Home Brew Kombucha
Liquid probiotics...
Kombucha has been around for thousands of years in human culture originating from the East where it is referred to as the "Immortal Health Elixir". It is essentially fermented sweet tea which can provide your gut with plenty of home-brewed bacteria and use it as a probiotic. This recipe provides a basic starting point in which you can begin your kombucha odyssey but the variety and possibilities are endless. If you're serious about brewing your 'buch then I highly recommend you grab this great book by Hannah Crum on it.
Servings: 8
Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 5-7+ days
Bulk Ingredients:
2L spring water
160-200g organic sugar
Equipment:
2L glass jar
Clean cloth / muslin
Rubber band
Sticky thermometer
Method:
Place 1.5L of bottled spring water on to boil. Do not use tap water as the chlorine can kill the SCOBY. Well-filtered water is ok but spring is best. Whilst this is boiling, place the sugar and the teabags into the 2L glass vessel.
Pour the boiling water directly over the tea bags and sugar in the glass vessel. Stir well, cover with a clean clothe or kitchen towel and leave for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, remove the teabags and add the remaining 0.5L of spring water. Leave to cool until the temperature of the liquid reaches 24-30˚C.
Once the water has cooled, place inside the juices of your SCOBY and then place the SCOBY itself into the liquid. It may sink, float or hang out somewhere in between, all is good. Cover the top of the jar with muslin and find a suitable spot to leave it to brew (out of direct sunlight and maintains a temperature of 24-29˚C).
Leave to brew for 5-7 days for 2L brew. If you're brewing more liquid then it will take longer (up to 14 days) to fully ferment. After this time, remove the SCOBY from the vessel and set aside with 200ml of the Kombucha batch.
Distribute your Kombucha into well sealed bottles and place into the fridge for a few hours before drinking. You can then repeat the process all over again to make a fresh batch using the existing SCOBY and leftover kombucha.