The Hesitant Vegetarian

How to Make Kombucha

I began making kombucha again after my 4 to 5 bottle a week habit starting getting a little too expensive. I figured with a little effort I could make it at home for a fraction of the price. A gallon sized jar gives me about 6-7 bottles, which is enough to supply me with a week’s worth of kombucha. I've also reused the bottles from GT's Kombucha as they are the perfect size and have a nice plastic screw top lid. I keep about 10 on hand and run them through the dishwasher to disinfect them before using them again.

I can't stress how important cleanliness is when making kombucha. Make sure to have a clean working surface and sterilized utensils before beginning. The last thing you want to do is throw out an entire batch because of mold. It's also probably best to avoid metal and plastic; I only use glass containers when making and brewing the tea. Below are the steps I use to make a batch of kombucha:

Ingredients: 

SCOBY and starter

10 tea bags. I use both green and black.

1 cup sugar

purified water

Supplies:

gallon jar

rubber band

cloth or towel

measuring cup

wooden spoon

Step 1: Acquire a SCOBY (Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast) with starter liquid. Either buy one or get an extra from a friend already brewing. I've read that people have used unflavored store bought kombucha to produce a SCOBY but I've never tried this method.The starter is just reserved tea that brings the PH down to prevent mold growth. If no starter is available then vinegar could be used in its place.

Step 2: I buy purified water from the store in a gallon jug. Pour a few cups into a microwaveable glass container and bring it to a boil. Add the cup of sugar and dissolve it completely in the water. Let the 10 tea bags seep for 15 minutes. I typically use red rose black or green tea. The green tea makes a brew that is lighter in color and more mellow tasting.

Step 3: As the sugar and tea mixer starts to cool, I squeeze any extra liquid out of the bags and discard them. It doesn't have to be completely cool since it will be mixed with the remainder of the purified water in the gallon glass jar. Fill the jar about 3/4 full, but make sure to leave room for the SCOBY and starter. With clean hands lift the mother into the brew and pour the starter in with it.The starter should be approximately 10% of the liquid but I typically just eyeball this measurement. My SCOBY is so thick now that it always floats at the surface, but in the past it has sank to the bottom - either is fine.

Step 4: At this point I make sure to wipe any extra liquid off the jar to keep bugs away. Use a rubber band to secure a cloth or towel to the top of the jar. This allows the kombucha to breath but keeps everything else out.Temperature is extremely important; I typically ferment my tea for 7-10 days at 75 degrees. This is nearly impossible in the Pacific Northwest, so I use a reptile heater and a towel wrapped around the glass jar to maintain a constant temperature.

Step 5: If I have a batch to bottle, I'll pull out the SCOBY and enough liquid to start the next batch. I line up my sterilized bottles and fill each with 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup juice. My favorite is a mix of cranberry and raspberry. A funnel can be used to fill each bottle nearly to the top with kombucha. It works like an assembly line for me. For more carbonation, the bottles can be left out for 3-5 days before going into the refrigerator.