Make Kombucha at Home

Making Kombucha at Home

Here is a simple kombucha recipe that can be enjoyed as it is (my preference) or this can be used as a based for your own flavorings. 

Batch: 1/2 gallon in size

Ferments & Ingredients

• 100 g Organic Cane Sugar
• 10 g  Black Tea, Oolong (3-4 bags) or loose tea leaves
• 1 Kombucha Scoby
• 1/2 gallon Spring Water, chlorine-free water
• Apple Cider Vinegar, as needed

Wide-mouth 1/2 gallon ball jar.
Coffee filter or tight-weave cloth and rubber band to cover jar.
Swing top bottles.

Steps

Boil water and add tea bags/leaves. Steep 5 minutes, depending upon tea variety. Remove tea bags/leaves and stir in sugar until it dissolves.

Cover tightly with a lid or plastic wrap and allow to come to room temperature (70–80°F or 21–27°C).

Add sweetened tea to a sanitized jar, then add your SCOBY with all the liquid + 1 cup apple cider vinegar).

Cover jar with screen material and secure with a rubber band. Keep the jar at a 68–80°F temperature range for 7 days.

Take a small sample, smell, and taste. If you are happy with the flavor and acid balance, use a sanitized funnel to fill your bottles.Leave about an inch of head space in each bottle. If your tea is still too sweet, ferment a few days more and taste again.

To carbonate, keep the bottles at the same temperature for 3–4 more days in the  bottle. You can always pop the tops to check. When fully carbonated to your liking, transfer to the fridge and enjoy!