May 11, 2014

How to Make Kombucha {for beginners}

Four years ago, I wrote how to make kombucha. (pronounced: com-boo-cha)  Since then I've heard from readers that the instructions could be clearer.  I welcome feedback.  :)

What is kombucha and why should one drink it?

It is a probiotic drink made from sweet black tea that has been fermented to proliferate the creation of beneficial bacteria.  There are enzymes in it that help break down and digest food for optimal nutrition absorption.  It contains glucuronic acid, which is also produced by your liver for neutralizing or binding with toxins so they can be flushed from the body.  Best of all, it tastes delicious and refreshing on a hot day; your body absorbs mineral ions (electrolytes) from it faster and retains them longer than plain water.

My favorite story to tell about kombucha is from a sidebar on page 587 in Nourishing Traditions.  Russian scientists, post World War II, were trying to understand why some cities were having large outbreaks of cancer while others did not.  All the cities had this in common: toxin exposure from lead, mercury and asbestos mining, etc.  These scientists were stumped until one hot summer day they knocked on the door of a babushka, an elderly woman.  She invited them in for a drink of kombucha. The scientists enjoyed the drink then asked if everyone in (this cancer free) town made and drank this drink.  Why, yes they did.

How to Make Kombucha

It's easy as 1-2-3.
1. Get a starter.
2. Make sweet tea.
3. Let it sit for a week.

First you need a starter - a scoby (pronounced: skoe-bee) and liquid from a previous batch.  SCOBY is an acronym for symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast.   You can find them on-line.  However, if you know some one who brews kombucha, then ask them for a starter.

Put your scoby and starter liquid in a glass gallon jar.  Some people use punch bowls or fish bowls.  Sun tea jars are great.  The important thing is that is it glass and for the diameter of the surface area to be about the same as the depth of final liquid.  You can buy glass jars like this at Wal-Mart or Target.  Or, buy a gallon of pickles at Kroger - just be sure the jar is glass.  The finished kombucha is slightly acidic which will leach chemicals from plastic.

There are lots of fun jars on the market now with spigots in the bottom.  I have a 5 gallon jar with a brass spigot that I bought on-line several years ago (the company has since gone out of business).  I also make kombucha in a plain, one gallon jar as seen above.

Next make a batch of black tea.
I use Lipton (not decaf) and regular white sugar.  Of course organic tea will have less toxins but also costs more.  I make tea in a quart jar and heat water in an electric kettle.  How you make the tea is not as important as the ratios: 1 cup sugar, 3 family sized tea bags and 3 quarts of water.

{Noteably, white sugar is a GMO.  You can use organic cane sugar but because of the cost this is one area that I compromise and knowingly use GMOs on a regular basis.  I justify the use in kombucha, hoping that the end product removes any toxins remaining from GMO sugar.  White sugar is only used in tea at my house.}

The scoby needs tannins from tea as well as the sugar to do its magic.  I like my tea stronger so I use 3 family sized bags (or 8 individual) per gallon jar.  You can use less tea, or supplement with some green tea.  Play around with the strength.  Just do NOT use herbal teas, which contain oils which will damage the scoby.
Use dechlorinated water - I have a RO filter on my sink.
To the tea, while it is hot, add one cup of sugar.  Let this cool so that it doesn't burn you or scoby (very warm is ok.) Add enough water to fill your gallon, about 3 quarts of water.  You want the maximum surface area, so in some jars you will leave a space at the top.

Cover the jar with a breathable material (like a paper towel, dish cloth, or coffee filter - all should be affixed with a rubber band so that fruit flies cannot get inside.)

Several years ago, I had my husband install a reverse osmosis (RO) water filtration system under my kitchen sink.  It's from Lowe's.  You can buy RO water by the gallon from Whole Foods.  Or, use spring water or distilled water.  The most important thing is to use dechlorinated water.  Chlorine will harm the beneficial bacteria you are trying to foster.  If you don't want to buy water, set tap water on the counter over night and the chlorine will evaporate.

Don't freak out if the scoby sinks.  It is not a big deal if it doesn't float right away - it will float eventually.

Depending on the temperature in your kitchen, after a week, your tea should be slightly tart.  In the winter my kitchen is very cold and I will let the kombucha brew about 9 days.  The summer it brews faster and is ready after a week.

When you've reached the desired tartness, you can drink the kombucha right away or bottle it.  

Before bottling, be sure to save out about 2 cups of starter for your next batch.

When you bottle it, this is called the second ferment and is how kombucha becomes fizzy - or effervescent like a soda.  The biologists out there could explain that when yeast eats sugar in the absence of oxygen, the byproduct is carbon dioxide - or effervescence.  Kombucha can be slightly bubbly after the first week (as you are pouring it from your gallon jar) but this effervescence will not last long.

If you choose to bottle the kombucha for a second ferment, it is necessary to add additional sugar if you want the kombucha to become effervescent.  I use a generous tablespoon of grape juice concentrate in the bottom of each bottle.  However, others use and enjoy all types of fruit (fresh or frozen), even dried fruit like raisins.  After bottling kombucha, I let it sit on my counter a minimum of three days before refrigerating.  During this time, the yeast is eating sugar and making carbonation.  The longer it sits at room temperature, the fizzier your drink will be.  One tip I've learned over the years is to use masking tape and a Sharpie to mark the day of bottling.  This way I can keep up with when the bottles should go into the fridge.  Yes, I have had bottles explode from too much pressure.  When it happens in the middle of the night it can sound like a gun going off in the kitchen.  Ask my husband.

In the winter, the second ferment may sit as long as a month before we drink it.  In summer, we refrigerate after one week otherwise the kombucha is so fizzy when opening that it makes a huge mess.  Refrigeration slows down the yeast and the carbonation isn't as violent.

Whew - that was a lot of information.  And may not be any clearer than the post I wrote four years ago.  Maybe you should just come to my house and help me make kombucha this week.  :)


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