Connie’s Kombucha Recipe
- stainless steel pot
- plastic ladle, spoon & funnel
- sugar
- large rubber band
- clean glass bottles
- white paper towel or cheese cloth
- Starter Culture from a friend
- Black and Green Tea
- 1 gallon glass brewing jar
First….. keep your work area and preparation materials clean and do not allow the Culture or the kombucha tea to come into contact with metals. The tea is acidic and will leach materials from metals. Momentary contact with quality stainless steel will not harm anything. Wash your hands well with NON antibacterial soap. I recommend rinsing all utensils with boiled water before you begin.
1. Make tea in stainless steel pot using 3 black tea bags & 3 green tea bags, 1 1/3 cup of organic cane sugar, and 4 quarts of boiled purified water. Boil water only long enough to dissolve the sugar or for 10 minutes if you are not using Reverse Osmosis water, you do not want to boil out all of the oxygen, it helps with the fermentation process. Add sugar till dissolved, add tea bags ( remove paper tag from bags before putting in water ) , stir and let steep for 20 minutes.
2. Remove tea bags with plastic spoon and cool tea to room temperature, approx. 80 degrees. If the tea is too hot it will kill the Kombucha culture.
3. Add the cooled tea, the Kombucha culture and 1 1/2 cups of fermented tea from your previous batch ( or what was given to you with your baby culture ) to a glass 1 gallon jar with a wide mouth top. Always keep 1 1/2 cups from your previous batch to start your next.
4. Cover the container with a paper towel and secure it with a rubber band, elastic, or string to keep out insects and air borne contaminants.
5. Place it where it will remain undisturbed out of direct sun light but where it will remain approx. 70 – 80 degrees.
6. Let it ferment for about 7 to 10 days plus or minus a few days depending on the growing temperature and how acidic (sour) you like it. Cooler temps. longer ferment. Could take 14 or more when you have lower temps.
You may test the tea at any time….remove cover and slide a straw down the side of the vessel, then once down about 6 inches put your finger over the straw end and pull up, release it into your mouth or cup and enjoy. Your taste buds are your best judge.
7. With clean hands……washed with NON antibacterial soap and rinsed well, remove the original Kombucha colony and the new baby that formed on the surface of the tea. Put the Baby & Mom culture on a clean plate and cover with another plate for now.
8. Pour the tea into glass bottles, glass is best but food grade plastic can also be used. Original recipes call for filling the bottles to the top and cap them. I have found that leaving some air in them gives me more carbonation after sitting at room temp. a few days. Be sure to label them with a date.
9. The bottles do not need to be placed in cold storage yet, they can be stored at room temp. for approx. 7 – 12 days. This is where it gets its FIZZ. After that time you may refrigerate. If you are using glass bottles that will not withstand pressure, please beware that they could explode. I have not had this happen, but some have, just watch them, or use plastic bottles, they will “give” a little.
In addition to the above information, I would like to add that you may also use bulk loose leaf tea, I purchase mine at CHOICE ORGANIC TEAS, you would use 1 heaping teaspoon in place of each tea bag. You would use either a stainless steel tea ball or tea sacks to hold the loose tea.
Pictures of my process………..
Extra mothers to give away
