Guide To Making Fizzy Kombucha

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Kombucha has become one of my favorite beverages. It has been around for hundreds of years, yet I didn’t know about it until my friend Berlyn taught me how to make it back in 2016. I do like soda, but I don’t drink it all the time, so drinking Kombucha is like “natural soda” for me.

how to make fizzy kombucha


What is Kombucha?


Kombucha is simply fermented tea. Ingredients are tea, sugar and purified water, SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast). During the second fermentation process, flavorings are added such as fruit juice, diced fruit, etc. 


What Are The Health Benefits of Kombucha? 


Due to Kombucha’s acidic properties, and the healthy bacteria formed during the fermentation process, Kombucha is said to have probiotic function. Probiotics are extremely beneficial in maintaining a healthy gut which is key for a strong immune system. Dan Peterson, assistant professor of pathology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine says, “A huge proportion of your immune system is actually in your GI tract.”


Drinking Kombucha can even treat or prevent chronic health problems such as cancerous cell development, type 2 diabetes, heart disease. It is important to note that although there are many claims of health benefits, more scientific research is needed. 


Why Should You Drink Kombucha? 


It has a tangy, fizzy and effervescent taste. I believe if you like ginger soda, sparkling cider, soda in general or beer, you will enjoy the taste of Kombucha. 


It is lower in sugar than soda. Depending on the brand, a 16oz bottle of Kombucha generally has about 4-20 grams of sugar. One medium apple has 19 grams of sugar. 


It is inexpensive and easy to make. Just a few ingredients, some time and you have a delicious beverage on hand, whenever you want! 


How Often Can You Drink Kombucha?


George Thomas Dave aka GT Dave, creator of GT's Kombucha, drinks "8 to 12 bottles a day." As much as I love Kombucha, I can’t imagine drinking 1 ½ gallons of it everyday haha! I enjoy drinking 16oz-32oz a day (1-2 bottles) It is safe to say you can have as much as you want a day!


How Do You Make Kombucha?


Making Kombucha is quite simple, and the only unique ingredient is the SCOBY, but once you have it, you are golden! 


The SCOBY “mother” makes a “baby” with every batch, so it will continually be available as long as you keep an eye on it.

To make Kombucha, fill a large pot with a gallon of purified water, do not use tap water. 


Next add in 1 cup of cane sugar and 8 tea bags of black tea. Turn stove on to medium heat and let boil while stirring occasionally so that the sugar is completely dissolved. 


Next, let the tea cool down completely to room temperature, you don’t want to burn and kill the SCOBY! Once cooled, add in the SCOBY + 2 cups of Kombucha starter into the glass jar. Cover the opening with cheesecloth or fabric square and rubber band. 


Now for the fermentation process. Leave the Kombucha in a cool place to ferment for 7-30 days. Depending on how “tart” you want your Kombucha, the longer you leave it to ferment the more tangy it will be. Think of the taste of apple cider vinegar, the more time it has, it will taste more like ACV.


 After the first fermentation process, now comes the second fermentation process. This is where you add your desired flavorings, bottle it and let it become carbonated. Start by bottling your Kombucha into pop top bottles, about ¾ full, then fill the rest with fruit juice leaving an inch of space from the Kombucha to the lid. Leave these bottles out of the fridge during this process.Then, wait about 3 days and your Kombucha is bubbly and ready to drink! Bottles can now be refrigerated.


There are so many variations and recipes on making Kombucha, so feel free to experiment! 


Ingredients

1 gallon of purified water 

1 cup of cane sugar 

8 tea bags of black tea

SCOBY + 2 cups of Kombucha starter 


Equipment

Glass gallon jar 

Cheesecloth or fabric square and rubber band 

Large pot 

Large mixing spoon

Pop top bottles 

Funnell 


Where Can You Buy Kombucha?


Pretty much anywhere! Target, Trader Joes, Sprouts, Whole Foods, Amazon, Vons, Albertsons, Smart n Final to name a few. Kombucha costs around $3-$4 a bottle depending where you buy it. My favorite brand is Kevita, I’ll  buy it every now and then. However, if I were to drink it every day, $84/month on Kombucha is expensive! Making it a home is much more cost effective. 


Where Can You Find a SCOBY?


If you can’t find someone on OfferUp, or a friend to give you a SCOBY, you can buy one on Amazon. You can also make your own by buying unflavored Kombucha, make the Kombucha recipe as normal, add the bottle of unflavored Kombucha then add to a gallon sized glass jar. The unflavored Kombucha should have strands of bacteria and yeast that will promote the growth of the “mature” SCOBY. This process will take about 3-4 weeks. 


Kombucha Troubleshooting 


My SCOBY was a light color, now it is a dark brown color, is it bad?


Not at all! Depending on the tea’s color, the SCOBY can change color. Newer SCOBY’s will be lighter in color, and mature SCOBY’s will be darker in color. 


How long does a SCOBY last? Does it expire? 


Think of a SCOBY as a living thing, like a houseplant. As long as the SCOBY has not developed mold, a SCOBY can last indefinitely, as it is constantly producing “babies”. A SCOBY will do just fine as long as it is immersed in starter liquid. 


What if I want to take a break from making Kombucha?


Simply store your SCOBY in a “scoby hotel”. A scoby hotel is just the kombucha liquid and the SCOBY inside a glass jar, kept at room temperature. I have also heard you can store in the fridge (if you have the space!). The SCOBY will just be fine left alone for months, as long as there is enough liquid in it. When you are ready to start brewing Kombucha again, you can resume as normal. Just know the liquid  will be extremely sour/acidic so you can remove the majority of the liquid, and only leaving about 1-2 cups of the liquid to use as a starter for your new batch of Kombucha.


Happy creating! 


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How To Make Kombucha

Ingredients

1 gallon of purified water 

1 cup of cane sugar 

8 tea bags of black tea

SCOBY + 2 cups of Kombucha starter 


Equipment

Glass gallon jar 

Cheesecloth or fabric square and rubber band 

Large pot 

Large mixing spoon

Pop top bottles 

Funnell 

Steps:

  1. Fill a large pot with 1 gallon of purified water, do not use tap water. 
  2. Next add in 1 cup of cane sugar and 8 tea bags of black tea. Turn stove on to medium heat and bring to a boil. Stir occasionally so that the sugar is completely dissolved. 
  3. Let the tea cool down completely to room temperature. Once cooled, add in the SCOBY + 2 cups of Kombucha starter into the glass gallon-sized jar. Cover the opening with cheesecloth or fabric square and rubber band. 
  4. Leave the Kombucha in a cool place to ferment for 7-30 days.
  5. After the first fermentation process, bottle your Kombucha into pop top bottles, about ¾ full, then fill the rest with fruit juice leaving an inch of space from the liquid to the lid.
  6. Leave these bottles out of the fridge for about 3 days and then your Kombucha is bubbly and ready to drink!

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