How to Make Kombucha

I first tried kombucha a few years ago and instantly fell in love. The first one was an Orange-Dreamsicle, and let me tell you it sure tasted like that. However, it can be quite pricey to continuously buy these so I learned how to make it. I've been doing this process for about a year now and it is just as good. Now you may be wondering what kombucha is. Well it is basically a fermented tea that is pretty darn good for your gut. Plus there is a bunch of other health benefits that I will let you look up.

Make sure to check out the video on how to make it!

What you need:

• Scoby/Starter Fluid

• 2-3 Quart Mason Jars

• 8-12 Green or Black Tea Bags

• ½ C Cane Sugar

• 8 C Water, Boiling

Tip: Avoid contact between the kombucha and metal/plastic both during and after brewing. This can weaken the scoby over time.

Steps:

1. Make the tea base: Bring the water to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar until dissolved. Drop in the tea and allow it to steep until the water is cooled. This may take a few hours. Once the tea is cool, remove the tea bags.

2. Transfer to jars and add the scoby: Pour the mixture into a 2-3 Mason Jars (the jar should hold at least 4 C of liquid). Gently slide the scoby into the jar with clean hands. Cover the mouth of the jar with a few layers tightly-woven cloth, coffee filters, or paper towels secured with a rubber band.

3. Ferment for 10 to 14 days: Keep the jar in a cool dry place out of direct sunlight. Ferment for 10 to 14 days, checking the kombucha and the scoby periodically. It's not unusual for the scoby to float at the top, bottom, or even sideways during fermentation. You may also see stringy bits floating beneath the scoby, sediment collecting at the bottom, and bubbles collecting around the scoby. This is all normal! After 10 days, you can begin tasting the kombucha by pouring a little out of the jar into a cup. When it reaches a balance of sweetness and tartness that is pleasant to you, the kombucha is ready to bottle.

4. Remove the scoby and bottle: With clean hands, gently lift the scoby out of the kombucha and set it in a clean mason jar. Add liquid from the kombucha you just made about 1 inch over the scoby so you can make a new batch later. Next, pour the fermented kombucha into bottles using the small funnel, along with any juice, herbs, or fruit you may want to use as flavoring. Leave about a half inch of head room in each bottle.

5. Second Fermentation 1-3 Days and Refrigerate: Store the bottled kombucha in a cool dry place out of direct sunlight and allow 1 to 3 days for the kombucha to carbonate. Make sure each day you ‘burp’ the kombucha by twisting off the cap to release air. Refrigerate to stop fermentation and carbonation. Want to save this for later? Pin it on Pinterest HERE.