Kombucha for beginners - A Step by Step Guide for Brewing your own

History and Facts

            Kombucha originated from Ancient Asia referred to as tea mushroom. It is a fermented drink with
        probiotics that provide support to the gut. Kombucha is made with a scoby which stands for
        Symbolic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast. Brewing sweetened tea while letting it sit with a scoby is
        the process of making kombucha. In it's historical use kombucha has been known to assist the            

        stomach and digestion. 

Benefits

Enzymes and probiotics - assist digestion 

Antioxidants - support the immune system 

Adaptogen - Balances the body 

Cost effective

How to Make Kombucha 

Before starting, keep in mind that their are going to be 2 processes with brewing and making kombucha. A 1st fermentation and a 2nd fermentation. 1st fermentation is how to make the sweet tea and how to set your scoby up for brewing. The 2nd fermentation is about flavoring and adding carbonation to your kombucha. 

 INGREDIENTS 

• 2 c. boiling water
• 1 T black tea granules (break tea bags open if you don't have loose-leaf black tea)
• 1/4 c + 2 T sugar
• 1 c starter tea (see below tips)
• 4 c cold water 
• 1/4 - 1/3 c fruit (cut up, pureed, or frozen berries)

INSTRUCTIONS

1 - Boil water

2 - Put the black tea and sugar in a bowl or jar. I like using a tea ball to hold my loose leaf tea but you can also strain the tea out after its done brewing.

3 - Once the water is boiled pour it into the sugar and tea bowl and let sit for 15 minutes. Mix together to get all the sugar dissolved while steeping. 

4 - Once done dissolving strain the tea out if not using a ball. Add the cold water and your starter tea.

5 - Put your mixture in any kind of jar and then place your scoby in the liquid - it is ok if it sinks

6 - Get any kind of cloth and put it over your jar and seal the cloth down with a jar ring without the lid. 

7 - Sit for 5-7 days in a dark coupord until it smells like vinegar, not sweet tea. You dont want it to smell sour and this will happen if you let it brew for to long. 

8 - Take the scoby out and pour the brewered kombucha into bottles that can seal well. Add your fruit of your choice to the bottels. Let them sit for 2-3 days in a dark coubourd or until you can see carbonation forming through the bottle. 

Tips and Troubles

How to get a Scoby - Either get one from a friend or family member. If you know no one that has one then you can make one but this option will take much longer. Buy a bottle of kombucha that is unflavored and unsweetened and let it sit for about 3-6 months until you notice a small circle forming on the top of the liquid which is a scoby (this is how I got my scoby). 

- Starter Tea is what you get from a fully brewed batch of kombucha after the first fermentation. If you get a scoby from a friend it should have some starter tea with it to keep it alive, use this liquid for the starter tea to start a new batch. 

- If you wait until 8 or more days for the kombucha to brew you. can let it sit in the overbrewed kombucha until your ready to start a new batch. When your ready to start a new batch uyse that liquid as your starter tea and dump the rest of the liquid because this CANT be made into kombucha since its overbrewed 

- If your scoby grow brown strings on it this is OK its more yeast strands on your scoby which keeps it healthy. If your scoby smells rotten it is, but it should always smell like vinegar. If your scoby is overly slimy to the point that its goopy and doesn't feel firm then it is bad. 

- Make sure you always either store Scobys in starter tea or make sure its in a batch of kombucha. 

Materials I Recomend for Making Kombucha 

- French press

- Tea ball 

- Amber Bottles

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