Ingredients
- 1 Gallon Filtered Water
- 1 Cup Organic Pure Cane Sugar
- 5 Black Tea Bags
- 1 SCOBY
- A few cups starter liquid (prepared kombucha)
- 1 Gallon Size Glass Jar
- Glass Bottling Jars
- Fruit Juice (assorted flavors, optional)
Instructions
- Bring 2/3 of a gallon of water to a boil in a large pot.
- Add 1 cup of sugar. Stir until dissolved.
- Remove the pot from heat.
- Add 5 tea bags.
- Let steep until COMPLETELY cool*.
- Pour the tea into a gallon size glass jar.
- Add your starter liquid**.
- Fill your gallon jar to the top with filtered water.
- Add your scoby.
- Cover with a white hand towel or old tshirt. Secure with a rubberband.
- Store in a dark place for 1-2 weeks.
- Remove the scoby and preserve a few cups of starter liquid***.
- Run the kombucha through a strainer
- Pour into bottles. Leave about an inch of air at the top.
- Add a few tablespoons of juice per 16 oz bottle (if desired, optional)****.
- If you added juice, store in a dark place for 2-3 days (this is your 2nd fermentation)*****.
- Your kombucha is ready to drink or store in the fridge.
Notes
- *It is very important that you let the water cool completely before you add the scoby. Hot and warm water will harm your scoby.
- **The starter liquid is preserved from your last batch. If this is your 1st batch, use store bought kombucha.
- ***Your scoby will have a baby scoby attached. You can leave them together for a few brews, or separate them after each brew. I let the baby grow for 2-3 batches, then separate them to make 2 scoby.
- ****You can use any flavor of good quality (preferable organic) juice. It can be store bought or fresh squeezed.
- *****This is the 2nd fermentation. The juice will sweeten your kombucha and it will become fizzier & more carbonated. This is an optional step. You can leave your kombucha unflavored without juice.