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Kombucha

Kombucha is delicious, refreshing and has many health benefits - not the least of which is sitting and relaxing to enjoy it! The recipe below will make kombucha like mine, but there are no rules and experimenting is encouraged - your kombucha will be uniquely yours. I have used black and green tea, but originally Oolong was the preferred tea - and a friend of mine has added Kawakawa leaves (a NZ native "pepper" plant with soft, heart-shaped leaves). Read more about kombucha. You can single or double brew, continuous or batch brew. Refreshing and living, your body and mind will thank you for it.

What you need:

  • Kombucha SCOBY and at least a cup of kombucha (unflavoured from a last batch or a friend)
  • Organic Fair Trade Green Tea
  • Organic Fair Trade Black Tea
  • Organic Fair Trade Sugar (turbinado or raw)
  • Large food safe container or jar – it is easier with a tap and I prefer glass.
  • A large bowl
  • Fine weave muslin cloth or paper towels to cover the top of the jar and something to secure it with (I use rubber bands)
  • Filtered water (chlorine is not good for the friends who want to make your kombucha)
  • Vinegar (any kind, but white is cheaper) this is for disinfecting your vessels and hands.

I always rinse my containers with a dilute mix of vinegar to remove detergent residue and kill any foreign bacteria or moulds. I also wash my hands in vinegar and rinse with filtered water if I am going to handle the SCOBY.

How:

Into the large bowl add:

4 black and 2 green teabags,1 cup of the sugar, and 6 cups of boiling water (filtered)

Let this steep for 10mins (or so) then remove the teabags.

Add the cup of sugar and dissolve

I then like to add about 5 or 6 cups of cold filtered water to cool the tea.

Decant the mix into your brewing vessel – leave behind any residues if you can, then top up with filtered water and leave enough space to add your starter and the SCOBY. Cover with your cloth or paper towel. Then WAIT! - about 12-14 days. You can actually enjoy your kombucha straight from the 

jar at this stage if you have a tap, or decant into bottles or sealable jugs and place in the fridge. Either way save a portion (at least a cup) and repeat above in the same container (to continuous brew) or detach the "baby" from under the "mother" SCOBY and start two batches (or give the baby away)..........BUT, if you want to take your kombucha to whole new level, this is the time to do it.

How to "Second Brew" your Kombucha

A Second brew adds flavours, complexity, more "fizz", and can add some nutritional benefits also.

It is extremely simple and does not need the same brewing time as the initial brew. My favourite is blueberry and ginger, but you can make any kind of mix you like - experiment and create your own signature kombucha. When the first "brewing" is complete, have a number of bottles (I like the ones with the latch closing and a seal on them) ready. If you have a tap on your brewing container, this is very simple - just fill the bottles and leave a little space at the top. For my blueberry and ginger recipe, I add slithers of frozen ginger root (or fresh - I keep mine in the freezer) - I add 2-3 slithers that are about 2cm X1cmx0.25cm to a 450ml bottle (but there are no rules - adjust to taste and experience) and organic frozen blueberries (12-14 in a 450ml bottle and about double that in a 900ml). Top the bottles up to close to the top, but leave a little space (maybe 2cm)

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