How to make Kombucha

Ever heard of the healthy beverage kombucha? Well if not you will know in a moment!
Kombucha is fermented tea made from black tea, sugar and SCOBY. The beverage tastes a little bit like cider: sour, bubbly and slightly sweet. It is quite refreshing to drink this healthy, sparkly tea on a warm summer day!

You can buy kombucha in the store, but making it yourself is so much cheaper, as store bought kombucha is quite expensive. Also making homemade kombucha is healthier, better tasting and fun to do!

Making kombucha is also super simple and does not take a lot of time once you get started.
In this post I will tell you all you need to know to successfully make your own kombucha!

What you need to know before you start

A SCOBY, which stands for ”symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast”, is a whitish blob that will eat the sugar in the tea and convert it into probiotics, vitamins, antioxidants, organic acids, CO2 and a tiny little bit of alcohol. The probiotics are what makes this drink so good for gut health. The probiotics aid digestion by breaking down nutrients and making them easier to absorb.

You brew kombucha in two fermentations.
In the first fermentation, you brew a batch of strong black tea with sugar which you let cool down completely. Then you the add starter liquid (kombucha from your previous batch), and let the SCOBY glide into the tea. Then you store it somewhere dark and in room temperature, and wait for about 7-14 days.

The second fermentation is when you take out the SCOBY and transfer the fermented tea into glass bottles. This is the time where you add a flavour in the kombucha if so preferred. You will then have to store the glass bottle with the fermented tea somewhere dark and in room temperature again. Then you wait for 3-10 days, occasionally popping the lid open to let out the pressure from the CO2 that is forming from the carbonation. After the second fermentation,  you can store the kombucha in the fridge and it is ready to be consumed!

Homemade Kombucha Recipe

Before you start: In the end of this post I have made a list with important things to think of . Read it so you prevent the classic mistakes!

Ingredients

• 1 SCOBY
• 100 ml (1/2 cup) starter liquid
• 1-1,5 liter (4-6 cups) boiled water
• 2 organic black tea bags (or two scoops of loose black tea)
• 30-50 gram (1-2 oz) sugar

Tools

• Saucepan
• Glass jar
• Small piece of breathable cloth
• Rubber band
• Glass bottle

How to: First fermentation

1. Boil the water in a saucepan.
2. Add the sugar and stir until dissolved.
3. Add the tea bags and leave them there until the tea has cooled down to room temperature.
4. Pour the tea into a clean glass jar.
5. Add the starter liquid into it and stir.
6. Carefully let the SCOBY glide into the jar.
7. Cover the glass jar with a breathable cloth and secure it with a rubber band.
8. Put the jar somewhere dark and in room temperature and leave it for 7-14 days.
9. Start tasting after 7 days to discover your preference (the longer you wait, the stronger it gets).
10. When it is ready, you can start the second fermentation!

How to: Second fermentation

1. Strain the kombucha from the glass jar (be sure to leave 100 ml for your new batch!) and pour it into clean glass bottles, leaving a bit of space at the top.
2. Add an extra flavor into the bottle with kombucha if you want to.
   Ideas: Ginger, lemon juice, fruit or berries.
3. Seal the lid, put it in a cupboard and leave it for 3-10 days.
4. Open the lid of the glass bottle from time to time to release some pressure from the fermentation.
5. Now your kombucha is ready to drink! Put it in the fridge for storing.

IMPORTANT THINGS TO THINK OF

• Make sure your hands and kitchen tools are clean!
• SCOBYS can look nasty, bubbly and have white patches. This is normal!
• Don’t replace the sugar with another sweetener. The sugar is the food for the SCOBY and is needed for the fermentation.
• Use glass containers, no metal or plastic. Metal can react with the organic acids in the kombucha and harm the SCOBY. Plastic can lead to unwanted bacteria build up.
• It is important that the tea is room temperature/cold and not warm/hot before you add the starter liquid and SCOBY! Otherwise the heat can kill the SCOBY. Also I have noticed that your SCOBY sinks to the bottom if you use warm tea.
• Warm temperatures makes the fermentation go quicker, cool temperatures makes the fermentation go slower.
• Don’t put your kombucha in direct sunlight while its brewing. It weakens the SCOBY.
• Longer fermentation leads to a stronger, more acidic and less sweet taste.
• New SCOBYs will grow on top of the kombucha in the first fermentation.