INGREDIENTS
- Water
- optional, organic cane sugar White Sugar
- Green and/or Black Tea Bags or Loose Tea
- Active SCOBY + Starter Tea
METHOD
EQUIPMENT
Quart or Gallon-Sized Glass Jar
Stainless Steel or Silicone Stirring Utensil
Tight-Weave Cloth or Paper Coffee Filter
Rubber band to secure the cover to the jar
KOMBUCHA INGREDIENT RATIOS
One-Quart Batch:
1½ teaspoon loose tea OR 2 tea bags
¼ cup sugar
2-3 cups water
½ cup starter tea
Half-Gallon Batch:
1 tablespoon loose tea OR 4 tea bags
½ cup sugar
6-7 cups water
1 cup starter tea
Gallon Batch:
2 tablespoons loose tea OR 8 tea bags
1 cup sugar
13-14 cups water
2 cups starter tea
DIRECTIONS FOR BREWING
1. Combine hot water and sugar in a glass jar. Stir until the sugar dissolves. The water should still be hot enough to steep the tea but does not have to be boiling.
2. Place the tea or tea bags in the sugar water to steep.
NOTE: Use a metal tea ball to contain loose tea. The tea ball (and any tea bags) should be removed before adding the SCOBY and starter tea.
3. Cool the mixture to room temperature. Alternatively you can make a batch of super strong tea with half the water and then cool it down by adding more cold after you take out the tea bags.
4. Add starter tea (NOT bottled Kombucha from a store) from a previous batch to the liquid.
5. Add an active SCOBY.
6. Cover the jar with a tight-weave towel or paper coffee filter and secure with a rubber band.
7. Allow the mixture to sit undisturbed at room temperature, out of direct sunlight, for 7-30 days, or to taste. The longer the Kombucha ferments, the less sweet and more vinegary it will taste. Don’t forget to label the jar with the date so you know when you started the brew. I like brewing mine for about 8 days, so feel free to taste a spoonful as the days go by to see when it tastes best to you.
8. Pour Kombucha off the top of the jar for consuming. Keep the SCOBY and enough liquid from the bottom of the jar to use as starter tea for the next batch.
The finished Kombucha can be flavored and bottled if desired, or enjoyed plain. If you are interested in flavouring your Kombucha, look up Second Fermentation Kombucha online, and you will find lots of tips and tricks on how to create a fizzy, carbonated version with added flavours from fruit, ginger or herbs.