Last week I expounded upon my love for all things Kombucha because of its many health benefits.
But one of the things I love the most about it is the fact that you can easily brew this yourself at home.
Inexpensive, easy, AND fun? What more can you ask for!
I follow a slightly modified version of the one published by my friend Hannah Crum, the Kombucha Mamma (her easy recipe can be found here):
1. Gather your tools and ingredients:
- A 1-Gallon Glass Jar, cloth cover such as a cutup T-shirt, and rubber band (your Scoby’s new home!)
- Organic Raw Turbinado Sugar
- Organic Green Tea (or Black if you prefer – just no flavored teas or teas with essential oils such as Chai)
- Measuring cup
- Tea Kettle or pot for boiling water
- Purified Water
2. If you haven’t already, adopt and name your Scoby (ok you don’t have to name it, but why the heck not?)
You can buy one online, request it for free from a Kombucha community member such as the Kombucha Exchange Worldwide, or just ask a friend or friend of a friend!
Once you have your Scoby, the fun can begin! By the way, for the curious, Scoby stands for “symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeasts.”
3. Set your Scoby and his starter liquid gently into a covered bowl on the counter top (covered is key as fruit flies will be drawn to the little guy)
4. Measure out 4 cups of purified water into a tea kettle or pot; bring to a boil
5. Spoon 4-6 teaspoons of tea leaves into a cloth tea bag (or 4-6 tea bags)
6. Steep the tea for 5-7 minutes (when using Green Tea, I typically steep the full 7 minutes), then remove the bag and compost the leaves 
7. Measure out 1 cup of sugar and stir into brewing vessel
8. Once sugar has dissolved, pour cold filtered water into the brewing vessel, leaving a couple of inches at the top for the Scoby
9. Ensuring that the liquid is not too hot (warm is fine), slip your Scoby into his new home where he can happily suck on the sugar and caffeine (just because YOU should cut back the sugar doesn’t mean he has to!)
10. Put his little turban on, secure with the rubber band, and give him a big hug and kiss before setting him lovingly in a warm location out of sunlight for 7 days undisturbed while he meditates and magically turns a gallon of sweet tea into tasty, healthy Kombucha!
FAST FORWARD to the FUTURE!
Once a week has passed, you can now taste your brew!
I use a ceramic spoon to siphon a bit off the top (no metal spoons please – no good for the Scoby). If too sweet, give it another couple of days. If too tart…go back in time and bottle it earlier! Kidding. You’ll just have a tart batch this week and note to self start tasting your brew a bit earlier around day 5.
There are MANY ways to flavor your brew, but I prefer pure and simple ginger slices.
Tools/Ingredients:
- Fresh Ginger
- Empty Glass bottles with tight-fitting lids (I reuse other Kombucha bottles, old Vodka bottles, salad dressing bottles – be eco-creative!)
- Funnel
Here are a few final words from Hannah’s site:
Quick Brew Tips
- Sanitize with hot water or vinegar – NO SOAP. It kills the kombucha culture.
- Airflow is key – find an open area for your Kombucha Tea.
- If you see mold, throw everything away. Kombucha Mushrooms are not salvagable when mold strikes.
- Keep a SCOBY Hotel for backups and extras.
- Kombucha is a LIVING organism. Many believe the energy in the room will directly influence your culture.
