Our guide to homemade kombucha
So, you want to start brewing your own kombucha?
Let’s walk you through it.
What you’ll need:
- A large glass container with a top that can be opened. Do not use any other material than glass, when brewing kombucha.
- 3 L green or black tea. Other teas can also be used, but black and green are best for the SCOBY, and they provide the best nutritional results.
- 200 g sugar - the sugar is important for the SCOBY to survive during fermentation. Don’t worry about your own sugar consumption, as there will be little left in the finished kombucha, and kombucha is also proven to help reduce blood sugar levels.
- One SCOBY per container - read about how to obtain a SCOBY’s further down below.
- A clean cloth. It’s important to use a material that allows the kombucha to breathe during fermentation, therefore you should never seal the container with a glass top. Seal cloth with a rubber band.
Instructions
1) When all elements are obtained, you’ll need to boil the water and make the tea. When the tea is done, dissolve the sugar in it and let it cool down (cooling it down is important, as you don’t want to kill your SCOBY).
2) When cooled down, add the tea and SCOBY to the clean glass container, cover with the cloth and secure it with a rubber band.
3) Leave it somewhere dark and at room temperature for 6-10 days.
4) Once the first fermentation is done, the SCOBY is removed and the kombucha is transferred to a glass container with a sealable top. This is to prevent carbonation from escaping.
Now it’s time to play around with the flavors! You can add berries, chia seeds, lemon, ginger, whatever taste you prefer - however avoid honey as this can mess up the fermentation process.
5) Seal the container and let it ferment in a dark room at room temperature for 3-10 days.
The longer you let the kombucha ferment, the less sweet it’ll be and the more carbonated it’ll become. So open the kombucha over the sink, as it can really open with a bang!
The SCOBY
If you don’t have a SCOBY, you can either buy them online, get one from a friend - or simply, make your own.
To make your own, follow the first 2 steps described above. Leave the tea in a dark and room temperature area for 2-4 weeks. A SCOBY will slowly start to form.
Once the SCOBY is between 0.5 to 1 cm thick, it’s ready!
When you’re not using the SCOBY, keep it in an airtight container with some leftover kombucha, at room temperature, and avoid direct sunlight.
And there you have it! Your very own kombucha production.
Interested in more about Kombucha?
If you want to know more about kombuchas’ history and health benefits, click here to read more.
At Plant Power Food we also make our very own kombucha, based on black tea and with organic berries and herbs collected from Casper’s very own garden.
Come try it!
Molle Marie Hinchely
Global Nutrition and Health