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.
(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.
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. |
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 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. |
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. |
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. |
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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