Learn how to make Kombucha at home with this easy kombucha recipe. Kombucha is a drink made from sweet tea, is slightly carbonated and delicious! It not only tastes good but is also a good for you probiotic drink.
What Is Kombucha?
Kombucha is a drink made from sweet tea, is slightly carbonated and delicious! Being full of probiotics, B vitamins and enzymes, it not only tastes good but is also good for you.
If you have not tasted Kombucha before, you might want to buy a bottle at your grocery store or health food store. While a purchased bottle of Kombucha will often cost around $3+, you can make your own for much less.
Kombucha is naturally carbonated tea that starts with a Kombucha scoby (also called a starter or mushroom) which looks like a flat grayish disk - see the picture below. Since the scoby does grow and multiply, if you know of someone who already makes Kombucha, they may share with you.
If you need a scoby from my affiliate, you can find one here that is shipped live and NOT dehydrated. Mine came from my daughter-in-law, Jessica.
The scoby is reused and transferred from one batch to the next and consists of yeast and bacteria which live together in a symbiotic relationship. SCOBY is an acronym for Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast.
Once the scoby is combined with brewed tea, sugar and water, it is allowed to ferment for 7 - 10 days (depending on taste).
In any kombucha recipe, the longer you leave the tea fermenting, the stronger the flavor will be. That being said, leave it for 7 days and begin tasting it daily.
The majority of my family does not like it really strong - it tastes too much like apple cider vinegar - so I pour mine off before that point. It is easiest to make a gallon at a time unless you have a large family.
I was able to find 1 gallon glass jars at Walmart and had 4 of them going on top of my refrigerator at one time. I am now using two 3 gallon tea dispensers which is working very well.
**Update**
I now use a Continuous Brew Method that works great and involves much less clean up.
Please see Continuous Brew Kombucha Update
A Couple Of Notes On How To Make Kombucha:
- Make sure to use non-chlorinated water as chlorine will kill the scoby.
- The scoby needs sugar to live on - honey, rapadura or sugar substitutes will not work.
The following kombucha recipe is adapted from Nourishing Traditionsby Sally Fallon - I multiply this recipe to make 6 gallons at a time.
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📋 Recipe
How To Make Kombucha
Ingredients
- 13 cups water non-chlorinated
- 2 Tbsp. loose organic tea or 8 tea bags where to buy organic, non-irradiated tea
- 1 cups sugar
- 1 cups Kombucha from a previous batch you may use purchased Kombucha for your first batch
- 1 Kombucha scoby where to buy scoby
Other equipment needed:
- 1 gallon glass jar
- Cheesecloth to cover jar
- Rubberband
- 1 gallon jar with tight fitting lid to fill with the finished Kombucha
Instructions
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Brew the tea by bringing water to a boil and adding the tea bags. Allow the tea to steep until cool and remove the tea bags.
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Add sugar to the tea and stir until dissolved.
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Make sure the tea is at room temperature and add 1 cup of Kombucha from a previous batch and then add the scoby. (If the tea is hot it will kill the scoby)
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Put a piece of cheesecloth over the top of the jar and secure with a rubber band - this allows air in but keeps bugs and dust out.
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Place the jar in an out of the way place.
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If your kitchen is warm, the Kombucha will ferment more quickly, so for the first batch or so, taste it after 3 or 4 days. Once the taste is to your liking, remove the scoby and place in another jar to begin your next batch.
Notes
A Couple Of Notes On How To Make Kombucha:
- Make sure to use non-chlorinated water as chlorine will kill the scoby.
- The scoby needs sugar to live on - honey, rapadura or sugar substitutes will not work.
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