Kombucha- why I love it and how to make it!

I am OBSESSED with kombucha. Anyone that knows me will tell you, I almost always have one of these on me. Unfortunately for me, buying kombucha gets very expensive, running at about $4-10 per bottle in Canada. Luckily, it's super easy and cheap to brew kombucha at home!

What is kombucha, and why should you be drinking it?

Kombucha is a naturally carbonated and fermented tea. It is a delicious, nutritious source of probiotics and B vitamins. Kombucha is also alkalizing to your system, and works wonders on your gut! If you struggle with digestive issues, I strongly recommend you add kombucha into your routine. Its flavour can range from light and sweet to tangy and sour, depending on how long you ferment it. Personally, I love sour, so kombucha is right up my alley.

I'm going to start by giving a brief explanation of the brewing elements unique to kombucha. Like all fermented foods, you need a starter, or in this case, A SCOBY.

SCOBY, a.k.a. symbiotic culture of bacterial yeast, is a living organism essential to brewing kombucha. This live culture eats sugar during the brewing process, resulting in a carbonated, fermented tea. You can find SCOBY for purchase at health food stores or in classified ads, or you can brew your own (which I'll cover in a future post).

Starter tea is unflavoured kombucha. You can purchase this at a health food store or reserve unflavoured kombucha from a previous brew.

A SCOBY baby is the layer of multiplied bacteria that creates a second SCOBY on top of your original SCOBY during fermentation. The original SCOBY is to be thrown out and the new layer is to be used in future ferments.

SAFETY NOTE: Before we start, it's important to note that you must be careful to avoid contaminating ANY fermented food. Sanitize your workspace, materials, tools and hands before starting. SCOBY is very sensitive. The SCOBY will die or grow harmful bacteria if you do not properly sanitize​.

What You Need

1 SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture of Bacterial Yeast)
1 cup of organic sugar*
8 cups of distilled water*
2 cups of organic starter tea*
10 black or rooibos teabags*
1 glass container, capable of holding 11 cups
1 large pot, capable of holding 8 cups
1 clean cloth
1 piece of string, large enough to tie around the lid of the container
1 cooking thermometer
1 strainer, large enough to cover the lid of the container
*You must use organic, natural ingredients and filtered water as SCOBYs are very sensitive and will die if not fed properly.

Procedure

1. Start by sanitizing your pot, container, thermometer, strainer and hands.
2. In a large pot, bring eight cups of distilled water to a boil.
3. Slowly add one cup of sugar into the water, stirring until it dissolves.
4. Once the sugar has dissolved, place 10 tea bags into the boiling water.
5. Remove the pot from the heat.
6. Place the strainer over the lid of your container.
7. Allow the tea to steep and wait for the water to cool to 68–85° Pour the liquid in the pot into the container, removing the tea bags in the process. Throw out the teabags.
   
8. With clean hands, carefully place your SCOBY into the liquid.
9. Slowly pour your starter tea into the liquid.
   
10. Take the cloth and place it over the lid of the container. Tie it in place with the string.
11. Place the kombucha out of direct sunlight at room temperature. Leave it to ferment for 7–30 days. The longer you ferment it, the more tart your kombucha will be.
    
12. After 7–10 days, the SCOBY will have multiplied and a SCOBY baby will have formed on top of the liquid. Carefully separate the baby.
13. Place the SCOBY baby in a glass jar with some of the liquid, using the cloth and string as a lid for the glass jar.
    
14. Throw out the original SCOBY. Store your new SCOBY baby out of direct sunlight.
15. The remaining liquid is your unflavoured and lightly-carbonated kombucha. Refrigerate and enjoy, or follow steps 16-18 to flavour the kombucha.

How to Flavour and Carbonate Kombucha

Before you move on to steps 16–19, see the flavouring amounts below. These are the correct amounts to add to the eight cups of kombucha you produced in steps 1–15.

1 cup organic juice
1 cup organic fresh or frozen fruit
1 cup organic herbs

1. Add your desired flavouring into the container of kombucha you just brewed.
   
2. Seal the container with an airtight lid. This traps the gases released by the SCOBY to carbonate your kombucha.
3. Place the kombucha out of direct sunlight for another 7–10 days.
4. Refrigerate and enjoy within 3 months.**
   
   **Always open your kombucha lid slowly, it may explode if opened too fast.