I have a really good friend in Mansfield that wanted to learn how to make Kombucha. So, on my Wednesday off, I drove to her house to teach her the basics of making Kombucha.
I packed up everything she would need to get started- tea, jars, scoby, etc.
My friend did a great job of taking notes...
I also have been in touch with her and she said that her batches have come out great and she likes them better than store bought Kombucha.
Makes about 1 gallon
What You Need
4-5 flavored teas- if you want a specific flavor of Kombucha and your black tea was just plain
For second fermentation- to make the fizz/carbonation:
For second fermentation- to make the fizz/carbonation:
1 to 2 cups chopped/puréed fruit (you want it to come out of the bottle again :)), or 2 to 3 cups fruit juice, or 1 to 2 tablespoons flavored tea, or 1/4 cup honey, or 2 to 4 tablespoons fresh herbs or spices
****For me I just use apple juice***
Supplies:
Stainless steel pot, not metal
1-gallon glass jar or two 2-quart glass jars
Tightly woven cloth (like clean napkins or tea towels), coffee filters, or paper towels, to cover the jar, rubber band to hold it on- keep gnats and dust out
Bottles: Six 16-oz glass bottles with plastic lids- great for regular fermentation, 6 swing-top bottle-best for 2nd fermentation/fizzy stage, or clean soda bottles
Small funnel
Make the tea base:
Bring the water to a boil- add a cup of sugar to dissolve, 8 black tea bags. Let boil around 15 minutes, then remove from heat. I then remove the 8 black tea bags and add 4-5 fruit tea bags to give it the flavor I want. Now let it cool. Depending on the size of your pot, this will take a few hours. You can speed up the cooling process by placing the pot in an ice bath. (I usually let it sit overnight).
Once the tea is cool, remove the herbal/flavored tea bags. Transfer to the gallon jar and add 1C of starter and the scoby: Pour the mixture into a 1-gallon glass jar and gently slide the scoby into the jar with clean hands. Cover jar with coffee filters, dishcloth, or paper towels secure it with a rubber band. (For me after over 3 years of making Kombucha I don't add a scoby to my fermentation, I just add a C of the starter)
FIRST FERMENTATION:
Keep the jar at room temperature, a dark place is best, and where it won't be moved around. Ferment for 7 to 10 days, checking the kombucha and the scoby periodically. *NOTE* Since I keep my house around 62 degrees, my batch might take longer in the winter. The warmer the temp, the faster it is ready. You can put masking tape on the jar with the date to help remind yourself when you started it.
It's not unusual for the scoby to move around during fermentation. A new cream-colored layer of scoby should start forming on the surface of the kombucha within a few days. It usually attaches to the old scoby, but it's ok if they separate. You may also see brown stringy bits floating beneath the scoby, sediment collecting at the bottom, and bubbles collecting around the scoby. This is all normal and signs of healthy fermentation.
After 7 days, begin tasting the kombucha daily by pouring a little out of the jar and into a cup. When it reaches a balance of sweetness and tartness that is pleasant to you, the kombucha is ready to bottle.
Remove the scoby: Before proceeding, prepare and cool another pot of strong tea for your next batch of kombucha, as outlined above. With clean hands, gently lift the scoby out of the kombucha and set aside a cup of tea and put the Scoby in that. As you do, check it over and remove the bottom layer if the scoby is getting very thick- you can add to your garden or just toss. You can finish it here, put the kombucha in bottles and put in the fridge.
SECOND FERMENTATION:
Only if you want the fizz or carbonation then you pour the fermented kombucha (straining, if desired) into bottles using the small stainless steel 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.
Store the bottled kombucha at room temperature out of direct sunlight and allow 5-7 days for the kombucha to carbonate. Until you get a feel for how quickly your kombucha carbonates, it's helpful to keep it in glass jars with ceramic bottle stoppers. Can you "burp" the bottles along the way- opening the lid to release some pressure so they do not explode during the week. Refrigerate to stop fermentation and carbonation, and then consume your kombucha within a month.
10/12/2020 Updated KEK
They say Kombucha has lots of anti-microbial powers and is full antioxidants, it helps sooth ulcers and improves the function of your pancreas. Helps with your digestion and arthritis. It supports your liver. It improves your mood. it helps you loose weight. It helps you detoxify ... This one I can say is true! I have one friend who calls it her "poop juice". I can say I've never been so regular myself!!! It also reduces the risk of heart disease and they say prevents cancer. also lots of nutrition. Helps with your good cholesterol. Boosts immunity. Treats type 2 diabetes too. I can't say that you will have all these changes or experience any of these benefits.... I'm just listing some of the things they say about Kombucha. I can say I love it and drink a lot of it :)
I also did a Science class and showed her home schoolers how to make purple Butterfly Pea Tea. It was a super fun day of teaching Kombucha and why Butterfly tea changes from blue to purple when lemonade is added.
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