Description
Ever wondered how to make kombucha, or fermented tea, at home? This guide shares just how easy it is to make this fizzy beverage in your own kitchen!
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 1/2 quarts water
- 1 cup organic sugar
- 8 bags of black or green tea
- 2 cups of the starter kombucha tea, or store-bought kombucha
- 1 SCOBY per gallon jar
- Optional : 100 % juice for flavoring, 2- 4 Tbsp fresh herbs, 1 or 2 cups of chopped fresh fruit
Instructions
- Make the sweet tea. Bring the 3 1/2 quarts of water to boil in a large stock pot. Remove from the heat and stir in the cup of sugar until it is dissolved. Then, add the 8 tea bags. Allow the tea to steep until it is completely cool. This will take a few hours.
- Add the starter tea and SCOBY. Once the tea is cool, remove the tea bags and pour the sweet tea into the gallon glass jar. Next, add the starter tea and the SCOBY.
- Cover the mouth of the jar with a clean kitchen towel or wash cloth and secure with a large rubber band.
- Allow the tea to ferment for 7-10 days. During this process, you will want to keep your kombucha in a space that is room temperature and out of direct sunlight. Try not to jostle the mixture around. Check the flavor of the kombucha periodically during the fermentation period. The SCOBY may float at the top or sideways in the tea. A new SCOBY will begin to form and will probably be attached to the old SCOBY. Noticing sediment at the bottom of the jar, strings, and bubbles around the SCOBY are all completely normal.
- During the 7-10 day period, taste the kombucha and when the flavor is what you like (a good balance of sweet and sour!) move on to the next step.
- Prepare a new batch of sweet tea for your next batch of kombucha, or you can store your SCOBY in a jar with 2 cups of fermented tea in a ball jar on the counter.
- Pour the fermented kombucha into 5 16oz glass bottles and the one plastic bottle using the funnel and leaving a little space at the top.
- Add any flavorings you want (100% juice, fresh herbs, fresh fruit) to each bottle and seal with a lid or cap.
- Store the kombucha in the individual bottles for 1-3 days out of direct sunlight allowing it to carbonate and become naturally fizzy. Each day, check the firmness of the plastic bottle. Once it is firm to the touch, place the bottles of kombucha in the fridge to stop the fermentation process. Consumer your kombucha within a month.
- Make a new batch of kombucha!
Notes
*Make sure the SCOBY and starter tea do not touch metal surfaces in stock pots, pans, spoons, etc.
*When serving the kombucha from the 16 oz bottles, I like to pour it through a fine mesh strainer to make sure I get all of the “stuff” out of it. (This is just a personal preference thing!)
*For SCOBY storage tips, check out this blog
*If you try the kombucha and it isn’t carbonated enough, just set it back out on the counter for a couple of days (even after being in the fridge) and it will carbonate more.
- Category: How to
