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Linda's Kombucha Recipe

Kombucha is an amazing drink. Not only does it have acetic acid (like vinegar) it also has lots of saccharomyces boulardii which is an important beneficial yeast. I love how I feel when I drink it. My body lets me know it appreciates this treat. Many others have discovered the benefits. In the dozen years I've been making it, many more options exist in the stores than before. I still like my own best.  

There are many good resources out there now. The first good resource I found on Kombucha is “Kombucha; Healthy beverage and natural remedy from the Far East: its correct preparation and use” by Gunther W. Frank. I loved how scientific he was, testing it in each stage, tasting and recording the variations. In it he addresses the many variations for making Kombucha and how this effects the final product. Based on this book and on other research online, I came up with my method.

For a great article about whether kombucha is good for you or not, go here. She goes into some detail about alcohol content, organic acids and other things. I trust this resource since she does her research and never hypes stuff. 

Per gallon jar:   
15gm or 1/4 cup organic loose leaf in a muslin bag or about 7 bags
           (bags differ in how much tea they have, so it's best to measure at first)
210 gm or 1 cup minus 1 TBSP of organic white sugar 
3 quarts approximately non-chlorinated water
1+ cup plain starter kombucha (should be 10% of solution) 
SCOBY (this stands for Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeasts)
Cover with a cloth and rubber band.

Here is my process with pictures. I take you step by step with explanations.
I use a scale and loose leaf tea. I measure 15 gm tea, and 210 gm of sugar. Below I show what that looks like using a measuring cup. I really like a mix of green tea and black tea. They each have their own properties to contribute and I figure it gives me the best of both!.

As you can see, 15gm is about 1/4 cup of loose leaf tea. Loose leaf is a better quality tea and organic is best.
Measuring the sugar to 210 gm gives you about 2 tablespoons less than a full cup. Organic sugar (it's slightly off-white) is a little less processed than regular white sugar, although you can use that, too. However, sucanat, demarara and other dark and mostly unprocessed sugars don't work so well with kombucha. 

Of course you need to put the leaves in something, so I made a bag out of muslin. My old bag was a very dark brown after years of use and it was originally white like this! 


Here I am pouring just-boiled water over my tea. 

It's important to stir and work the tea leaves a bit to make sure the water gets all around them to bring out the dark color.


Here you see the dark color. I make mine concentrated, then add water at the end. This makes it more manageable and and easier to cool down. Steep for 6 - 10 minutes. Don't go longer than 10 minutes. Tea leaves have naturally occurring fluoride, but if you steep less than 10 minutes, it's not a problem.  

Here I am straining out as much of the tea as I can while still hot.

I set aside the tea bag in order to stir in the sugar while the tea is still hot. Stir it until all of the sugar dissolves. Be sure your tools have no oils on them as this could ruin your batch. 

In all of my fermented beverages, I seem to spend a lot of time stirring! It gives me time to think. 

Now that the tea bag has cooled a bit while I stirred, I squeeze out the last little bit of tea. I make 2 batches of tea at a time. I then divide this between 2 jars the same size and set it aside while bottling the last batch.

These are my two jars with thermometers on the side. This way I can check to see if they are in the happy zone of around 77 degrees. The range that it can be brewed at is about 66 degrees to 84 degrees. 

Every batch makes another SCOBY, so they need to be separated. I put them aside while I bottle the kombucha.


Some people like to use funnels. I've never had much success with them, but I love this glass measuring cup. It has a good spout, so I pour from the jar into it and from it into the jars. 

Pouring. I have different sized jars and gradually I've gone from twist top jars to flip top. I like them and the lids don't get lost. You can use a variety of jars. Cork tops, however, don't work very well and the pressure can build and pop them out at inconvenient times. (Ask me how I know this....!) Canning jars can be used, but it won't be as fizzy. Let the bottles sit for three to five days before drinking. Store in a cool place or in the refrigerator.

This is how much starter kombucha I put in my jar. This keeps the acidity at the right level so bad things don't grow. It's about 1-1/8 cup. This also helps to create the kombucha because of the yeasts and bacterias in it.  

I pour in my tea first and if it's still too warm, I add a bit of water before adding the kombucha and SCOBY.


Adding the SCOBY.

Add non chlorinated water up to the bend in the jar and stir. This is an aerobic ferment, meaning it needs to breathe. It also likes surface air, so I've found this shape of jar to work well, better than tall narrow gallon jars. 

Muslin makes a good jar cover. You can also use a coffee filter, or a woven tea towel, or a paper towel. Never use cheese cloth, the holes are too big and those annoying fruit flies will get in there and lay eggs and multiply. Then you have to toss your batch.

Here is the dark cubby where the jars hang out until the batch is done. I've created an insulated box with a hinge lid out of the insulated bubble foil. Along the side I have a seedling mat attached to a thermostat that keeps this around 77 degrees. Because we live in an RV, temperatures can vary quite a bit and in the winter it gets pretty cold. A couple of times I've had mishaps with the thermostat not turned on and it got down to the low 60s even all bundled up. So take your dwelling's ambient temperature into consideration when you set up your brewing spot. 

My lid has a bend in it to allow air to flow in and out the sides. On top of this I place a pillow for another layer of insulation. This is where the jars hang out for 8 - 10 days. You can go longer, but the longer it sits, the more tart it gets. Some like it very tart, but I don't like to go beyond 11 days at the most.

Notes on the ingredients: NO tea with oils like peppermint or Earl Grey.  But English Breakfast, Orange Pekoe, and Gunpowder Green teas are good choices. Use plain white sugar. I look for organic sugar. Honey doesn't do the same thing nor does unprocessed sugars like sucanat or demerara. They will not feed the SCOBY as well. 
You can ferment the Kombucha for longer than 8-10 days, but it begins to get very tart. Taste it after 8 days taste it by sinking a straw into the brew, putting your finger over the top and pulling it out. If you like the taste, bottle it. If you want it more tart, keep it going. The longer it goes, the more it tastes like vinegar. If you leave it too long for your taste, you can use it in place of vinegar for recipes like salad dressing. Shorter than 8 days does not use up as much of the sugar and doesn’t have the full benefits.
When the time comes to bottle the kombucha, pour it into round bottles with lids that can be tightened. Filling it up to the top usually generates more bubbles, but too full and you won’t be able to add anything. The second ferment (as this phase is called) sits for 5 days at room temperature and then you can drink it or refrigerate it. It can also be left out on the counter longer, but it will continue to get more tart with time.
In the second ferment, once you have taken the SCOBY out and bottled it, you can add fruit or fruit juices. Be very careful how much you add since you can cause the alcohol content to increase greatly beyond the typical  0.5%  and creates a problem with the bottles. I sometimes flavor mine right after bottling it, usually just before drinking it.  My favorite things to add are ginger, blueberries, raspberries and flavored stevia. I have found that I don’t prefer fruit juice added since it can create too much fizz. You will have to experiment to discover how you like it.


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