DIY Kombucha
Hey Guys! So many of you have been asking , so I’m super excited to finally share this recipe with you all! Kombucha is something that we found we were regularly buying in our house. It was our little treat, as we don’t buy soft drinks at our place often at all. That was until we realised how much money we were actually spending on Kombucha every time we did the groceries, let me tell you, it can well and truly add up. Don’t get me wrong, we still buy the odd store bought here and there, and it’s now more of a treat than ever!
The Scoby Hotel
Kombucha is a carbonated black tea , it’s based on a SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria and Yeast) being a thick rubbery and cloudy mass that aids the fermentation process. One of my best friends has been making this for a while now, and I was intrigued one time watching her during the process. Needless to say, I left her house that day with a SCOBY and I’ve never looked back.
I love that it’s now a 10 day ritual at our place. It’s quite a therapeutic process, and it’s also great knowing that all the benefits are amazing for your gut health.
This recipe is so simple, all you need is tea bags, water, sugar and fruit.
Kombucha does have a small amount of sugar in it. Approx 1/2 cup/litre. But this is actually what the SCOBY ferments off.
I usually flavour our’s with what ever fruits are in season. But my favourites combos are apple & blueberry, raspberry & vanilla, lemon & lime pomegranate, and of course passionfruit!
INGREDIENTS:
2 litres water
1 Cup sugar
4 teabags
1 scoby- generally gifted to you ( in a scoby hotel, which is the scoby covered in 1/2 cup brew- this is its home when its not fermenting)
Kombucha Kits can also be purchased at the GoodnessMe shop
Method:
Place water, sugar and teabags in a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Once sugar has dissolved, remove from heat and take out teabags. The longer you leave them in, the darker the brew.
I generally leave mine overnight to cool, then transfer to my tall IKEA jars the next morning. Along with my scoby including the liquid from a previous batch. Secure top with paper towel and a rubber band, and let ferment for 7-10days.
I will normally leave mine around 10 days, I then strain and place into my existing Kombucha bottles and flavour with as much fruit and flavours of your choice.
These bottle will then stay in the fridge for a minimum of 3 days and then we start drinking!! Always remember to keep your scobys in their hotel in a cool dark place to rest when not in use, and always cover with the last batch of brew.
Make sure that your brewed tea is cold before you add it to the SCOBY. Otherwise you will kill your SCOBY which is your living bacteria.
You can use black tea, green tea flavoured bags or even decaf.. what ever you have on hand really.
Plain white sugar is best
Use a clean, sterilised glass jar for the bulk brew. I use the Korken range from IKEA, but any glass jar is fine.
The sweeter the fruit, the more fizz you will get. But remember this isn’t commercialised, you will find that it’s not quite as fizzy, but still tastes amazing!
Keep a SCOBY hotel (a back up SCOBY) in a separate jar. Every 6-8 weeks discard half of the jar and then top it up with fresh tea brew.
Hope you enjoy, and any questions, please reach out!!
xxx