Kombucha: Part 3 - How To Make It At Home
Well part three of this series has been a long time coming. My apologies for keeping you all on the edge of your seat in anticipation ;) But alas here it is! A how-to guide to making your own home brew kombucha. If you missed the first two posts of this series; Part 1 - What, When, Why & How explained what kombucha is, told some of the convoluted history, gave some reasons for drinking it and also touched on how it is made. Part 2 - Health Benefits covered a range of health benefits of consuming kombucha from the scientific backed to the subjective claims.
What You Will Need:
- 1 cup unrefined sugar
- 9 bags Black Tea
- Purified water
- SCOBY - or- 1 - 16oz bottle raw kombucha
- 1 gallon glass or ceramic jar
- Cheese cloth or piece of cotton or paper towel
Put 1 cup of sugar and 9 tea bags into a gallon jar (or multiple if you want to brew more - I do 5 gallons at a time). Boil a tea kettle of water and pour it over the tea bags and sugar. Let the tea bags steep for 5-10 minutes (I like a more bold flavor and keep them in until the mixture is down to room temperature). After the tea has steeped for as long as you choose add cool water to fill the jar about 90% full and remove the tea bags.
Once the tea is down to 75f or lower, add your SCOBY and 1 cup of raw kombucha. It is VERY important to not introduce your live kombucha or SCOBY to a tea above 75f as a higher temperature will kill it. If you do not have access to a SCOBY, you can grow one by adding 16oz of raw kombucha (purchased from a store) to the tea sugar mixture. The new source of energy and nutrients will encourage the beneficial bacteria and yeast to wake up and start multiplying again. There is an increased risk of rogue bacteria proliferating when starting from scratch like this, so be extra cautious to keep everything clean and sterile. There are people who sell SCOBYs online but I have not had to buy one so I could not recommend a distributor.
Once the tea is cool and the SCOBY/raw kombucha is pitched (beer brewing term) cover the top of your jar with cloth to allow it to breath, then place your jar(s) in a dark area, ideally where the temperature stays between 65f and 72f. For this I have personally converted one of my closets into a "Live Foods" closet. This small dark area is easily and efficiently kept at a steady 68f with a thermostat controlled heater.
So how long? When is the kombucha done? The answer is purely subjective - what tastes good to you? It should be effervescent while slightly tangy with a hint of sweetness. It should not taste like a sweet tea and it also shouldn't taste like pure vinegar. I personally let it ferment for 2 weeks while in the temperature controlled room. Some would say this is too long, but I like it a little more tangy than most. After 1 week, pour a little bit out and give it a taste. Keep tasting until you find the flavor you enjoy.
After your kombucha has reached the ideal taste for your pallet, stop the fermentation process by storing it in the refrigerator or an area that stays below 50f. A jar with a spigot at the bottom is a great way to easily dispense from the refrigerator, but it will allow the carbonation to escape. I have no problem with a "flat" kombucha, but if you would rather preserve the bubbles, place it into a screw-top jar. You can "bottle cure" this way also buy leaving the secured jars at room temperature for an additional day or two. This will cause more carbonation to be suspended in the liquid.
A good bottle of organic kombucha will run you around $3.50 at the store. I calculated that there is over $100 worth of kombucha in the fridge from this 5 gallon batch - and what did it cost me to make it at home? About $12! I also reuse the same glass jars over and over again, thus saving dozens of bottles from the energy consuming recycling center or worse yet, the landfill.
After mastering the basics of brewing an "original" kombucha, you can then start to experiment with other teas and infusing fruits and herbs for an endless variety of flavors.
As always, thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed the series! If you missed Part 1 or Part 2 please feel free to follow the links. If you have any questions, please ask away and I will do my best to answer!
Learn more about me by reading my Introduction Post
Ooh cool! I like this badge :) Keep Steemit Original!
We make large batches like this too. Thanks for posting about it
Definitely trying this out. Thank you for your article 👍🏼👍🏼 Upvoted and Resteemed
Cool! Let me know how it turns out! And thank you :)
You bet👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
FInally! The recipe! Now a few questions.
When the kombucha goes into the frige, I assume the SCOBY comes out?
And when I take it out, does it need to immediately go into another batch, or can it be stored for a little while?
If it can be stored, how do I store it?
And for some clarification, will 16 oz of raw result in a SCOBY in my first batch? And how will I know if it rogue bacteria gets in there? Just an off smell or off taste. I’m not sure I’ll know it’s off.
This is way I’m hesitant to start new things! lol
Good valid questions! I was torn as to how in depth to make this post as there are whole books written on brewing :)
I like to make a new batch within a day or two of refrigerating the first one. The SCOBY can be left in a cup or two of the freshly brewed kombucha and placed on the counter or where you had the jars stored. If you are wanting to keep the SCOBY alive for an extended period of time between batches, give it a little bit of food once a week - some sugar tea.
A 16oz kombucha should result in a SCOBY the first go around. The brew might not be that great as the small growing SCOBY will not be able to process/ferment the sugars as quickly. The first batch might be a throw away but you will have your Mother!
Bad smell, mold ontop of the SCOBY. Your nose and pallet are great indicators :)
Dive in!!!!! You will be happy that you did :) And I am here for guidance/answers!
Thanks! I wasn’t sure if I should ask so many questions, as there are whole books written on brewing. But, if you’ve already dont the research and have already been successful, then I can get quick info from you, and that leaves me more time for Steemit! lol!!!!
Seriously, thank you for taking time to answer so thoroughly. Books can give answers that leave room for interpretation, and then I get unsure. So this has been way helpful! I plan to start a batch this weekend. :) I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Yay! Cool!!! I learned most of it from my Momma and then refined my knowledge through books and trial and error :) Keep me posted!
Awesome! Thats some good looking brew! I need to get some going again... Homemade is best in my opinion. I mean it really tastes better than any store bought I've ever tried! And not to mention the savings ;) Great post!
Thank you! Please do share your brew when you get it going! I would love to know how it turns out and if there is anything I can learn from you :)
this is too easy - and that cost savings?! fuhgetaboutit! so smart!
i am going to do this soon. can i piggyback and give you a part 3.5 with some second ferment flavourings?
Seriously?! WOW! You have a kombucha gold mine in your refrigerator!
I received the starter scoby from a neighbor last week. Plan on doing some work on it today or tomorrow. Been reading ALL your posts about it and I think I am ready!
The way I go through it... It is either this or a second mortgage 😂
And AWESOME! Happy brewing! Let me know if you have any questions! :) If it gets too tart, add a splash of juice.
What's the best juice to add if it becomes too tart?
I personally think that Guava juice is amazing with it! But pretty much any juice you enjoy will go with it. Another favorite is to add ginger to the finished product.