Kombucha is one of the healthiest, easiest ways to include probiotics in your diet. It is considered a superfood. If you dont know much about it I recommend you do some research. It's amazing what kombucha has done to change peoples lives.
You just simply need to start by getting your hands on some quality starter kombucha. If you have a friend that brews, awesome! Get a couple of cups from her (or, better yet, you could just get a SCOBY from her since they multiply with each brew).
If you don’t (and I didn’t) get your hands on some fresh kombucha from a local brewer or health store. I used Ciara’s, which I just picked up at Whole Foods. If you live in a state where you can buy black-label kombucha that has a little bit of alcohol in it, choose that.
You can also purchase them at various places on the internet just be careful and make sure they have solid reviews! Not all Kombucha is equal!
So this is what you need:
**Your starter kombucha (16 oz or two cups)
2 black, green, or white tea bags or 2 tablespoons of loose tea and a tea diffuser
3 tablespoons of sugar (this is a must; the SCOBY cannot grow without the sugar)
A large GLASS jar. (I used a half-gallon glass jar because I have a small apartment and it is easier for
me to handle weight-wise, but most people typically use a 1-gallon glass jar)**
Now, how to grow your own kombucha SCOBY in ten steps:
1. Boil 2 cups of water, add the two tea bags and stir in 3 tablespoons of sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved.
2. After cooled to room temperature, pour the sweetened tea into your sterilized jar (I washed mine in hot water with a natural dish soap and then microwaved it for 2 minutes just because I’m paranoid and figure that would kill off any lingering bacteria!) and add the starter kombucha.
3. Cover with paper towel (preferably doubled-over) or a clean, breathable cloth and secure with a rubber band.
Store in a warm, dry place and leave undisturbed for 5-7 days.
4. During these 5-7 days, check on the progress of your SCOBY periodically. Things to look for: 1) a white film forming on top of the liquid – that’s your SCOBY! Congrats!
5. Mold – you know what this looks like. If you think you see mold, discard the contents immediately, wash and sterilize the jar and start on over.
6. When the SCOBY is around ¼ inch thick, “feed” it by adding 2 more cups of sweetened tea (just like step 1).
7. Cover the mixture and return it to its warm, dry resting place and leave undisturbed
8. When your SCOBY is ½ inch thick, it’s ready to go! Yay!
9. Remove the SCOBY with clean hands (cannot stress this enough!) and transfer to new jar for brewing.
10. Use 8 oz of the mixture (the top of the mixture, not the sediment in the bottom) as your starter kombucha for your first batch of kombucha and discard the rest.
That’s it! Sounds simple, right? And it is.
You should end up with something thats looks like this!