The last time I posted about making your own kombucha, I included a rather unsightly photo of a SCOBY. Sorry about that.
Appearances aside, I thought it was important for you to see what the kombucha “mother” should look like. It isn’t pretty (and the SCOBY gets thicker and more unattractive over time, trust me).
The finished product, however, is worth your time and a lot easier on the eyes.
Here are a few of the reported health benefits of kombucha (according to the Kombucha Kamp website):
- Kombucha contains probiotics (healthy bacteria) that can help improve digestion
- It alkalizes the body to help balance ph (one of the goals of the Crazy Sexy Diet style of eating)
- Kombucha can help increase energy
- It’s high in antioxidants that can help destroy cancer-causing free-radicals
Please note that this information is for educational purposes only. It’s not intended to replace the advice or attention of health-care professionals.
Health benefits aside, I also happen to like the slightly acidic, apple-cider-vinegar-like flavor. There’s something addictive about it.
And in addition to saving nearly $4 every time a kombucha craving strikes, one of the great parts of brewing your own is that you can play around with the sweetness (a longer fermentation period will yield a less sweet, more acidic kombucha) and also the flavors. I went with a blueberry kombucha this time, adding in just a couple of tablespoons of frozen berries before I bottled it. I also really like strawberry and mango, and I’m looking forward to making a ginger version soon.
The fruit creates this awesome natural carbonation, making the kombucha extra fizzy and fun to sip. And if you’re worried about the strands of yeast (you’ll often see them at the bottom of the liquid), it’s really easy to strain those out, rinse them down the drain, and pretend they never existed. I also like to pretend the SCOBY never existed.
Garnish your kombucha with a few mint leaves for a pretty, non-alcoholic, and good-for-you beverage. Or add a shot of tequila, vodka, whatever. Sometimes, that can be good for your soul.
- 1 Kombucha Scoby (the “mother”)
- 2 C. Kombucha Liquid from Previous Batch, taken from the top of the jar
- 12 C. Water
- 5 Bags of Organic Green or Black Tea (or 5 Tbs. looseleaf tea)
- 1 C. Sugar (I used Raw Turbinado)
- 1 Gallon Glass Jar
- Clean Cloth or Paper Towels
- Rubber Band
- Glass Jars with Plastic Lids for Bottling
- Fruit for Flavoring the Kombucha (optional)
- In a large pot, bring 12 cups of water to a boil.
- Add 1 C. of sugar to the boiling water and stir to dissolve.
- Turn off the stove and add 5 bags of organic green or black tea (or 5 tablespoons of loose leaf tea). I used green tea.
- Cover the pot to prevent the mixture from evaporating and allow it to come to room temperature. This will take some time, but it’s important that the mixture has cooled before moving on to the next step or you’ll kill all that good bacteria in the kombucha liquid.
- Once the water/sugar/tea mixture has cooled to room temperature, remove the tea bags and pour the mixture into a large glass jar (I used a 1 gallon biscotti jar from Williams Sonoma).
- Using clean hands, add the kombucha scoby to the tea mixture, followed by 2 cups of the reserved kombucha. It’s okay if the scoby sinks to the bottom of the jar.
- Cover the top of the jar with a clean dish towel or 2 layers of paper towels and secure it with a rubber band. This will keep fruit flies and other bugs out, while still allowing air to circulate.
- Place the jar in a warm, dark spot (I chose the top, back shelf in my pantry) where it won’t be disturbed, and allow it to to sit for about 7 days before taking a peek. You should see a thin, cloudy-looking film growing over the top of the mixture – this is a new baby scoby!
- Insert a straw below the baby scoby and taste the kombucha. You’ll know it’s ready to bottle when it has an apple cider vinegar taste and isn’t overly sweet.
- If the kombucha still tastes sugary, allow the mixture to ferment for 3-7 more days, tasting every so often until it meets your taste preferences.
- Once the kombucha is ready, prepare your glass jars. You can add a small amount of fresh or frozen fruit (for example, a tablespoon or two of blueberries, strawberries, ginger, whatever you like) to the empty jars.
- Pour the kombucha into the jars, straining out the yeast strands if you like.
- Fill the jars to the very top and make sure to use plastic lids (metal can erode). The less air in the jar, the more natural carbonation will take place and the more fizzy your finished product will taste. Fruit will also create carbonation.
- Allow the bottled kombucha to ferment for 1-3 more days in a warm, dark spot, making sure to “burp” the jars every so often to release any pressure. This is important, as the jars can explode if carbonation builds up!
- After the 2nd fermentation, move the bottled kombucha to the fridge to prevent further fermentation.
- Enjoy (and repeat this process for your next batch)!
…
Have you tried kombucha before? Did you like it, or were you not a fan? What’s your favorite flavor?
As far as the Kombucha SCOBY is concerned, I recommend purchasing a Brew Now Kit from Hannah at Kombucha Kamp, rather than growing your own from scratch (which I tried previously). The kit is also great for beginners because it takes out a lot of the guesswork.
Disclosure: I’m a big fan of Hannah and her Kombucha Kamp website, which is why I chose to feature her and sign on as an affiliate.
{ 22 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for the brilliant recipe! Am becoming slightly addicted to delicious kombucha but it’s not cheap! What do you do if you’re making it for the first time and you don’t have a scoby or liquid from the previous batch? Where did you obtain your first ones? Thanks again – great article!
Hey Emma, thanks for your comment! I wrote a post the other week about growing your own scoby:
http://www.picklesnhoney.com/2012/04/09/how-to-make-kombucha-growing-a-scoby/
All you need is a bottle of plain, raw kombucha and you can use that to grow the scoby and start brewing at home!
Hi Amanda, just an fyi that growing your own SCOBY is more difficult than it used to be – follow these rules and it may still be a success: http://www.kombuchakamp.com/2011/10/growing-a-kombucha-culture-pitfalls-and-problems-since-the-reformulation.html
That’s good to know. I’d be really interested to do a comparison of the SCOBY I grew from the Raw, Plain GT Kombucha and one of yours. Is it just the taste that you’ve found to be different, or perhaps the nutritional value as well?
Taste difference for sure. It varies from batch to batch. There is a probiotic supplement in some of the store bought Kombucha (I’m not a fan of that concept) to help boost the “benefits”. As the article says, the process has been altered so the resultant SCOBYs, at least according to readers on my facebook page, produced a weaker flavored Kombucha.
The real issue is that most people have no idea they are even drinking a reformulated Kombucha with less power than before. It’s still way better than soda or any “diet” drink, but it’s like starting with inferior ingredients to make a cake: it’ll still taste like cake but it won’t be quite as good to the discerning palate.
Aha! Just read your previous article – very helpful! Although still wondering if you would use the liquid from growing the first scoby as the “liquid from the previous batch” ingredient. Very keen to have a go – your berry kombucha looks incredible!
Yes, you would use 2 cups of the liquid from growing the scoby as the starter kombucha liquid in your first batch. Good question!
I was just given a scooby dooby from a friend and I really have to put it to work. Thanks for reminding me!
haha I love that you call it a “scooby dooby”!
Haha, I also like to pretend the SCOBY (or mothership, as my boyfriend calls it) never existed. I made kombuch a couple of months ago and it was great. I need to try it again, soon! Next time, with fruit
I love your boyfriend’s name for the scoby! Somehow, giving it a funny name makes it seem less gross.
Hey Amanda, nice article and thanks for the shoutout! Love the color of that Kombucha, looks delicious.
I thought your readers might be interested in a few flavoring ideas. We put together this post to help inspire new flavor combinations. http://www.kombuchakamp.com/2011/09/10-easy-recipes-for-flavoring-kombucha.html
Enjoy and thanks again for spreading that Kombucha love!
Thanks, Hannah! Your flavoring ideas are great – I wouldn’t have thought to add herbs/spices – I’ll have to give that a try!
Kombucha is great, especially with different fruit flavors like strawberry or plum. Love it!
Thanks for the detailed recipe. Keep up the great work.
Strawberry is my current favorite, but I’ll have to try plum next – sounds great!
P.S. Nice job with the video. Very entertaining!
I was wondering if you could use a bottled classic non-flavored kombucha instead of the vinegar?
Hi Glennda, I’m not sure I understand your question…I didn’t use vinegar in my recipe. I’m currently using a kombucha SCOBY from KombuchaKamp.com, and it came with the starter liquid. I recommend this method over using bottled kombucha for a few different reasons. Here’s a post explaining why if you’re interested: http://www.picklesnhoney.com/2012/06/15/homemade-kombucha-giveaway/
Hope this helps!
I am going to try adding fresh fruit. I have never tried this. We add dried fruit to our water kefir and this produces an amazing beverage. It’s explosive when you open the bottle sometimes resulting in half the bottle bubbling out. This is part of the fun of making fermented beverages!
I totally agree! It’s like opening a bottle of champagne!
Thanks for the info about making kombucha tea. I made it for the first time last week and I came out wonderful.
That’s awesome, Katelyn! I remember I was so nervous about messing it up when I first started making kombucha, but it’s actually pretty easy. If you drink it as often as I do, you’ll save a ton of money too!
Amanda the thing that made me nervous was not knowing exactly what everything was suppose to look like. I never had kombucha tea till I made it myself, now I cant stop drinking it!
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