Kombucha Recipe

Kombucha Recipe

Making your own Kombucha is pretty simple once you have a scoby.

Source a good quality scoby off someone you know. Because once you have the first one, you will produce a new scoby each time you ferment your product.  That means you will have scobies for all your family and friends.

Using organic teas is a good option and you can really pick your own flavour. I tend to like lemongrass and ginger in my tea but you could also do a fruity option if you prefer although it may not ferment as well. It is about testing what works best for you and what flavour you like the most. You can use either tea bags or loose tea which ever you prefer. With loose tea you can put it in a cotton tea net holder or use a mesh tea holder. I use the inside of the teapot as this has a handle and I can let it steep.

The best equipment is glass as metal will react with the scoby and may cause some harm to the beneficial bacteria. Plastic is also not an option as it can house nasty bacteria and again harm the scoby. So glass is the best option.

Originally kombucha was made with black tea but you can use green tea if you prefer. Sugar is one of the main ingredients and I use organic raw sugar, but originally white sugar was used (and is thought to have the best fermentation ability). But I do find raw works well for me. Don't use honey as this contains bacteria that is not suitable for fermenting and maybe harmful. Also do not use coconut sugar, agave, maple syrup or stevia as these can damage the scoby. Sugar is the hero product here so I suggest you find a good organic one.

Recipe:

• Bring 2 Litres of filtered, distilled or spring water to the boil (chlorinated water can harm the scoby).

  • Note: You can also dechlorinate your water by boiling for 20 minutes and then cooling back to room temperature, this helps the chlorine to evaporate. Then your water is ready to use as filtered water.

• Add 3/4 cup of sugar to the boiling water and stir until dissolved

• Add Tea - 2 tea bags of black/green tea and 1-2 or herbal mix. Allow to steep for at least 1 hour. Allow the sugar liquid to completely cool.

• In a 3 Litre glass jar add:

  • Scoby

  • Cold Tea mix

  • 3/4 Cup of mother tincture (from the scoby)

• Cover the jar with cotton or muslin cloth and secure with elastic band or similar.

• Date the jar for 2 weeks and store in a dark space where there is not a high temperature change. The temperature of your house will determine how long it takes to ferment. Taste your kombucha regularly to see when it is ready for your taste. The hotter the temperature the quicker it will ferment.

• Once your kombucha is ready then scoop out scoby and reserve (with 1-2 cups of liquid for the next batch) and bottle into glass jars. You can leave out of fridge if you want a bit more carbonated style drink, but once you have reached your ideal taste refrigerate as this stops the fermentation process.

• Store your scoby in the fridge until you are ready to make a new batch.

Recipe by Organic Empire.

Happy fermenting!