Kombucha
If you haven’t already, you should definitely watch some videos on YouTube about brewing kombucha, and read as many articles, like this one, and as many recipes as you can before trying your own.
SCOBY stands for ‘Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast’, and if you have friends that brew their own booch, trust me, they are always more than willing to share a SCOBY and some starter liquid with you. You can also just do a quick local search and you may be surprised at what you find. If you are in an area where none of those options are possible, you can grow your own SCOBY, using a store bought original GTs brand kombucha, and a batch of tea. You would grow the SCOBY first, and then split that batch in half to start brewing kombucha, keep half as your original starter, that will eventually become a SCOBY hotel, and brew the other half for your continuous brew.
It is important to know that yeast feeds on sugar, in the process of kombucha, those sugars and yeast create CO2 and ethanol supporting the growth of billions of pre and pro biotics, like Lactobacillus, essential for good gut health. This is a two step process, whats known as 1F and 2F for first and second ferment. The first step creates those good bacteria, this is an open ferment with a coffee filter or cloth top. The second ferment traps the CO2 when sealing the ferment off from oxygen, by bottling and capping. That is also a good time to add additional flavor with fresh fruit, or a puree or whatever, there are tons of options. And if you’re one that enjoys a good fizzy booch like me, you can alter the days of that 2F until you really get a recipe you like.
I measure all my booch by the gallon, so that is what you will see in this recipe. Below I have included a chart so you can get a good idea of how to measure for your brew. Typically black or grey teas are used, green teas are used as well, although they are more common in Jun making, which is similar to kombucha, but a whole other recipe. Flavored teas like hibiscus are also common, and a delicious addition to your booch variety.
Once you have your SCOBY and starter liquid its time to get started. You want to brew a regular pot of tea, add the right amount of sugar, and let that cool completely before adding your SCOBY and starter. Anything above 90 degrees will kill your culture so be mindful of this step. Be sure to keep some space for adding your starter liquid and SCOBY, and also leave some head space even after it is added, the SCOBY will expand during this process so you want enough space at the top that you don’t have an overflow spill. I use 2 coffee filters and a rubber band as a “lid”, I’m brewing in gallon pickle jars (you can purchase kombucha crocks) so that method works great for me, you can use muslin cloth, but it is not recommended that you use cheese cloth as those holes are a bit too big and can allow fruit flies or debris to get in.
You will simply brew your batch, fill your fermentation vessel, cover, and let sit in a spot that does not get direct sunlight, or have drastic temperature changes. I keep mine on a shelf in our spare room, I would not recommend a small kitchen, where temps are altered by cooking and oven use, or a room that gets a lot of moisture. I can assure you that once you get started you will likely develop your own ‘fermentation station’, it is very rewarding to ferment your own things.
The first fermentation (1F) will usually take about 10 days, once you get a good culture and continuous brew going you will notice things start to pick up a little bit and happen a lot faster with each new batch, also warmer weather will alter how fast the brews go. You want to start tasting at about day 6, is it too sweet? Too bitter? Just to get a feel of how the process works, it will definitely start to taste like kombucha as the time goes on, and those sugars start to transform. When you’re satisfied with the taste, its time to bottle this batch, and get ready for the second fermentation (2F). Always keep a record of the dates you started each ferment, a lot of brewers use masking tape right on the jars, or keep a log of each batch.
You’ll need a number of jars for the second ferment, I save and reuse every kombucha bottle I buy from the store. I’ve seen people use latch top bottles, but beware, as those can seal good enough to explode! Mason jars aren’t really ideal for kombucha either, although they are used in many other other ferments. Once you’re satisfied with the taste of your kombucha, on our around the 10 days, go ahead and bottle it up! Now is the time when you want to flavor your kombucha, which is totally by preference, you don’t have to flavor it at all if you like the taste of plain kombucha (everybody’s first batch lol). You can use your choice of fruit or herbs or juice or puree or a dollop of jam, whatever you’d like. Really here the possibilities are endless, I’ve seen so many creative kombucha flavors, just do what you enjoy!
Everything you use should be properly and thoroughly sterilized, wash hands before handling SCOBY
Remove your SCOBY from your brew vessel and keep in mind that you will always save about a fifth of the liquid each time as your new ‘starter liquid’ for your next batch. This is how you will successfully have a continuous brew, by saving and adding to each batch. Add your flavor directly to the empty bottles, and then using a funnel, fill each bottle with your kombucha brew. Leave at least an inch of head space, cap the bottles, and leave at room temperature for 3 more days. Try to keep an eye on your product at least once every 24 hours at this point, this is the step that creates CO2 buildup in the jars, when you open them, it will be fizzy and carbonated like a soda. This is also one of the reasons I choose to reuse store bought bottles, the caps are already made to allow a little bit of that gas buildup. So, you will learn overtime what that looks like and become familiar with the way the caps rise as the bottles fill with CO2. Like I said the first few batches you make will be weaker until you really get that culture multiplying. I always check one bottle, just cracking the seal a pinch to test the strength of the fizz. When you’re satisfied with the 2F, put the rest of the bottles in the fridge (this slows down and sometimes stops the continuation of the fermentation process, keeping the sugars and yeast inactive) and then enjoy at your convenience.
Once you really start getting the hang of things you’ll be able to have a rotating system, where you’ll have a new batch going in the fridge every week. I typically get 6 or 7 bottles out of a gallon batch, and don’t forget to leave a good amount of starter liquid at the bottom of your jar for that and your SCOBY to start a new batch. Your SCOBY will also multiply, and this is how you get 2 or 3 batches going at once, you can also share with friends or find a number of healthy beneficial options for your SCOBY. I’ve seen fruit roll ups made using SCOBYs, I’ve used them myself in the garden, fed them to the chickens, I’ve even seen SCOBY leather made into shoes, purses and other items!! The same benefits you get when you drink kombucha you will get consuming otherwise, or whatever you use your SCOBYs for will reap the added benefits as well.
Kombucha was the very first method of fermenting that I tried, and its where I recommend everyone who’s interested starts! You will learn so much just making kombucha, that you will understand enough to start other lacto ferments like my favorite, pub pickles!! I hope this was informational enough for you to begin your own fermenting journey. Happy booch brewing!!
