- 1). Wash your hands, glass jar and mason jars with hot water and/or apple cider vinegar or plain vinegar to sanitize. Do not use antibacterial soap, as this will kill the good bacteria along with the bad.
- 2). Bring the water to a boil in the pot and allow the water to boil for five minutes to sanitize the water. Turn the heat off after the water has boiled for five minutes.
- 3). Add the tea bags and allow to stew until the water is the desired color. You can adjust the stewing time according to your preferences as you learn what you like for your unique brew of kombucha.
- 4). Stir in the one cup of sugar until the granules are completely dissolved. Make sure they are dissolved, as they might carmelize in the bottom of the pot and will affect the taste and consistency of your tea.
- 5). Cover the pot with a cloth or lid and allow it to cool to room temperature, around 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Make sure to let it cool sufficiently, as the hot tea will kill the culture of the scoby if it is too hot.
- 6). Pour the freshly brewed tea into the sanitized large glass container and add the starter tea (or brewed vinegar) from your previous batch.
- 7). Put the Scoby gently into the large glass container with clean hands and cover the top with the filter cloth or coffee filter. Secure the filter with the rubber band around the lid and put the container somewhere warm and dark where it won't be disturbed. Don't clean your hands with any type of anti-bacterial soap.
- 8). Wait a week. The Scoby should float on the top, bottom or somewhere in between. After a week, you can begin testing the tea by putting a staw halfway in the liquid, putting your finger at the top end to trap the liquid in the straw and then drawing it out. Do not use the same straw again or drink directly from the glass, as this could contaminate the culture. If the liquid tastes overly sweet, it might need more time for the bacteria to eat up the sugar. It will be ready when it smells strongly of vinegar
- 9). Wash your hand and remove the mama and baby culture and place in a clean glass bowl for your next batch. Pour some kombucha over them so they don't dry out.
- 10
Funnel the finished tea into storage containers, seal or cap the containers loosely to prevent the containers from bursting and store in cool, dark place where they will not be disturbed for four to five days. When ready to drink, kombucha is typically refrigerated and served cold.
Subscribe to our newsletter
Sign up here to get the latest news, updates and special offers delivered directly to your inbox.
You can unsubscribe at any time
Next Post