Kombucha is a fermented tea, likely to have originated in China and is now popular across the globe. It is a probiotic drink, which is also a source of polyphenols and micronutrients such as B vitamins and vitamin C.
Here’s what you’ll need to make your kombucha:
- A Kombucha Culture (or scoby)
- A glass container/jar/Kilner jar of some description (1-2 litres)
- Teabags – use organic tea, and it is imperative that all brewing is done using a base of ‘real’ tea, be it green, black, white etc.
- Sugar – granulated.
- A tight weaved cotton or muslin cloth and elastic band to cover your jar
Kombucha brews best at a constant room temperature of approximately 20-23C (70F). Placing it in an airing cupboard or similar is ideal if you do not have a warm room. In the winter or if your rooms are cold then you might find a heater tray helpful.
- Put 3-6 tea bags into your glass container.
- Then add between 70 -200 grams of sugar to the container – dependent on size and if you like it sweet (I use 70g for a 1-litre jar) – you need this at least to feed the scoby and make it grow – very little will then be left to drink.
- Pour the boiling water into the container with the tea bags and sugar (but NOT your scoby)!
- Stir then wait half an hour before removing your tea bags and leaving them to cool.
- Place the scoby in the container, the lightest side upwards if possible.
- Cover with the muslin cloth and make sure it is tightly sealed with the elastic band.
- Brew for 6-14 days (tea will lighten & become cloudier).
- To check it is ready, pour a very small amount into a glass and have a sip. If the brew tastes fruity and not like tea, it’s ready. If not, then leave it for another day and try again. As you get more experienced you will come to learn the brew duration that best suits your taste buds and palate.
- Pour your brew into another container – I sieve through muslin to remove any bits
- Store it in the fridge. The longer you leave it in the fridge, the fizzier it will get, and it can be left without going off so drink at whatever pace suits.
- Leave the scoby sitting in a small amount of the brew in its brewing jar.
- While the scoby sits in its jar in the small amount of its juice, either boil the kettle to brew another batch or if you are not ready to brew some more, securely cover the top of the jar and leave your scoby sitting in its juice.
N.B. metals should never be used with Kombucha