Kombucha is a fermented sweet tea which contains many beneficial bacteria. Additionally, kombucha contains acetic acid, other acids, trace amounts of alcohol and carbonation for enhanced carbonation and flavor.

The SCOBY may appear strange (it floats and has rubbery texture), but it’s your key to creating your own gut-healthy beverage! Use your SCOBY to craft multiple batches of kombucha over time – every time it gets used it adds another layer!

1. SCOBY

A scoby is the slimy rubbery disk formed during fermentation of kombucha. Though you can brew one batch without one (it will likely turn out too vinegary), to continue producing more you’ll require one. A starter tea, sugar and two days to ferment are needed to produce fruity, fizzy kombucha; green or black teas without oil can also work; Earl Grey should be avoided though!

To create starter tea, boil water with sugar until it dissolves before adding tea leaves and allowing them to steep for several minutes. Pour this mixture into your sanitized fermenter along with two cups of previous kombucha from an earlier brewing session and the SCOBY, before covering it tightly with tight-weave fabric (bandanas, tee-shirts or coffee filters all work), and secure with rubber bands or bandanas if possible – then store in a dark area until ready! After about four to five weeks you should be ready to drink your delicious homemade creation!

2. Tea

Kombucha is an intoxicatingly delightful fermented tea made of black tea, sugar and SCOBY bacteria. You can make your own at home – and the process is super straightforward and economical!

Use this recipe for basic kombucha or add in additional ingredients for custom flavors. A SCOBY (whether purchased or gifted), Starter Tea, Black Tea and sugar will all be needed for successful fermentation.

Once your kombucha has fermented for 7-10 days, it should be time to taste and determine its desired tangy or sweet characteristics. As time progresses, more tart flavors will develop as fermentation continues.

Store your kombucha in an airtight glass jar or bottle with an airtight lid to avoid its explosion, while also protecting it from unwanted bacterias. If a suitable container cannot be found, wrap some cheesecloth or coffee filter around the top of your jar to ward off fruit flies or insects from entering. Additionally, it would be wise to keep a pH meter and reliable strips handy so as to test its acidity levels regularly.

3. Water

Have you been curious to make your own kombucha at home? With this straightforward guide, it’s never been simpler! This popular fermented tea beverage can be extremely healthy, delicious and affordable to produce on your own!

Kombucha can be made using virtually any variety of tea, but black and green varieties are most often chosen. Sugar is usually added, although you could also opt for honey (beware of high levels as botulism may develop in fermented products) or other fermentable sweeteners for an alternative approach.

An environment conducive to successful kombucha fermentation is key. The ideal conditions must be dark, still and between 70-75 degrees F (20-24 C). Any higher and fermentation may slow or stop altogether while any lower risks harmful bacteria growing into your batch.

Make sure that the water you are using contains no chlorine or other toxins that could harm SCOBY, such as chemicals that produce chlorine gas or cause other forms of poisonous gas to be produced in its presence. A sterilized jar is essential, whether you purchase dedicated ones or clean and reuse empty sparkling water bottles from previous purchases.

4. Sugar

Honey, brown sugar, molasses or any other sweeteners won’t do the trick either; only cane sugar will do. You could also choose to create Kombucha without adding any sugar at all; it will still contain many beneficial acids and enzymes while being less acidic than before.

Your brew will start out sweet but gradually become more tart as time progresses due to the SCOBY digesting sugar into acid as part of its metabolic processes.

Temperature has an impactful impact on Kombucha production as well. Lower temperatures speed up the process but don’t allow beneficial acids to develop as efficiently as they would during normal brewing cycles.

Once you understand how the Continuous Brewing Method works, making delicious Kombucha at home becomes very straightforward! Feel free to experiment with different tea types or even adding fruit! For any questions or issues you might encounter feel free to post in our Kombucha Community!

5. Fruit

Kombucha is an easy and delicious fermented tea drink filled with probiotics – and making your own is simple!

Kombucha can be made using any variety of tea as its foundation. Furthermore, various flavoring agents can be added during its second fermentation process for additional customization and flavor enhancement.

F1 or initial fermentation typically lasts 7 to 10 days and involves fermenting sweet tea using an SCOBY to transform it into kombucha. Once complete, bottled and left at room temperature for two or four more days to allow carbonation.

One key step in making kombucha involves being aware that its high concentration of acetic acid attracts fruit flies; to avoid contamination from other areas of your home and ensure optimal fermentation results, a pH meter is almost essential; be sure to stay below 4.5 to ensure best results from fermentation!

6. Starter Tea

Combucha can be made at home fairly effortlessly with some patience and the right ingredients. All that’s necessary to start is a SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast), black tea, starter tea and sugar; you can purchase these items from homebrewing stores, regular brewers or give one away as gifts.

A pH meter and test strips can be very helpful when starting ferments; an ideal target pH should be set at 4.5; if your levels go beyond this point, adding some distilled vinegar may bring it down further.

Heat water until boiling point, remove from heat, steep tea leaves for 1-5 minutes depending on the type of tea used, stir in sugar until completely dissolved and cool to room temperature before adding your SCOBY and starter tea into a sanitized container with cloth or coffee filter covering and secured rubber band closure. Allow ferment for 7-14 days until desired tartness level has been achieved – then save 1 mother SCOBY along with about one cup of finished kombucha as starter tea for future batches – or give away!

7. Scoby

At first fermentation, your SCOBY and tea combine to produce an acidic (and sometimes odd-tasting) mixture that forms the basis for your kombucha beverage. This tangy ferment is known as your starter tea or mother culture and provides its basic flavors.

Use black or green tea for the initial fermentation; decaf will not work well with SCOBYs. Experiment with various flavors of teas; it’s best to start out by creating unflavored kombucha first.

Once your kombucha has reached its desired sweetness, the second fermentation process begins. This step will add fizziness and probiotics.

Be wary of anything that may contaminate or harm your kombucha, such as metal utensils, faucets or the metal lid of your jar. Prolonged contact with metal can add metallic flavors and weaken the SCOBY; additionally it’s normal for it to sink to the bottom, rise to the top or even float sideways – along with developing holes, bumps, dry patches or darker brown strings – in terms of flavoring your beverage.

8. Bottle

Once your Kombucha has fermented to your satisfaction (usually 7-30 days) and your SCOBY has floated to the surface, remove it with clean hands and set aside 10% as starter tea for your next batch. This will ensure consistency between batches by using the same SCOBY and ingredients to avoid variations in taste or health benefits.

Cover your jar with a tightly-woven dish towel or coffee filter, secure with a rubber band, and place in a warm location out of direct sunlight to continue fermenting. After two to four weeks have passed, your kombucha should become less sweet and more acidic; sometimes a pellicle may form on its surface as well.

The pellicle is the symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast forming on top of your kombucha, and should be taken as a good sign that the culture has successfully consumed sugar to produce beneficial acids.