I’ve been a long time health freak and brewer of Kombucha. Kombucha is a fermented, slightly fizzy tea drink that has many claimed health benefits. Its produced by fermenting tea with a SCOBY (Symbiotic Colony Of Bacteria and Yeast) for a varying length of time. I brew mine for around 2-3 weeks but the longer you leave it the more it will ferment and you can (like I have done before) end up with a very vinegary tasting drink.
I brew mine with white tea as it adds a lot more health benefits and tastes less bitter than black or green tea. I find once brewed it has a slight fizzy apple(ish) taste which to be honest is quite nice. You will also notice that once the tea has fermented you will end up with another SCOBY usually on the top which can then be given to a friend or used to make more.
My current recipe:
Equipment / Ingredients:
Kilner 5 Litre Drinks Dispenser
10 Organic White Tea Bags
1 – 1.5 Cups of White Sugar (128g – 192g)
5L of Water (preferably filtered/purified)
Large SCOBY (Purchased in the UK here or via a Google search)
Wooden spoon
Small piece of cloth
Elastic band
Steps:
- Boil 5L of water (this can be done in parts or all in one go)
- Add the Organic White Tea Bags to the drinks dispenser
- Add the 5L of water and allow to brew for 15-20 mins
- Remove the teabags with the wooden spoon
- Add the sugar and stir until dissolved.
- Leave the tea to cool to room temperature then add the active SCOBY with the starter juice which should come with it. If yours didn’t, use 2 cups of distilled White Vinegar.
- Cover the top with a piece of cloth and elastic band so it can breath. (This is essential as gas can build up and to stop fruit fly)
- Leave in a place that does not experience extreme temperatures or direct sunlight.
- Come back in 2-3 weeks and empty into bottles.
- Repeat with old or new SCOBY.
Warning: Be careful when using boiling water in glass dispensers as they can leak or shatter if your not careful. Kombucha also contains a tiny amount of alcohol.
Here's mine ready to drink: