Making Kombucha at Home

The secret is out: Fermented foods, and drinks, are great for your health! Fermentation is a natural process where bacteria and yeast break down sugars. When you consume fermented foods and drinks, those bacteria and yeast can become part of your intestinal flora. We know these as "probiotics." Probiotics are an important part of gut health, aiding digestion, and even contributing to a healthy immune system. Examples of fermented foods and drinks include Japanese natto and miso, Korean kimchi, German sauerkraut, San Francisco sourdough bread, probiotic yogurt, kefir, tempeh, and today's star - Kombucha.

For anyone new to this healthy beverage, kombucha is a fermented tea drink, created by the action of a SCOBY on sugary tea. SCOBY stands for "symbiotic culture of bacteria & yeast." Those bacteria and yeast are responsible for the healthy properties of this delicious drink. Store bought kombucha can be pricey ($4.50 for 16 ounces at the farmer's market this morning), so I'm going to show you how you can turn a single bottle of kombucha into a never-ending supply for pennies.

Unless you're lucky enough to know someone who will gift you a SCOBY, the first step towards enjoying homebrewed kombucha is to create your own SCOBY, which can also be referred to as a "starter," or a "mother." This is the slowest part of the process, taking a few weeks, but you only need to do this step once.

After that, you'll perform a first fermentation (6 to 10 days) to make your kombucha, followed by a second fermentation (3 to 10 days) to carbonate your kombucha, followed by treating your gut and your tastebuds to a refreshing, handmade, naturally-carbonated, probiotic-rich beverage.

I brew my kombucha in a Little Big Mouth Bubbler, but you can use any one gallon jar. Glass is best. Plastic or metal are not recommended, and a wide mouth is important because you will need to remove your SCOBY. Some other options are available from the same vendor. A spigot at the bottom of the jar is nice, but costs more, so I do without.

The contents of your jar will need to be protected, while allowing CO2 to vent. I use a drilled stopper and airlock, but you could use cheesecloth, or another tightly-woven cloth, held in place with a rubberband.

Ingredients for Step 1, Making a SCOBY:

• 7 cups of water
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar - no honey or alternative sugars yet
• Black tea (4 teabags, or 1 Tbsp loose tea) - no green tea yet, and no decaf
• 1 cup of raw, unpasteurized, store-bought kombucha (unflavored)

Instructions for Step 1, Making a SCOBY:

1. Bring your water to a boil in a clean pot.
2. Remove from heat and dissolve sugar into the water.
3. Add tea and allow to steep as water cools to room temperature. This seems to take me all day, but hot water will kill the living things in the store-bought kombucha, so it's very important.

(4). Transfer this sweet tea into your brewing jar, and add the store-bought kombucha. Attach your airlock, or cover with cheesecloth, and put somewhere warm and dark until your SCOBY forms and grows to be about 1/4 inch thick. Your SCOBY will live happily in this starter tea for a long time, but the tea itself will be too vinegary to drink so, when you're ready, let's move on to Step 2, The First Fermentation.

Ingredients for Step 2, The First Fermentation:

• The SCOBY from Step 1
• 14 cups of water
• 1 cup of sugar
• Black or Green Tea (8 tea bags or 2 Tbsp loose tea)
• 2 cups of unflavored kombucha (store-bought again, or from a previous batch once you get brewing regularly, but not from Step 1)

Step 2 - The First Fermentation:

1. Bring your water to a boil in a clean pot.
2. Remove from heat and dissolve sugar into the water.
3. Add tea and allow to steep as water cools to room temperature. Again, this is very important. Hot water will kill your SCOBY.
4. Using CLEAN hands, remove your SCOBY from the starter tea and place on a clean plate. You'll be surprised how durable the SCOBY is! Pour out the starter tea. I like to rinse the jar, but it's not necessary.

(5). Pour your room temperature sweet tea into the jar, add the unflavored kombucha, and gently place your SCOBY back into the jar. It's okay if it sinks or floats at a tilt.

(6) Cover the jar or attach the airlock and return it to a warm, dark location. Plan for this first fermentation to take about a week to ten days. At that point, put a clean straw into your 'buch, cover the end with a finger withdraw it from the jar and give it a taste. You're aiming for a slightly sweet, slightly vinegary taste. When you’re happy with the taste, move onto bottling the kombucha and carbonating it in Step 3, The Final Fermentation.

In the next step, you'll be naturally carbonating your kombucha, so your containers need to be air tight. I like to use swing-top bottles, but you can use any clean, airtight bottles or jars.

If you're the creative, or adventurous type, the next step is your time to have fun. I'm a basic guy, so I'll tell you how I finish my kombucha. But, look around on-line and you're sure to find lots of suggestions for jazzing up your 'buch.

Step 3 - Final Fermentation Instructions:

1. Strain your kombucha to remove the tea leaves- I strain mine through a strainer into a pitcher. Keep a couple of cups of tea with your SCOBY to use for the next batch.
2. Add a sweetener to the strained kombucha - I use 1 tsp of honey for each 8 ounces of kombucha, but you could try a tablespoon or two of mashed fruit or fruit juice for every cup.
3. Pour into bottles and close the tops. Place in your warm, dark fermentation area and allow to ferment until carbonated, about a week. I always pour a little kombucha into a small, plastic water bottle and squeeze out most of the air. When the bottle swells and becomes hard, your kombucha is carbonated and ready to drink. Put the bottles in the fridge to slow fermentation, and enjoy daily!

Note that there will be sediment in your bottles. Don't shake the bottle before opening because it is carbonated. Also, don't forget the fermenting bottles in a closet or cabinet, because they can explode if fermentation goes on too long in an airtight container.

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I learned to make kombucha from this article on live-eat-learn. I have made every effort to make the instructions my own, but there are only so many ways to say, "boil water." All credit for any success I've had in brewing my own 'buch is due to the great information I gleaned from that article.