Kombucha is a delicious probiotic-rich drink that’s thrifty, fun and easy to make. Rumored to have originated in China around 200BC, societies throughout the world have been brewing kombucha for centuries. It is made by placing a strange gummy mushroom-like life form, called a scoby, into a gallon of sweetened tea.
SCOBY is actually an acronym for Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast, and the kombucha gets its unique flavor and probiotic power because the scoby ‘eats’ the sugar and components of the tea leaving delicious, nutritious kombucha behind. A gallon of this stuff costs pennies, but will pay you back with thirst-quenching, nutrition-packed goodness.
A great alternative to juice or sodas, most kids are quick to acquire a taste for kombucha when they don’t have the alternative of sugary junky drinks.
Currently my family of four has four gallons of kombucha brewing at all times, and we still manage to run out. I am considering ordering another two gallon jar to keep up with demand or getting some warming mats to speed up the brewing time.
Ingredients for Making Kombucha:
- 1 kombucha scoby – Get this from a friend, or find a kombucha scoby here.
- 1 cup per gallon of reserved kombucha from a previous batch (or liquid that came with your scoby)
- 1 cup organic white sugar
- 5-10 osrganic black tea
- filtered water (don’t use tap water!) – where to buy good water filters
Supplies for Making Kombucha:
- 1 gallon glass or ceramic container, or larger. No lid necessary (do not use metal or plastic).
- 1 clean tea towel
- 1 large rubber band
- a funnel
- a pitcher or a spouted bowl
- glass storage jars or bottles with tight fitting lids
How to Make Kombucha…
Make your tea in the ratio of 1 cup of organic white sugar for each gallon of black tea. I use a two gallon glass cookie jar (like this one) and organic 20 black tea bags. You may need to adjust the amount of tea depending on the brand or variety you choose.
Add boiling filtered water to fill your container half way. Allow the tea to seep for 5-10 minutes until brewed darkly.
Add cool filtered water so that your container is about 85% full.
When the sweetened tea is cooled to body temperature, add your scoby.
Don’t forget to add the accompanying reserve liquid.
Cover with a tea towel, and mark your jar with today’s date. Store your brewing kombucha in a warm dark place away from other fermenting foods or potential mold. Starting around 14 days, begin tasting your kombucha. It should be tart and zingy, slightly sweet, but not cloying. In the winter you may need to brew your kombucha for much longer that 2 weeks. Try placing it near your (working) slow cooker, or near a warm appliance. You can also purchase mats (like these Seedling Heat Mats) to keep your kombucha comfortably warm and reduce brewing time.
When your kombucha is ready, with clean hands, remove the scoby gently from the newly brewed kombucha and place in a separate bowl.
Reserve approximately 1 cup of kombucha per gallon and add it to the scoby in its bowl.
Your next task is pouring the kombucha into bottles for storage. For this, I like to first transfer my liquid goodness into a spouted bowl to make the pouring easier.
Find a good combination of spouts and funnels to pour the kombucha as neatly as possible.
Store your kombucha in glass bottles with tight fitting lids. I got these wire-held stopper bottles at Ikea, and the two at the far end have tight screw on tops (I don’t remember where I got them). For extra fizz, allow the sealed bottles to sit at room temperature for 24 hours until refrigerating. If you would like to flavor your ‘bucha, now’s the time. Experiment with filling 1/8 of your bottle with a fresh squeeze juice, or add a teaspoon of almond or vanilla extract. (Note: Adding flavoring during the first brew will increase the likelihood of mold or contamination of your scoby).
When your bottles are filled, it’s time to begin the process again so you will never be without your ‘bucha.
Got Kombucha questions? Shoot them below! Happy brewing.
This post can be seen on Kelly the Kitchen Kop’s Real Food Wednesday carnival.
I have a gorgeous scoby and am on my 2nd brew (it made a baby which is what I’m using this week and I have the original in a separate jar) with it… what do I do with the babies? I don’t have enough friends to give them away and I feel bad just throwing them out. I drink a lot, but not enough to have a several brewing at once.
I asked a question on your site!
I recommend using DISTILLED water as it is generally used in labs and also is sort of like “silly puddy” as is takes on the qualities of whatever it is mixed with and makes the mixture stronger and purer.
Awesome! Thanks:). I am so excited to make my first batch–iv been collecting jars and the ingredients this week….thanks for guide!
Yay, so excited! After you brew your first batch and plan to make another, what mushroom is best to used? The mother you first started with in the last batch or the new mushroom that grew? Does it matter? ALSO, can you start a continuous brew in a red ceramic like container with a spout or does it need to be glass? THANKS!!!
GREAT photos!
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS!!!!!! I just got a scoby and I want to make some but I’ve been so intimidated! I have never made any fermented food but yogurt before. Last week I tried sauerkraut and it went moldy
This post is beyond helpful so I don’t ruin my kombucha!
I received a scoby as a trade for some water kefir grains, but to my surprise I had bought a bottle of plain kombucha at whole foods a couple weeks before and had left the half finished bottle in the refrig. When I went to get it to add to the new scoby brew, it had grown a scoby of its own.
I started brewing kombucha a couple of months ago with a scoby that I grew from a bottle of GT’s, and I LOVE it. I love to make it, I love to drink it…it just amazes me that I can actually make this awesome, fizzy stuff at home!
My question is…would it be ok to give it to an 11-month old? My baby recently had to take a dose of heavy-duty antibiotics for a bacterial infection and I’m trying to counteract the digestive results by giving her lots of fermented foods.
I think your ingredients list needs to mention 1 cup kombucha from previous culture (per gallon). It is in the pictures, but thought it would be more clear added to the list. Maybe that’s just my obsessive personality coming out…
@Leah: I gave my babes sips of Kombucha starting pretty young, probably less than 11 months. I always water it down a bit for the kids, and stick to just a few sips for babies. And just to be safe, I don’t give it to them close to a bed or nap time, usually its a morning shot with breakfast. The two that I started with fermented foods/beverages early on love all things fermented…kefir, kraut, any cultured veggie or its juice (even spicy ones), chutneys, KT, etc. so I say if they are old enough to taste food they are old enough to taste these healthful ferments…just in very tiny amounts, start with just a lick off a spoon.
Love the visuals included in this post, makes the KT process/scoby much less intimidating
I love drinking kombucha but I heard recently that it can be damaging to the liver because it attracts all kinds of microorganisms, good and bad. Is this true?
Thanks JoAnne… Good point. I changed it.