Over a year ago I started brewing my own Kombucha at home. “What is Kombucha?”‘ you ask. Well, it’s pretty much fermented, sweetened black tea with amazing health benefits. I started drinking it when a co-worker of mine was brewing her own, flavoring it and bringing it to work to share with us. I loved it because it was sweet, but had a nice tart taste. It’s also a good detoxifier and is loaded with probiotics. I give it the credit for keeping me pretty healthy so far this cold/flu season despite it being my first year as a preschool teacher. Because it’s brewed from black tea it is caffeinated, and because it is fermented it has trace levels of alcohol.
*Note* Kombucha is only recommended during pregnancy if you already have made a habit of drinking it before conception.
Now, you can find great disagreement on Kombucha and whether or not it’s good for you. Of course, the FDA is not going to come into your home and decide if your home brewn Kombucha is up to their codes, so you do have to do your own research on the matter and decide if you want to commit to home brewing. I definitely recommend buying some locally before you start the whole process to be sure you like the taste, but I love it and it’s so good for our family! When we’re both regularly drinking it we feel more energized, we have better digestion and we don’t get sick as often (probiotics are known to boost your immune system). But, do start slowly. Don’t drink a whole bottle the first time you try it.
What you Need to brew 1 Gallon
– Gallon sized glass container for the brewing vessel
– 8-10 16oz glass bottles that seal very well (Both the brewing vessel and bottles have to be glass because plastic will contaminate the Kombucha.)
– 5-6 bags of Organic, caffeinated black tea (The Newman’s Own brand is less than $10 for 100 bags at Kroger)
– 1 cup of sugar (I prefer organic)
– 1 cup Kombucha (can be purchased from a health food store or taken from someone local who brews their own)
– 1 Kombucha Starter Culture (SCOBY)
– Purified/Bottled water (don’t try it with tap water)
– breathable cloth for a lid (I used a cut-up old t-shirt)
After reading the ingredients, you’re probably wondering what a SCOBY is and where in the world to find it! SCOBY stands for Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast. This is a critical part of making Kombucha because it’s what actually ferments the tea. During the brewing/fermenting process the SCOBY is activated by the sugar and “eats” it. So, Kombucha is actually quite low in sugar, even though you add an entire cup of it to the gallon of tea. It’s this process that makes it fermented. After multiple rounds of fermentation, the SCOBY actually grows layers that can be separated. So, my co-worker pulled a layer off of her SCOBY for me to begin the process. I have since done the same with many others. If you know anyone local that brews Kombucha, that would be a good place to start. There are also natural groups on facebook and you could get connected that way as well. However, if all else fails you can order a dehydrated SCOBY online and follow their rehydration process.
As for the brewing vessel, you can use anything that holds a gallon and is glass. When I was looking for one I saw a gallon sized vessel marketed as a fish bowl at Hobby Lobby and just went for it. It works great, but I do have to use a ladle and a small funnel when it’s time to do the bottling. You can also get a vessel used for brewing sweet tea outside. If it has a spout, even better! My co-worker donated about 20 actual Kombucha bottles to me because she had too many at the time. The key to finding the right glass bottles is being sure they close really well. This way the carbonation is sealed. I know Whole Foods sells their Kombucha by the case for a discounted price, so this might be a good way to get the bottles you need to start.
Once you have all your ingredients, it’s time to get started! I think getting all the necessary items is actually the trickiest part. Once you have that done, you’re ready to brew! (Recipe taken mostly from Kombucha Kamp.)
1. Boil 4 cups of water.
2. Add the hot water along with the 4-6 tea bags to the brewing vessel.
4. Add 1 cup of sugar and stir to dissolve.
5. Fill vessel most of the way with purified water, leaving just 1-2 inches from the top for breathing room.
6. Add the starter Kombucha and SCOBY.
Yes, that is the SCOBY on top. And yes, it looks gross. You just have to get used to it.
7. Cover with a breathable cloth and secure around the top of the vessel with a rubber band.
8. Set in a warm location out of direct sunlight.
9. Do not disturb it for at least 7 days. When I think it might be “ready” I stick a straw in there and taste it. If it’s too sweet I let it keep brewing. If it gets too tart then I know next time to brew it for a shorter amount of time.
10. Take out the SCOBY and 1 cup to reserve for your next brew.
11. Bottle up the Kombucha you just made and store all the bottles in the refrigerator. (This is key. If you leave it out, it will grow a new SCOBY right inside the bottle!) The gallon will make about 8 16-oz bottles worth. However, if you flavor yours it will make your batch go a lot further.
If you want to flavor it, you add about 3 oz of 100% juice to a 16oz bottle. I actually use one of Little Piñata’s old bottles and a little funnel to measure out 3 oz of fruit juice to put in each of the bottles. This time I tried cranberry. It’s definitely not my favorite. I really like plain, but have loved quite a few other flavors, including pomegranate!
12. And once you get your whole brew bottled up, then it’s time to and start the process all over again with a new batch!
Do you ferment any of your food? What is your method?
blogger / pomegranate / 3491 posts
Very cool! I have a friend who does this, but have never really loved the taste myself.
blogger / clementine / 998 posts
Haha I always assumed Kombucha was something to be smoked
blogger / pomegranate / 3201 posts
Interesting! I’ve never tried it.
blogger / wonderful cherry / 21616 posts
My mom has been making her own kombucha for years now! I love it and always ask her to make it. My favorite is blueberry flavored.
I have to admit the scoby totally grosses me out, but I get over it because like you said – it’s a tasty and crazy healthful drink. So glad to hear we’re not the only crazy ones that drink this stuff
We waited until J was over a year to give him some because of the fermentation, he only gets a little bit. There was controversy over whether pregnant women should drink it too, and I think that as long as it was something your body was accustomed to prior, it is ok.
kiwi / 549 posts
My body seems to react negatively to caffeine, but I’d love to make kombucha at home. Do you know if you can make it with a decaf tea? Or even better, an herbal tea?
blogger / eggplant / 11551 posts
I LOVE kombucha!! I was so happy to see it sold at Costco recently, but it is still pricey. I should try to make my own – you make it seem pretty doable!
blogger / pear / 1563 posts
@red_seattle: Great questions! I also don’t do well with much caffeine, but the little in the Kombucha tends to be ok.
Yeah, we’ve kind of been waiting until Little P is 2 years old. I don’t know why that’s the magic age for me, but I somehow picked it. And you’re right about drinking it during pregnancy! I should add that warning to the post!
I’ve actually heard of people using white tea or jasmine tea! I’ll look it up more and share what I find!
@Mrs. High Heels: It totally is once you get into your “brewing and bottling routine.”
@Mrs. Pen: Oh I know. The SCOBY is not so appetizing.
blogger / persimmon / 1231 posts
Very interesting! I too had heard of Kombucha but didn’t know what it was. I kind of want to try it now!
pomegranate / 3329 posts
My Grandma introduced us to it about 20 years ago, my Mom has been making it for years. The SCOBY has always grossed me out, but she’s making a batch for me to try again. I’m wxcited to try it and never thought to add juice to it , hmm !
blogger / pomegranate / 3300 posts
I have never heard of this but now I am really intrigued. I want to find some to try.
apricot / 348 posts
I used to make it all the time. We even named out SCOBY as it felt like a pet as I was always worried it was getting enough ‘food’ ie sugar. I ended up killing it by going to long between batches and I guess, starving it?! how do you combat this problem? or have you just continually made it? I always ended up with so much and no one else will drink it!
blogger / pear / 1563 posts
@Mrs.Lilac: I usually always have a batch going. If you drink one bottle a days I guess you would keep up with it? At one point I couldn’t keep brewing because life was just too crazy and my SCOBY did end up dying.
But, my co-worker (who brews 10 gallons at a time!) had an extra to give me. So, I’ve never been good at keeping a “SCOBY hotel.” But, I did find this information and you might find it helpful. http://www.kombuchakamp.com/2013/11/scoby-hotel-maintenance.html
blogger / nectarine / 2600 posts
I admit I dont like the taste of kombucha but it is neat to see how you made it
blogger / nectarine / 2010 posts
So cool to see how you make it. I may have to give it a try!
blogger / nectarine / 2608 posts
I would try this, but Mr. T might kill me. I had grand plans to make my own kefir. Yeah. The container sat in the fridge and we ate and cleaned around it until he called my bluff and dumped it down the sink. I’ve only tried kombucha a handful of times, but I’m really intrigued. I’m going to remember this.