How to make Kombucha (Kombucha 101)

Several years ago I found a bottle of Kombucha in Whole Foods and decided to give it a try.  I took a sip and quickly handed it to my husband to finish.  I asked for one more taste but decided it tasted too much like vinegar for my tastebuds.  A few months later I found a different brand and decided to give it a taste.  I was delighted to find that I actually liked it.  I began buying kombucha on occasion after that and found that the cost of buying kombucha would make it something that would have to be more of a treat than something I consumed daily.  

A couple of years ago I learned a friend of mine had a SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) for making his own kombucha.  I was intrigued.  I started researching it and asked him if he had a SCOBY to spare.  He gladly shared one with me and I purchased all of the necessary supplies and began brewing my first batch.  To make a long story short, I wasn't successful.  It was actually very disappointing.  There were a lot of factors that contributed to my failure.  One problem was my house was too cold.  We live in an old farm house and it wasn't insulated when it was built.  The measures I took to keep my 'booch' warm weren't successful.  I also used a metal strainer.  Metal shouldn't come in contact with your 'booch' or SCOBY.  I never got a successful batch out of that first SCOBY and I gave up.  

At the beginning of this year another friend of mine told me she was making her own kombucha.  I was excited to hear this.  I asked her if she had any spare SCOBYs and she said yes.  She brought me a beautiful SCOBY and I have been successfully making 'booch' since.  I have shared several SCOBYs with friends and they usually ask my process.  I wanted to put it all in one place and make it easier to share just how I make 'booch'.  

Since I don't use any metal, my utensils consist of plastic and glass items.  I don't use wooden spoons since they can hold bacteria.  I prefer to use a ladle instead of using the spouts.  I have used the spouts, but they tend to clog.  I have read that the metal, (stainless steel is approved metal to use), do a better job of not clogging. I find it too time consuming to worry about keeping the spout cleared from clogs so I just use this Tupperware ladle.  

I purchased this bottle sanitizing tool several weeks ago and it has been a huge help.  I was using a lot of hot water to sanitize my bottles which was time consuming and costly.  I also purchased this awesome drying rack that is perfect for drying bottles.  All the liquid drains out and makes it so much easier and it is a huge space saver.

I use organic products as much as possible.
I purchase these from Sam's Club.

I only boil about half of the water for a gallon of tea.
I boiled approximately 8 cups of water for this 1.5 gallon batch.

The length of time you let a batch ferment is really a matter of choice and taste.  You want to make sure the sugar has had a chance to be fermented so after about 7 days you can begin tasting your 'booch' by using a straw dipped into the liquid.  As long as it doesn't taste sweet and tastes fermented you are on your way.  If you have successfully grown a new SCOBY on top of your kombucha, you can know the process is happening.  Dark patches in the liquid are usually yeast and safe.  If you see green, dry, or fuzzy patches on the top of your SCOBY there is a problem and the entire batch will have to be discarded.  

There are two SCOBYs in this picture.  The one I started this batch with and
the new one that grew. These both grew nicely and I think the amount of starter and the temperature of the brew contributed to their size.

I place my SCOBY on a plate and cover with another plate for safe keeping while I bottle for the second ferment (F2). 

Please watch this video for step by step instructions on how I bottle my kombucha for the F2.  

If the video doesn't work you can try this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=746NJYbPmww

This is how I make kombucha.  There are many resources on the internet and there are also books available.  I hope your kombucha journey is successful.  Please feel free to ask questions or leave comments.  

Until we meet again!