How To: Home Brew Kombucha
First Steps:
- Obtain a SCOBY (or mother culture) from another home-brewer, or from a reputable source. I got mine off of ebay for a reasonable fee ($10 for a few small ones). It’s rumored that you can sometimes make your own SCOBY by adding a few bottles of the original flavored kombucha tea from the store, but I prefer to start off with at least a small SCOBY.
- You may want to consider adding a bottle or two (depending on your container size) of the Original flavored kombucha tea from the store. I added two bottles (to my first brew only), just to give it an extra boost with the good bacteria.
- Obtain a reliable water source – I buy gallons of spring water since I don’t trust the tap water & chlorine & extra minerals in there.
- Buy green or black tea & sugar. I’ve been using Organic Black Darjeeling Tea & Organic Cane Sugar, but you can use regular ol’ tea & plain old white table sugar as well. I’ve actually heard that regular ‘ol sugar works better.
- Find yourself a nice sized glass or ceramic container (NO metal can come in contact w/the SCOBY) – and decide if you’re going to do a single brew, or a continuous (constantly going – usually has a spigot at the bottom to draw off tea when you need it) brew. I do a continuous brew in a 2 gallon glass container with a plastic spigot at the bottom. Found it at Target for just under $30.
- Bottles for storing & enjoying your kombucha – I found mine online & really love them! I got them & the lids separately. The 16oz amber bottles & black lined PolyCone lids work great! Plus, the price was hard to beat!
– Bring water to a boil in a pan on the stove (you don’t need to boil very much, a few inches in a large pot will do).
– Once water is boiling, remove from heat & add tea (if it’s a box of tea bags – 8 will be needed for a one gallon container, all 16 bags for 2 gallons). Let steep for 5 minutes, then remove tea bags.
– Add sugar to the tea, depending on your container size – I add 2c for my 2 gallon container, so if you’re doing a one gallon, go with 1c of sugar. Adjust accordingly for container size. Stir in until dissolved & set mixture aside to cool.
– Once tea mixture has cooled completely (can NOT be hot – could kill SCOBY), pour it into your brewing container (glass or ceramic) & then add Original kobucha from the store (if desired as a starter boost), then fill the remainder of the container up with contaminant-free water, leaving some room at the top for your SCOBY & a bit of breathing room (1/4″-1/2″ or so).
– With clean hands (and no metal rings on), gently place the SCOBY into the mixture. It will usually float at the top, or near the top, but occasionally they will sink, which is fine.
– Cover the container with a towel or cheese cloth (CO2 needs to escape, so no airtight lids), secured tightly with a rubber band or string. Keep it tight so that fruit flies and/or other bugs are unable to get in.
– Leave your container in a warm area, undisturbed for about 7-10 days.
– Next, you’re ready to bottle! You can opt to keep the original flavor, or add flavorings, such as fresh fruit and/or herbs. Add any flavor additions straight to the bottle, leaving a tiny bit of space at the top. Cap it & set it aside on the countertop for another 3-4 days for a second ferment. OR, if you’re not flavoring, you can skip the second ferment & put the bottles straight into the fridge. The longer they sit out, the longer they ferment & can develop a slight alcohol content. I like to let mine sit out about 3 days.
– If you’re doing a continuous brew, save about 20% of the kombucha in your container. Repeat steps 1-4, removing the SCOBY before pouring the fresh mixture into your container (no need to add any more bottled store-bought kombucha since you have your own starter from the previous batch now). Cover & secure the container, letting it ferment for 7-10 days before bottling & repeating again.