Let Me Take You By The Hand And
Lead You To the Land Of Kombucha!
Well, there are lots of videos about making kombucha tea and everyone has their own little twist but I found these two to be quite useful for the novice.
By the way, if you exercise a lot, kombucha tea will help reduce the lactic acid in your muscles so they won’t stay sore for too long. This way you can get more out of your workout as well – It worked for the Russian Olympians so it should work for you too 🙂
Things You Need To Make Your Kombucha Tea
The time it takes to brew your kombucha depends on the season but it should take anywhere between 7 days (when it is warmer) to 10 days (when it gets cooler).
Use wooden utensils and glass containers/bowls (make sure it is clear glass and nothing else). Kombucha does not react well to metal and could weaken the mother culture over time. This also applies to jewelry you may wear, so take those off before you make your kombucha.
You can use honey instead of sugar (and they used to use that in China) but it will take longer to brew.
Breathable cotton to cover your container or bowl but make sure you do not bleach your cloth, and a large elastic band to hold the cloth in place.
1 cup white sugar (preferably organic) to 3 quarts distilled water – boil for 5 minutes
Add tea to steep. Remove pot from heat and add tea bags (4-5) of a mixture of black (required) and green tea. Black tea is required for the tannin but it should be mixed in with some other teas such as green tea.
Really good organic tea blend for kombucha here.
Remove tea bags and set aside. Take tea water and pour into bowl, it will look very dark but it will lighten in color during the fermentation process. Do NOT use de-caffeinated tea bags, the fermentation will take the caffeine out.
Wait for the tea to cool ( a few hours) till it is body temperature, it is not necessary to wait till it is room temperature but do not leave it overnight. You risk getting mold if you leave the tea for too long before adding the culture.
Pour 2/3 cup of starter tea to the newly made tea, add culture or scoby, cover and put it away from the kitchen in a cool place (not a closet, it needs to breaths), away from direct sun light, away from ceiling fans, keep in a room that is quiet with the least foot traffic where it can quietly brew.
This is a great place to get your first kombucha culture.
By the way, a full moon will affect your brew.
Don’t touch for 7 days.
After 7 days, you will see a new ‘baby’ on top of the original culture or scoby and the kombucha will be ready to drink.
You can store kombucha cultures in a bowl with a bit of kombucha tea and cover it with a clean cloth and put it in the fridge till the next batch but do not put the culture in a zip lock bag as it is a living breathing thing.
Hope this helps and get brewing!
Related articles
- a minor case of kombucha addiction (slowfoodsmama.com)
- Continuous Brew Kombucha (gardengalbevy.com)
- Sarah O’Toole’s Kombucha Mojitos Recipe (friendseat.com)
Making Kombucha Tea 
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