This is the sequel to Brew Your Own Kombucha – Part 1. In other words, you have now cultivated your own SCOBY and are ready to make your first batch of Kombucha! For this recipe, you will need some equipment:
- 5-liter fermentation tank
- 10 x 0.5-liter bottles (there are many different suppliers to choose from in various price ranges)
- Detergent to disinfect equipment
When I make Kombucha, I make 10 liters per batch. For this, you need double the equipment and 2x SCOBY. In return, I brew about once a month and always have delicious Kombucha available!
Ingredients
- 5 liters boiled water
- 300 grams sugar
- 3 tbsp black tea (e.g., Twinings English Breakfast)
- 1 x SCOBY with liquid from when you cultivated the SCOBY
Instructions
Start by boiling water. When the water boils, turn off the stove, add sugar and black tea. Let the mixture cool to room temperature. This takes quite a long time, so remember to do this well in advance before you brew. Once the mixture has cooled, pour it over a sieve directly into a cleaned fermentation tank. Drop in the SCOBY plus the liquid from when you cultivated the SCOBY. This mixture should now stand for 1 to 2 weeks. What happens in this process is that the yeast from the SCOBY consumes the sugar, so the end product has a low sugar content. Black tea contains a lot of bacteria, which, together with the fermentation process that the SCOBY initiates, produces lots of good bacteria that can be beneficial for gut flora.
If you are unsure whether the Kombucha is ready, you should taste the mixture. It should not be too sweet but have a light, sour taste (similar to apple cider vinegar).
When the mixture is ready, remove the SCOBY and about 250 ml of the liquid. Store this in a container in the refrigerator until the next time you brew Kombucha.
Now you can either bottle and get a natural and pure taste of the Kombucha. Or, you can experiment with flavoring - something I always do. Guaranteed flavor winners are either 400 grams of fresh raspberries, passion fruit, or ginger (you can buy frozen passion fruit for making smoothies in the grocery store or bottles with Ginger shots at most grocery stores). Pour in the chosen addition and let it infuse with the Kombucha for 24 hours.
After flavoring, you are ready for bottling. Make sure the bottles are completely clean by using a bottle cleaner (a special type of detergent). Strain the flavored kombucha into the bottles over a funnel and leave some air at the top of the bottle. The bottles should stand on the kitchen counter for about 24 hours. This carbonates (carbon dioxide) the mixture due to the sugar in the flavoring! After 24 hours, you must refrigerate the bottles; otherwise, they will continue to carbonate. This can lead to some unpleasant moments when you open the bottle 🙂
Serve cold and enjoy slowly.
