A delicious homemade kombucha recipe

Fermented foods are good for the gut! Make your own kombucha at home with the help of Tamara Robbins Griffith.

 

INGREDIENTS

METHOD

EQUIPMENT

Quart or Gallon-Sized Glass Jar

Stainless Steel or Silicone Stirring Utensil

Tight-Weave Cloth or Paper Coffee Filter

Rubber band to secure the cover to the jar

 

KOMBUCHA INGREDIENT RATIOS

One-Quart Batch:

1½ teaspoon loose tea OR 2 tea bags

¼ cup sugar

2-3 cups water

½ cup starter tea

 

Half-Gallon Batch:

1 tablespoon loose tea OR 4 tea bags

½ cup sugar

6-7 cups water

1 cup starter tea

 

Gallon Batch:

2 tablespoons loose tea OR 8 tea bags

1 cup sugar

13-14 cups water

2 cups starter tea

 

DIRECTIONS FOR BREWING

1. Combine hot water and sugar in a glass jar. Stir until the sugar dissolves. The water should still be hot enough to steep the tea but does not have to be boiling.

2. Place the tea or tea bags in the sugar water to steep.

NOTE: Use a metal tea ball to contain loose tea. The tea ball (and any tea bags) should be removed before adding the SCOBY and starter tea.

3. Cool the mixture to room temperature. Alternatively you can make a batch of super strong tea with half the water and then cool it down by adding more cold after you take out the tea bags.

4. Add starter tea (NOT bottled Kombucha from a store) from a previous batch to the liquid.

5. Add an active SCOBY.

6. Cover the jar with a tight-weave towel or paper coffee filter and secure with a rubber band.

7. Allow the mixture to sit undisturbed at room temperature, out of direct sunlight, for 7-30 days, or to taste. The longer the Kombucha ferments, the less sweet and more vinegary it will taste. Don’t forget to label the jar with the date so you know when you started the brew. I like brewing mine for about 8 days, so feel free to taste a spoonful as the days go by to see when it tastes best to you.

8. Pour Kombucha off the top of the jar for consuming. Keep the SCOBY and enough liquid from the bottom of the jar to use as starter tea for the next batch.

 

The finished Kombucha can be flavored and bottled if desired, or enjoyed plain. If you are interested in flavouring your Kombucha, look up Second Fermentation Kombucha online, and you will find lots of tips and tricks on how to create a fizzy, carbonated version with added flavours from fruit, ginger or herbs.

 

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