Ingredients
- 14 cups water
- 1 cup sugar
- 8 tea bags
- 1 cup starter tea or vinegar
- kombucha culture
Directions
- Combine hot water (14 cups for 1 gallon) and sugar (1 cup) in the glass jar you intend on using to brew the tea. Stir until the sugar dissolves. The water should be hot enough to steep the tea but does not have to be boiling.
- Place the tea or tea bags in the sugar water to steep. Use 8 tea bags for a gallon of tea. I prefer the flavor of green tea, but you can also use black tea. Try to find an organic tea. If you use loose tea leaves use 4 tbsp for a gallon of tea.
- Cool the mixture to room temperature. The tea may be left in the liquid as it cools. Once cooled, remove the tea bags.
- Add starter tea from a previous batch to the liquid. If you do not have starter tea, distilled white vinegar may be substituted. If using vinegar use 2 cups for a gallon of tea.
- Add an active kombucha SCOBY (culture).
- Cover the jar with a towel or coffee filter and secure with a rubber band. Ants can smell sweet tea a mile away.
- Allow the mixture to sit undisturbed at 68 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit, out of direct sunlight, for 7 to 30 days, or to taste. The longer the kombucha ferments, the less sweet and more vinegary it will taste.
Brewing kombucha at home is easier than you think! Grab your ingredients, including your kombucha culture, and make something great for your gut health.
What is all the hype about this funky tea known as kombucha? Kombucha most likely started in China and spread to Russia over 100 years ago. It is often called mushroom tea because of the SCOBY that forms on the top, resembling a mushroom. SCOBY is actually an acronym for “symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast.”
Kombucha contains multiple species of yeast and bacteria along with the organic acids, active enzymes, amino acids, and vitamin C. According to the American Cancer Society, “Kombucha tea has been promoted as a cure-all for a wide range of conditions including baldness, insomnia, intestinal disorders, arthritis, chronic fatigue syndrome, multiple sclerosis, AIDS, and cancer. Supporters say that kombucha tea can boost the immune system and reverse the aging process.” I will caution you however that there is little scientific evidence to support such strong claims.
For us, kombucha is fun to make, and is highly recommended among many of my holistic friends. It is naturally fermented with a living colony of bacteria and yeast (growing your own Kombucha SCOBY is possible, or you can purchase one yourself), which is helpful for digestive health. I think it smells a little strong, but is actually pleasant tasting.
To Continue Brewing Kombucha at Home
Keep the SCOBY and about 1 cup of the liquid from the bottom of the jar to use as starter tea for the next batch. You will have the “mother SCOBY” that you added and a new “baby SCOBY” that will have formed on the top. You can reuse your mother SCOBY, and gift your baby.
The finished kombucha can be flavored, or enjoyed plain. Keep sealed with an airtight lid at room temp for an additional 7 days with added fruit if you like a fizzy drink like soda. Otherwise store in the fridge to stop the fermentation process. These little bottles of “hippie tea” have been popping up all over grocery stores for about $3 a bottle, but you can make it at home for about $1 a gallon. I’m not sure that it’s a cure-all, but at worst you have a delightful and affordable probiotic.
Melissa Souza lives on a 1-acre, organically managed homestead property in rural Washington State where she raises backyard chickens and meat rabbits and grows plums, apples, pears, a variety of berries, and all the produce her family needs. She loves to inspire other families to save money, be together, and take steps toward self-reliance no matter where they live.
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