife
* Starter Tea = liquid/kombucha saved from the last batch of kombucha or store-bought kombucha (unpasteurized, neutral-flavoured)
SCOBY = Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria and Yeast = The floating thing in the top of a kombucha bottle.
Don’t have a scoby? If you don’t have a scoby, you can get one off a friend (ask on facebook community) or buy one off the internet and it can be sent in the mail. Or you can generally create your own with just a bottle of good quality, unadulterated kombucha. Proceed as per instructions. Using Kombucha and tea mix. A scoby will form. Leave the first batch till it is well over done. Throw out the first batch and you are ready to go with a scoby in your bottle.
How To Clean
Cleaning everything you use to do with the tea and scoby is important for the health of your scoby and production of good kombucha.
To clean jar, hands, plate, funnel, knife or any stirring implement - use hot water and vinegar instead of antibacterial soap. Things must be sterile but not contain any soapy residue (especially antibacterial stuff as this may harm your scoby).
A scoby is like the cells in your body. Everything it absorbs will stay in the cells and affect its health and how it functions.
How to make a batch of Kombucha
Step 1
Make the sugary tea
Bring enough water to a boil to fill your bottle. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar to dissolve. Drop in the tea (bags or loose leaf) and allow it to steep. You can pull bags out at desired time or leave until the water has cooled.
Cooling can take a few hours. You can speed up the cooling process by placing the pot in an ice bath.
Step 2
Transfer to jar and add the scoby
Once the tea is cool (or tepid, not hot), stir in the starter tea or add to your previously used jar with remaining kombucha from the last batch.
The starter tea makes the liquid acidic, which prevents unfriendly bacteria from taking up residence in the first few days of fermentation. The scoby which grows to the edges of your bottle creates its own organic seal to help prevent germs getting in, as does the cloth.
Gently slide the scoby into the jar with clean hands.
Cover the mouth of the jar with a cloth or paper towels secured with a rubber band
Step 3
Ferment for 7 to 10 days
Keep the jar at room temperature, out of direct sunlight, and where it won’t get jostled. Ferment for 7 to 10 days, checking the kombucha and the scoby periodically.
When is it ready?
After seven days, begin tasting the kombucha daily by using a straw to poke down the side of the scoby or by pouring a little into a cup. When it reaches a balance of sweetness and tartness that is pleasant to you, the kombucha is ready to bottle.
It is usual for the scoby to float at the top, but it is not unusually for it to sink or even float sideways during fermentation. A new cream-colored layer of scoby should start forming on the surface of the kombucha within a few days. It usually attaches to the old scoby, but it’s ok if they separate. You may also see brown stringy bits floating beneath the scoby, sediment collecting at the bottom, and bubbles collecting around the scoby. This is all normal and signs of healthy fermentation.
Fermentations tend to happen quicker if your scoby is thick or the temperature of the day is hotter.
Step 4
Bottle the kombucha
When the kombucha tastes good to you, it’s ready to be bottled.
Before proceeding, prepare and cool another pot of strong sugary tea for your next batch of kombucha, as outlined above.
With clean hands, gently lift the scoby out of the kombucha and set it on a clean plate. As you do, check it over and remove the bottom layer (the oldest layer) if the scoby is getting very thick. (See notes below)
Pour the fermented kombucha (straining, if desired) into bottles using a funnel. Leave about a half inch of air space in each bottle.
Be sure to save some kombucha for your starter tea for your next batch. Set it aside.
Step 5
Flavour your Kombucha
Here is your chance to add any juice, herbs, or fruit you may want to use as flavouring. Don’t add flavour to your original fermentation jar.
Step 6
Carbonate and refrigerate the finished kombucha
Store the bottled kombucha at room-temperature out of direct sunlight and allow 1 to 3 days for the kombucha to carbonate. This is sometimes called the second ferment. It is very rare that a bottle explodes from the pressure but it is possible.
Refrigerate to stop fermentation and carbonation, and then consume your kombucha within a month.
Step 7
Set up your new batch of kombucha
Clean the jar being used for kombucha fermentation (periodically). Combine the starter tea from your last batch of kombucha with the fresh batch of sugary tea in the fermentation jar. Slide the scoby on top, cover, and ferment for 7 to 10 days.
Maintaining your scoby
A thick scoby is a sign of health and vitality. The right strength of tea helps here. However, a scoby that is too thick can take up too much space and even ferment the sweet tea too quickly and may result is prematurely soured brews which lack depth of flavour and contain fewer probiotics.
To split a scoby that is getting too thick. Depending on the bottle size you are using, ½ inch is good. Over an inch is getting ready to split. You may be able to simply pull apart your scoby if it has a separated layer but don’t pull and rip it too much if it doesn’t let go readily. If this is the case, simply use a clean knife to cut it horizontally.
This is a great chance to share with a friend.
Trouble Shooting
· If your scoby looks unwell or develops mould or black colouring, it may be time to get a new one going.
· If your kombucha starts to taste funny, simply throw that batch out and set up another batch with the same scoby. It will either get better or worse. It is super rare for anyone to ever get sick from kombucha gone bad. So use your judgement or ask a friend.
· For picky family members, pour the kombucha early, so that it has a little higher sugar content still and less tang or vinegary flavour.
· Don’t have time : Going on holidays? – Put your fresh batch of kombucha, scoby and all, in the fridge. This will slow fermenation, bide you time and keep your scoby happy.
While a healthy scoby’s produces a better quality Kombucha, they are pretty hardy. It is a bit of trial and error to get it just right but most brews are good enough to drink with heaps of qualities that are good for your gut. And if all else fails, start over again.
Plain back tea seems to work best. Once your scoby is up and running, you can try green tea or oolong tea but some have a high oil content so are best to avoid. Organic teas are best as you want to limit fermenting any toxins or pesticides etc.
If you havn’t been drinking kombucha regularly, maybe start with ½ cup just to let the gut settle on this. After this, there is really never too much. However, it can contain a small amount of alcohol.
A ceramic or glass jar can be used. Just avoid prolonged contact with metal.
Many people feel a difference within a few days of an uplift in energy or health.
A google search will find endless benefits of Kombucha.
Enjoy creating your own great tasting and super nourishing Kombucha.