how to make your own kombucha tea

If you’ve discovered kombucha in your local grocery stores & are ADDICTED (but not to the hefty price per serving) read this post!! I am the opposite of a whiz in the kitchen but guys– I successfully brewed my first batch of kombucha and it was SO EASY. I know have 5 servings on hand along with the leftover SCOBY to continue to brew my own batches. 

First off- if you’ve never heard of it– kombucha is a lightly fermented sweetened black & green tea that is used as a functional food. It’s produced by fermenting the tea using a symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast, or “SCOBY.” The sugar you brew the tea with gets primarily used up by the scoby during fermentation, so you’re left with a drink filled of probiotics, active enzymes, amino acids, and polyphenols. According to the American Cancer Society, kombucha has been promoted as a “cure all” for many conditions, although there’s not much scientific evidence to back that up. I drink it because I love the flavor & the good stuff that comes in it. If you can get over the urge not to shake up the little “floaters” of bacteria (I’ve done it.. & ended up with kombucha all over my car.. yikes), you too can make this at home & enjoy for SO much less than the cost of one serving.

 

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

1 scoby with starter kombucha from a friend, looks like this:

 

2-3 organic black tea bags and 2-3 green tea bags

sugar

a large glass container– here is what I used:

a clean white, cotton cloth that you do not mind getting stained

rubber band

 

HOW DO YOU DO IT???

Bring 3 quarts of filtered or distilled water to a boil.

Add 1 cup of sugar, stir with a wooden spoon, cover, boil 5 minutes

Remove from heat & add black and green tea bags 

Steep for 10 minutes, then remove bags

Let tea cool to body temp, about 96 degrees. NOT overnight, doesn’t need to be room temp of 70s.. 1-2 hours only. You should be able to stick your finger in & not burn (if tea is too cool, it will not ferment correctly & too hot will kill the scoby)

Pour tea into glass container, add 1 scoby & about 2/3 cup starter kombucha 

Cover with clean cotton cloth & large rubber band

Place in calm, dark room without direct sunlight– NEEDS air! NOT in kitchen–> higher potential for bacteria to get in kombucha around food/cooking

Check kombucha in 7-8 days. When cooler may take 10 days to brew. Full moon or warmer weather speeds up brewing time. The new baby scoby that forms on top of the new batch should be about 1/8 or 1/4″ thick.

 

I wasn’t sure at first if my new scoby had formed after 8 days– but when I took a look at it I saw the thin layer on top of my tea was my scoby! I saved the original and new scoby along with a cup of starter kombucha so I can pass one to a friend & brew another batch myself. Next time I’ll double ferment & add some fruit flavor, but this round was original. And I’m proud to say it tastes GOOD! Could be a little fizzier, but that will come with practice. Cheers to home kombucha brewing!! 

The finished product:

 

Ashley