Make Your Own Kombucha and Feel the Powerful Impact of Probiotics
Probiotics are a powerful way to promote gut health. Fermented tea, called Kombucha, has been consumed for thousands of years. Not only does it have the same health benefits of tea, but also contains probiotics and antioxidants that can kill harmful bacteria in the digestive tract and help fight disease.
Lemon Ginger Kombucha
4 organic tea bags (black or green tea can be used; we currently prefer 1 black tea bag and 3 green tea bags)**
One cup white sugar (this gets consumed during fermentation)
3 quarts (12 cups) of filtered water
One cup of kombucha to act as a starter
One kombucha SCOBY
Equipment needed: one gallon glass bowl or jar, clean white kitchen towel, a large rubberband
Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil. Add sugar, stir, and continue to boil for 5 minutes.
Turn off heat. Add 4 tea bags to hot sugar water.
Steep for 10 minutes.
Remove tea bags and let tea/sugar mixture cool to room temperature. This will take several hours, or you could put the whole pot over an ice bath. Do not let it cool too long (don’t leave it overnight, for instance, as mold could form.)
When mixture has reached room temperature, pour it into your glass brewing bowl/jar.
Stir in one cup of kombucha starter. Then, with clean hands, add the kombucha SCOBY.
Cover with a clean, white kitchen towel and attach with a large rubber band.
Move the brew to a quiet location with no direct sunlight (we use our home office room; try not to leave it in the kitchen as food particles could get in and ruin your brew).
For kombucha tea, let it ferment for 7-21 days. Don’t move it at all for at least 7 days. You can taste a spoonful to see if it is done when you see a new baby SCOBY on top that is about 1/8” thick. In the winter, it takes 3 weeks for ours to get to our preferred sourness; in the summer it takes 2 weeks. This varies greatly from house-to-house depending on temperature, etc. We also like ours very tart, so it won’t take as long if you like it a bit sweeter.
When it is time to bottle the kombucha, pour it into clear glass bottles and store in the refrigerator (we use old bottles from store-bought kombucha). Reserve one cup of the finished kombucha for making your next batch.
If you want your kombucha to be more fizzy, try bottling it with a tight lid and letting it sit on the counter for a few days. Beware, though, that it can build up pressure quickly sometimes, so it is recommended to keep it in a cardboard box just in case it pops!
Store the SCOBY in the 1 cup of finished kombucha. You can leave it at room temperature for a few days, but if it will be longer before you start the next batch you can store it in the fridge. (It is preferred to just start another batch rather than putting it in the fridge.) The SCOBY will get bigger each time you brew, so at some point you will probably want to divide it and either start another batch, give some away, or compost it.
Add 1/4 tsp ginger and 2 tsp lemon juice to each jar.
Only allow ginger lemon kombucha to sit on the counter for 12-15 hours.
