2012-07-10-Kombucha12.jpg
I've been addicted to kombucha from first sip. It wasn't really the
probiotics or other health promises that did it for me — although I'll
take those, too! It was the way it tasted: like tart green apple mixed
with sour stone fruits, but with an underlying sweetness that keeps it
all together. And fizzy! I couldn't believe that something this could
actually be made from tea, of all things. Or that I could make it at home with a few very basic ingredients.
The scoby bacteria and yeast eat most of the sugar in the tea,
transforming the tea into a refreshingly fizzy, slightly sour fermented
(but mostly non-alcoholic) beverage that is relatively low in calories
and sugar.
rubbery and slightly spongy, brown stringy bits hang from it, and it
transforms sugary tea into something fizzy and sour. It's totally weird.
But if you take a step back, it's also pretty awesome.
There are a lot of theories about why the bacteria and yeast form
this jelly-like layer of cellulose at the top of the kombucha. The most
plausible that I've found is that it protects the fermenting tea from
the air and helps maintain a very specific environment inside the jar
that is shielded from outsiders, aka unfriendly bacteria.
Kombucha is indisputably full of probiotics and other happy things that
our intestines love and that help boost our overall health. Claims that
kombucha cures things like arthritis, depression, and heart burn have
less of a proven track record, but hey, our bodies are all different and
I say go for it if it works for you.
nervous, is unlikely that kombucha will ever make you sick. I spoke with
Eric Child of Kombucha Brooklyn when I first started working on my
homebrewing book, True Brews (Ten Speed, 2013),
and he said something that has really stuck with me: "Kombucha has been
around for a very long time and been brewed in environments that were
even dirtier than our own." Like all things, you need to use common
sense when brewing it and pay attention to what you're doing. It's
natural to feel nervous and unsure at first. Bottom line: if the scoby
is healthy, then the kombucha will be healthy. (See the Troubleshooting
section below.)
fermentation process. It is usually no more than 1%. Unless you drink a
lot of it back to back, you won't get drunk. But people with alcohol
sensitivities should be aware of its presence.
I'm breaking the kombucha-making process into very small steps here.
It looks long and complicated, but this is actually a very
straightforward and streamlined process. Once you get into the rhythm of
it, bottling a finished batch of kombucha and preparing the next only
takes about 20 minutes every 7 to 10 days.
kombucha. You can pick up a scoby from a kombucha-brewing friend or even
make your own:
If you're having trouble finding a scoby or any other supplies, check out these sources:
3 1/2 quarts water
1 cup white sugar
8 bags black tea (or 2 tablespoons loose tea)
2 cups starter tea from last batch of kombucha or store-bought (unpasteurized, neutral-flavored) kombucha
1 scoby per fermentation jar
Optional flavoring extras for bottling: 1 to 2 cups chopped
fruit, 2 to 3 cups fruit juice, 1 to 2 tablespoons flavored tea (like
hibiscus or Earl Grey), 1/4 cup honey, 2 to 4 tablespoons fresh herbs or
spices
Equipment
Stock pot
1-gallon glass jar or two 2-quart glass jars
Bottles: Six 16-oz glass bottles with plastic lids, 6 swing-top bottles, or clean soda bottles
Small funnel
during and after brewing. This can affect the flavor of your kombucha
and weaken the scoby over time.
1. Make the Tea Base: Bring the water to a boil.
Remove from heat and stir in the sugar to dissolve. Drop in the tea and
allow it to steep until the water has cooled. Depending on the size of
your pot, this will take a few hours. You can speed up the cooling
process by placing the pot in an ice bath.
2. Add the Starter Tea: Once the tea is cool, remove
the tea bags or strain out the loose tea. Stir in the starter tea. (The
starter tea makes the liquid acidic, which prevents unfriendly bacteria
from taking up residence in the first few days of fermentation.)
3. Transfer to Jars and Add the Scoby: Pour the
mixture into a 1-gallon glass jar (or divide between two 2-quart jars,
in which case you'll need 2 scobys) and gently slide the scoby into the
jar with clean hands. Cover the mouth of the jar with a few layers of
cheesecloth or paper towels secured with a rubber band.
4. Ferment for 7 to 10 Days: Keep the jar at room
temperature, out of direct sunlight, and where it won't get jostled.
Ferment for 7 to 10 days, checking the kombucha and the scoby
periodically.
It's not unusual for the scoby to float at the top, bottom, or even
sideways. A new cream-colored layer of scoby should start forming on
the surface of the kombucha within a few days. It usually attaches to
the old scoby, but it's ok if they separate. You may also see brown
stringy bits floating beneath the scoby, sediment collecting at the
bottom, and bubbles collecting around the scoby. This is all normal and
signs of healthy fermentation.
After seven days, begin tasting the kombucha daily by pouring a
little out of the jar and into a cup. When it reaches a balance of
sweetness and tartness that is pleasant to you, the kombucha is ready to
bottle.
5. Remove the Scoby: Before proceeding, prepare and
cool another pot of strong tea for your next batch of kombucha, as
outlined above. With clean hands, gently lift the scoby out of the
kombucha and set it on a clean plate. As you do, check it over and
remove the bottom layer if the scoby is getting very thick.
6. Bottle the Finished Kombucha: Measure out your
starter tea from this batch of kombucha and set it aside for the next
batch. Pour the fermented kombucha (straining, if desired) into bottles
using the small funnel, along with any juice, herbs, or fruit you may
want to use as flavoring. Leave about a half inch of head room in each
bottle. (Alternatively, infuse the kombucha with flavorings for a day or
two in another jar covered with cheesecloth, strain, and then bottle.
This makes a cleaner kombucha without "stuff" in it.)
7. Carbonate and Refrigerate the Finished Kombucha:
Store the bottled kombucha at room-temperature out of direct sunlight
and allow 1 to 3 days for the kombucha to carbonate. Until you get a
feel for how quickly your kombucha carbonates, it's helpful to keep it
in plastic bottles; the kombucha is carbonated when the bottles feel
rock solid. Refrigerate to stop fermentation and carbonation, and then
consume your kombucha within a month.
8. Make a Fresh Batch of Kombucha: Clean the jar
being used for kombucha fermentation. Combine the starter tea from your
last batch of kombucha with the fresh batch of sugary tea, and pour it
into the fermentation jar. Slide the scoby on top, cover, and ferment
for 7 to 10 days.
Additional Notes:
• Batch Size: To increase or decrease the amount
of kombucha you make, maintain the basic ratio of 1 cup of sugar, 8 bags
of tea, and 2 cups starter tea per gallon batch. One scoby will ferment
any size batch, though larger batches may take longer.
• Putting Kombucha on Pause: If you'll be away for
3 weeks or less, just make a fresh batch and leave it on your counter.
It will likely be too vinegary to drink by the time you get back, but
the scoby will be fine. For longer breaks, store the scoby in a fresh
batch of the tea base with starter tea in the fridge. Change out the tea
for a fresh batch every 4 to 6 weeks.
• Other Tea Options: Black tea tends to be the
easiest and most reliable for the scoby to ferment into kombucha, but
once your scoby is going strong, you can try branching out into other
kinds. Green tea, white tea, oolong tea, or a even mix of these make
especially good kombucha. Herbal teas are ok, but be sure to use at
least a few bags of black tea in the mix to make sure the scoby is
getting all the nutrients it needs. Avoid any teas that contain oils,
like earl grey or flavored teas.
• Avoid Prolonged Contact with Metal: Using metal
utensils is generally fine, but avoid fermenting or bottling the
kombucha in anything that brings them into contact with metal. Metals,
especially reactive metals like aluminum, can give the kombucha a
metallic flavor and weaken the scoby over time.
Troubleshooting Kombucha
• It is normal for the scoby to float on the top, bottom, or
sideways in the jar. It is also normal for brown strings to form below
the scoby or to collect on the bottom. If your scoby develops a hole,
bumps, dried patches, darker brown patches, or clear jelly-like patches,
it is still fine to use. Usually these are all indicative of changes in
the environment of your kitchen and not a problem with the scoby
itself.
• Kombucha will start off with a neutral aroma and then smell
progressively more vinegary as brewing progresses. If it starts to smell
cheesy, rotten, or otherwise unpleasant, this is a sign that something
has gone wrong. If you see no signs of mold on the scoby, discard the
liquid and begin again with fresh tea. If you do see signs of mold,
discard both the scoby and the liquid and begin again with new
ingredients.
• A scoby will last a very long time, but it's not indestructible.
If the scoby becomes black, that is a sign that it has passed its
lifespan. If it develops green or black mold, it is has become infected.
In both of these cases, throw away the scoby and begin again.
• To prolong the life and maintain the health of your scoby, stick
to the ratio of sugar, tea, starter tea, and water outlined in the
recipe. You should also peel off the bottom (oldest) layer every few
batches. This can be discarded, composted, used to start a new batch of
kombucha, or given to a friend to start their own.
• If you're ever in doubt about whether there is a problem with
your scoby, just continue brewing batches but discard the kombucha they
make. If there's a problem, it will get worse over time and become very
apparent. If it's just a natural aspect of the scoby, then it will stay
consistent from batch to batch and the kombucha is fine for drinking.
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See more How To posts
We're looking for great examples of your own household intelligence too!
Submit your own tutorials or ideas here!
(Images: Emma Christensen)
How To Make Kombucha Tea at Home
Cooking Lessons from The Kitchn
probiotics or other health promises that did it for me — although I'll
take those, too! It was the way it tasted: like tart green apple mixed
with sour stone fruits, but with an underlying sweetness that keeps it
all together. And fizzy! I couldn't believe that something this could
actually be made from tea, of all things. Or that I could make it at home with a few very basic ingredients.
What Is Kombucha Tea?
Kombucha starts out as a sugary tea, which is then fermented with the help of a scoby. "SCOBY" is actually an acronym for "symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast." It's very close cousins to the mother used to make vinegar.The scoby bacteria and yeast eat most of the sugar in the tea,
transforming the tea into a refreshingly fizzy, slightly sour fermented
(but mostly non-alcoholic) beverage that is relatively low in calories
and sugar.
The SCOBY
Let's talk about that scoby. It's weird, right?! It floats, it'srubbery and slightly spongy, brown stringy bits hang from it, and it
transforms sugary tea into something fizzy and sour. It's totally weird.
But if you take a step back, it's also pretty awesome.
There are a lot of theories about why the bacteria and yeast form
this jelly-like layer of cellulose at the top of the kombucha. The most
plausible that I've found is that it protects the fermenting tea from
the air and helps maintain a very specific environment inside the jar
that is shielded from outsiders, aka unfriendly bacteria.
Probiotics?
Which brings us to the next question: what's actually in kombucha?Kombucha is indisputably full of probiotics and other happy things that
our intestines love and that help boost our overall health. Claims that
kombucha cures things like arthritis, depression, and heart burn have
less of a proven track record, but hey, our bodies are all different and
I say go for it if it works for you.
Brewing Kombucha Safely
And while the homebrewed nature of kombucha makes some home cooksnervous, is unlikely that kombucha will ever make you sick. I spoke with
Eric Child of Kombucha Brooklyn when I first started working on my
homebrewing book, True Brews (Ten Speed, 2013),
and he said something that has really stuck with me: "Kombucha has been
around for a very long time and been brewed in environments that were
even dirtier than our own." Like all things, you need to use common
sense when brewing it and pay attention to what you're doing. It's
natural to feel nervous and unsure at first. Bottom line: if the scoby
is healthy, then the kombucha will be healthy. (See the Troubleshooting
section below.)
Is There Alcohol in Kombucha?
Kombucha does contain a little bit of alcohol as a by-product of thefermentation process. It is usually no more than 1%. Unless you drink a
lot of it back to back, you won't get drunk. But people with alcohol
sensitivities should be aware of its presence.
I'm breaking the kombucha-making process into very small steps here.
It looks long and complicated, but this is actually a very
straightforward and streamlined process. Once you get into the rhythm of
it, bottling a finished batch of kombucha and preparing the next only
takes about 20 minutes every 7 to 10 days.
Where to Find Kombucha Brewing Supplies
You can use regular, store-bought tea and sugar for brewingkombucha. You can pick up a scoby from a kombucha-brewing friend or even
make your own:
If you're having trouble finding a scoby or any other supplies, check out these sources:
→ Order True Brews! True Brews: How to Craft Fermented Cider, Beer, Wine, Sake, Soda, Mead, Kefir, and Kombucha at Home by Emma Christensen
Kombucha is a sugary tea fermented with the help of a scoby. Scoby is
actually an acronym for "symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast."
actually an acronym for "symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast."
How to Make Kombucha Tea at Home
Makes about 1 gallonWhat You Need
Ingredients3 1/2 quarts water
1 cup white sugar
8 bags black tea (or 2 tablespoons loose tea)
2 cups starter tea from last batch of kombucha or store-bought (unpasteurized, neutral-flavored) kombucha
1 scoby per fermentation jar
Optional flavoring extras for bottling: 1 to 2 cups chopped
fruit, 2 to 3 cups fruit juice, 1 to 2 tablespoons flavored tea (like
hibiscus or Earl Grey), 1/4 cup honey, 2 to 4 tablespoons fresh herbs or
spices
Equipment
Stock pot
1-gallon glass jar or two 2-quart glass jars
Bottles: Six 16-oz glass bottles with plastic lids, 6 swing-top bottles, or clean soda bottles
Small funnel
Instructions
Note: Avoid prolonged contact between the kombucha and metal bothduring and after brewing. This can affect the flavor of your kombucha
and weaken the scoby over time.
1. Make the Tea Base: Bring the water to a boil.
Remove from heat and stir in the sugar to dissolve. Drop in the tea and
allow it to steep until the water has cooled. Depending on the size of
your pot, this will take a few hours. You can speed up the cooling
process by placing the pot in an ice bath.
2. Add the Starter Tea: Once the tea is cool, remove
the tea bags or strain out the loose tea. Stir in the starter tea. (The
starter tea makes the liquid acidic, which prevents unfriendly bacteria
from taking up residence in the first few days of fermentation.)
3. Transfer to Jars and Add the Scoby: Pour the
mixture into a 1-gallon glass jar (or divide between two 2-quart jars,
in which case you'll need 2 scobys) and gently slide the scoby into the
jar with clean hands. Cover the mouth of the jar with a few layers of
cheesecloth or paper towels secured with a rubber band.
4. Ferment for 7 to 10 Days: Keep the jar at room
temperature, out of direct sunlight, and where it won't get jostled.
Ferment for 7 to 10 days, checking the kombucha and the scoby
periodically.
It's not unusual for the scoby to float at the top, bottom, or even
sideways. A new cream-colored layer of scoby should start forming on
the surface of the kombucha within a few days. It usually attaches to
the old scoby, but it's ok if they separate. You may also see brown
stringy bits floating beneath the scoby, sediment collecting at the
bottom, and bubbles collecting around the scoby. This is all normal and
signs of healthy fermentation.
After seven days, begin tasting the kombucha daily by pouring a
little out of the jar and into a cup. When it reaches a balance of
sweetness and tartness that is pleasant to you, the kombucha is ready to
bottle.
5. Remove the Scoby: Before proceeding, prepare and
cool another pot of strong tea for your next batch of kombucha, as
outlined above. With clean hands, gently lift the scoby out of the
kombucha and set it on a clean plate. As you do, check it over and
remove the bottom layer if the scoby is getting very thick.
6. Bottle the Finished Kombucha: Measure out your
starter tea from this batch of kombucha and set it aside for the next
batch. Pour the fermented kombucha (straining, if desired) into bottles
using the small funnel, along with any juice, herbs, or fruit you may
want to use as flavoring. Leave about a half inch of head room in each
bottle. (Alternatively, infuse the kombucha with flavorings for a day or
two in another jar covered with cheesecloth, strain, and then bottle.
This makes a cleaner kombucha without "stuff" in it.)
7. Carbonate and Refrigerate the Finished Kombucha:
Store the bottled kombucha at room-temperature out of direct sunlight
and allow 1 to 3 days for the kombucha to carbonate. Until you get a
feel for how quickly your kombucha carbonates, it's helpful to keep it
in plastic bottles; the kombucha is carbonated when the bottles feel
rock solid. Refrigerate to stop fermentation and carbonation, and then
consume your kombucha within a month.
8. Make a Fresh Batch of Kombucha: Clean the jar
being used for kombucha fermentation. Combine the starter tea from your
last batch of kombucha with the fresh batch of sugary tea, and pour it
into the fermentation jar. Slide the scoby on top, cover, and ferment
for 7 to 10 days.
Additional Notes:
• Batch Size: To increase or decrease the amount
of kombucha you make, maintain the basic ratio of 1 cup of sugar, 8 bags
of tea, and 2 cups starter tea per gallon batch. One scoby will ferment
any size batch, though larger batches may take longer.
• Putting Kombucha on Pause: If you'll be away for
3 weeks or less, just make a fresh batch and leave it on your counter.
It will likely be too vinegary to drink by the time you get back, but
the scoby will be fine. For longer breaks, store the scoby in a fresh
batch of the tea base with starter tea in the fridge. Change out the tea
for a fresh batch every 4 to 6 weeks.
• Other Tea Options: Black tea tends to be the
easiest and most reliable for the scoby to ferment into kombucha, but
once your scoby is going strong, you can try branching out into other
kinds. Green tea, white tea, oolong tea, or a even mix of these make
especially good kombucha. Herbal teas are ok, but be sure to use at
least a few bags of black tea in the mix to make sure the scoby is
getting all the nutrients it needs. Avoid any teas that contain oils,
like earl grey or flavored teas.
• Avoid Prolonged Contact with Metal: Using metal
utensils is generally fine, but avoid fermenting or bottling the
kombucha in anything that brings them into contact with metal. Metals,
especially reactive metals like aluminum, can give the kombucha a
metallic flavor and weaken the scoby over time.
Troubleshooting Kombucha
• It is normal for the scoby to float on the top, bottom, or
sideways in the jar. It is also normal for brown strings to form below
the scoby or to collect on the bottom. If your scoby develops a hole,
bumps, dried patches, darker brown patches, or clear jelly-like patches,
it is still fine to use. Usually these are all indicative of changes in
the environment of your kitchen and not a problem with the scoby
itself.
• Kombucha will start off with a neutral aroma and then smell
progressively more vinegary as brewing progresses. If it starts to smell
cheesy, rotten, or otherwise unpleasant, this is a sign that something
has gone wrong. If you see no signs of mold on the scoby, discard the
liquid and begin again with fresh tea. If you do see signs of mold,
discard both the scoby and the liquid and begin again with new
ingredients.
• A scoby will last a very long time, but it's not indestructible.
If the scoby becomes black, that is a sign that it has passed its
lifespan. If it develops green or black mold, it is has become infected.
In both of these cases, throw away the scoby and begin again.
• To prolong the life and maintain the health of your scoby, stick
to the ratio of sugar, tea, starter tea, and water outlined in the
recipe. You should also peel off the bottom (oldest) layer every few
batches. This can be discarded, composted, used to start a new batch of
kombucha, or given to a friend to start their own.
• If you're ever in doubt about whether there is a problem with
your scoby, just continue brewing batches but discard the kombucha they
make. If there's a problem, it will get worse over time and become very
apparent. If it's just a natural aspect of the scoby, then it will stay
consistent from batch to batch and the kombucha is fine for drinking.
Want more smart tutorials for getting things done around the home?
See more How To posts
We're looking for great examples of your own household intelligence too!
Submit your own tutorials or ideas here!
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