Historically known as the Elixir of Life, kombucha is a sparkling fermented tea, well known for its probiotics, beneficial enzymes and nutritional properties.  A live kombucha culture transforms the tea and sugar into a lightly carbonated and revitalising beverage, long held to promote detoxification and well-being.

Making your own kombucha tea is a simple process involving just four key ingredients, a sterile environment and the patience of a yogi.  

You are only a couple of weeks away from enjoying your own endless brew.  

Basic Kombucha Recipe

You will need:

A cup of sugar

2 Litres purified water

5 bags of green or black tea, or if using loose leaf, around 5 teaspoons

One cup starter liquid (from a previous or other batch)

One kombucha culture - the magical mushroom which imparts the special l qualities to the brew (also referred to as the mother and SCOBY )

Instructions:

When you make your first batch, it’s best to start off with around two litres of water – as you continue to ferment, your SCOBY will reproduce and grow to the size of its surrounds, allowing you to store a basic batch so you may safely experiment with different teas and fruit flavours in other brewing vessels.

Make the tea as you usually would, allowing the tea to infuse for a good five to ten minutes (as you experiment, you will get to know how long to steep the tea depending on its strength and your taste).  The sugar must be completely dissolved.

Allow the tea to cool to room temperature – if the tea is too hot, the culture will die.  Strain and pour the tea into your brewing vessel, allowing around 3cm breathing room at the top.

Add your culture and starter liquid.

Cover with a cotton cloth, and secure tightly with a rubber band to prevent dust and flies contaminating your brew (fruit flies LOVE kombucha), and leave in warm place, undisturbed and out of direct sunlight.

The fermentation process usually takes anywhere between 7 to 12 days, depending on the room temperature.  The temperature of the brew should not fall below 20C.  Ideally, you want your brew to ferment at around 26-27C.  The warmer the temperature, the faster the fermentation.  

After about seven days, take a clean straw and very gently insert beneath the SCOBY to taste.  If it is too sweet, it needs to brew a little longer, conversely, if its too tart, then reduce your brewing time in the next batch – and don’t forget that kombucha is ALIVE, which means that no two batches are ever the same.  

Decant, flavour & drink as desired.  And remember to keep 10% of the brew as a starter for your next batch

Let the good times brew