Basic Kombucha Brew
I had to join the Kombucha band waggon. Mostly because I love a beverage and having Kombucha in the fridge saves me reaching for the beers. Also, I just enjoy brewing. Having dappled with beer brewing Kombucha is a breeze. And you get the reward within a week or two.
I say a week or two because technically it's ready after a week. But you can do a second fermentation in a bottle. This carbonates the brew, by sealing off the air it keeps any gas that would otherwise escape locked in the bottle. It also gives you a chance to flavour it. In the photos below I tried Mandarin.
It would be best if you had a glass vessel to brew in. I'd avoid plastic. Glass is easy to clean too. There is no need to get clinically sterile with it. Just a good wash in hot soapy water and you're good to go.
Also, you need to get a scoby either off of a friend that brews or online. I picked mine up for AUD 10 which was delivered to me.
This recipe makes 3 litres, I use a 4-litre glass jar to brew it in.
- Scoby
- 300ml starter Kombucha
- 4 green tea bags
- 4 black tea bags
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2.7 liters of water
I add the sugar and tea bags in a mixing bowl with 500ml of boiling water. The first time I boiled all the water then I had to wait hours for it to cool down. You can use warm water but boiling water kills the scoby and starter kombucha. After the tea has steeped for 10 minutes, when it's looking lovely and tea-like you can add the 2.7 litres which cools. Next, add the starter kombucha and the scoby. I cover the jar with the lid but don't seal it! The gas needs to escape. Then put the vessel in a dark place. I use the pantry. The length of time you leave it to brew will vary depending on the condition it's brewed in and how acidic you like it. Other recipes I looked up suggested 5 to 7 days. For me in Melbourne and currently winter I've been leaving mine for about 12 days. Just taste it and you'll figure it out. The sugar is supposed to be eaten up by the microbes. So a good test is to taste it, if it's not sweet it's ready. If it's your first brew, try tasting it after 5 days, if it's too sweaty leave it longer.
Once it's good you can bottle it and flavour it. Bottling and flavouring deserve their own write-up.
