fermentation

Kombucha tea is something I love and drink regularly. Probably 3 or more bottles per week and at ~$4 per bottle, that gets pretty pricey!  I had read making kombucha is quite easy and really only requires a bit of patience so I was intrigued and inspired to make my own.

I split my kombucha post into two parts as it got a bit lengthy.  Today, in Part I, I’m going to cover a few kombucha resources I consulted and my process for the first fermentation.  In Part II, I’ll cover flavoring the kombucha, adding bubbles (second fermentation), and review a few tips I learned during my few kombucha brewing experiences.

When I started to research how-to guides for making kombucha and recipes to flavor my kombucha, I was left a little confused.  All of the guides I found were pretty vague and being a detail-oriented person, their fuzzy ‘add a little of this and wait some amount of time’ wasn’t quite cutting it so…

I set out to create a detailed kombucha guide to add clarity to the process.
And THIS is that process.

In my pursuit to document the kombucha making process, I initially consulted a few sources to gain a base understanding.  The first was the book .  This book was a great a resource for understanding fermented drinks.

It gave a detailed history of fermented drinks while explaining that humans have been making and enjoying them for 1000s of years. It also eased any apprehension I had about poisoning myself with moldy kombucha, knowing humans have been fermenting drinks for ages just by taste, smell, and intuition.

Kombucha, Kefir, and Beyond also provided a base understanding of the chemistry involved during fermentation.  Brewing fermented drinks, like kombucha, is a bit like brewing beer — there’s a few reactions going on that produce the vinegar-esque flavor, bubbles, and health benefits so understanding these reactions helped me determine what was going on with my kombucha during each phase.

The other resource I found exceptionally helpful was the site Kombucha Kamp. Now, the site looks quite dated and it’s really difficult to navigate but the resources are exceptional.  I especially liked the blog posts about the benefits of kombucha and the troubleshooting section where you can see different photos of SCOBYs (which are quite ugly!). The photos allow you to view other SCOBYs to compare to your own, in case you have concerns about the health of your SCOBY.  Here are a few great sources on the site

• Long-term SCOBY maintenance/storage
• Brewing Safety
• Is it mold?
• Kombucha & Beer Similarities

Based on my consultation of these sources, I was feeling pretty confident and ready to dive into the brewing process! 

Preparing to Brew

Gather your Supplies:

• 1 SCOBY
• 8-ounces starter tea
• 1-gallon sized container for brewing
• 8 black tea bags
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 coffee filter + large rubber band (to use as a lid)
• food-grade thermometer

I purchased my SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) from this Etsy shop that had 100s of great reviews. You get a nice big SCOBY plus starter tea, which is super important.

I decided to use plain old for brewing. Though if you want to use loose leaf tea, you may.

I used a with a coffee filter as a lid (you need to keep air moving while brewing so it can’t be an air-tight top).  I brewed half-gallon batches and  bottled my kombucha in regular with regular canning lids for the second fermentation.

The Brewing Process

Once you have all your supplies, you are ready to brew.

1. Bring 8 cups of water to boil in a large pot.
2. Once boiling, add 1/2 cup granulated sugar and stir until dissolved.
3. Remove the pan from the heat and insert 8 tea bags.
4. Allow the tea to steep for 15 minutes and then remove the tea bags and discard.
5. Let the tea cool to ~75°F or lower. Anything warmer will kill your SCOBY.
6. Pour the cooled tea into your CLEAN and sanitized brewing container (large mason jar).
7. Add your starter tea to the brewing container.
8. Using clean hands or a plastic glove, gently place your SCOBY into the jar.  Your SCOBY may float or sink, it really depends on the SCOBY itself, so don’t worry about it.
9. Place the coffee filter on top of the jar and secure with the rubber band.
10. Place the large mason jar in a dark corner of your home where there’s still air flow (so not a cupboard) but also a place where it won’t be disturbed. The ideal brewing temperature for kombucha is between 68°F-75°F. Luckily, for most of us, this is probably the temperature our home is set between most of the time so you should be good to go!  Personally, I set my brew in the back corner of my pantry.

Determining Your Brew Time

This is where the vagueness comes in and it’s slightly dependent on your brewing temperature. Your tea will be ready for flavoring and bottling anywhere between 5 and 21 days.  Brewing time is also dependent on personal taste preference. If you like more vinegary kombucha, then you should let it brew longer.  If you like sweeter kombucha, then don’t let it brew as long.

I realize 5-21 days is a big range which is why my suggestion to you is to start sampling your tea at day 5 then every 2-3 days after that. You do this by slipping a clean straw into the kombucha, grabbing a little sample and tasting it.  Do not double dip. Double dipping increases the likelihood of introducing bacteria and ruining your brew.  Once you find a kombucha flavor you’re comfortable with, you know it’s time to add flavor and move on to the second fermentation.

While tasting your tea during the first fermentation, you should remember, it’s not going to taste the like kombucha you’re used to drinking from the store. This kombucha is flat (no bubbles, yet) and it’s unflavored.  All of that comes in the next step!

See you tomorrow with the rest of the details!