How To Make Your Own Kombucha
Kombucha is a slightly fizzy sweet tea made using a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast that goes by the acronym “SCOBY”. These clever bacteria work by eating the sugar over time and creating a refreshing, fizzy, and slightly tart tea that’s packed full of probiotics that do wonders for your gut.
Easy to make, although it takes a little patience whilst you wait for your kombucha to ferment, this tea is made using black tea, but you can also add green tea. We've opted for black tea bags for this recipe, but if you fancy experimenting or levelling up your kombucha, why not try some delicious loose leaf black teas?
| Makes | 1.5 Litres |
|---|---|
| Makes In | 20 mins (1-2 weeks fermenting) |
| Difficulty | Easy |
| Dietary | [[v]] [[df]] |
Ingredients
| Qty | Ingredient |
|---|---|
| 1.5 litres | Filtered water |
| 4 | Black tea bags (or 2 black tea bags & 2 green tea bags) |
| 100g-200g | Granulated sugar (depending on sweetness) |
| SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) plus 100ml starter liquid |
Method
- Boil the kettle and add 1.5 litres of water to a saucepan.
- Add your tea bags to the water and 100-200g granulated sugar. Let the teabags brew for around 6-10 minutes, and let the sugar dissolve.
- Leave to cool.
- Once cool, pour into a clean Kilner jar.
- Add your SCOBY, ensuring you leave a 5cm gap between the SCOBY and the top of the jar to allow the kombucha to breathe.
- Use a piece of kitchen towel or clean muslin to cover the jar and wrap an elastic band around it.
- Store in a cool and dry place for around 1-2 weeks, checking on it regularly. Don’t put your kombucha in a cupboard; it needs plenty of air to breathe!
- Remove the SCOBY, and save it for your next round, ensuring you keep 100ml-200ml of the liquid. At this point, your kombucha is ready to drink, but you can go for another round of fermentation by adding some flavours such as honey, raspberry, herbs, spices, and even ginger! Add these after the first round, once you’ve removed the SCOBY, and leave to ferment again.
- Once your kombucha is ready, you can store it in an airtight bottle in the fridge for up to three months. After that, if you’ve opted for another round of fermentation and added herbs, spices or fruit, make sure you use a funnel to drain your kombucha.
You can experiment with different types of black teas, such as Oolong and Darjeeling and even with green teas but avoid teas with oils such as Earl Grey.
Try making your own kombucha and adding this into your diet; your tummy will be so happy you did!
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