You may have heard of it: Kombucha. What is it? Simply put it is a fermented tea typically brewed from a combination of black and green tea. The fermentation process is handled by what is known as a SCOBY, or symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast. I’m not going to get into the science behind it because we’re here today to make it. If you want a little more background, read this article.
pouring some of my favorite ginger cayenne brew back in the day
Basically, it’s loaded full of probiotics and is amazing for your digestive health (check with your doctor first, if you’re pregnant, nursing, etc. please realize I am not a licensed professional and don’t go somehow get sick and try to sue me, thanks!) I have been brewing it for almost three years now and back in the States, I had a small side business selling it in various flavors. I had a whole keg and bottling system set up. Today we’re going to make my original recipe of black and green tea.
green and black teas are the staples to any classic kombucha tea
What do you need
A glass, ceramic, or stainless steel fermenting chamber (it must be specifically able to handle low pH beverages)
for those who are serious about their tea, I can't recommend this fermenting chamber enough
Green tea (I prefer gunpowder green)
Black tea (darjeeling is my favorite)
Sugar
Filtered water
Kombucha and or SCOBY - more on this in a minute
How to grow a culture from nothing
If you already have a culture or starter kit, feel free to skip this section.
you expect us to drink from this?!
There are all kinds of kits and starters online, but all you really need is a little patience. Back when I lived in the United States, ordering the starter kit was the quick, easy, and expensive way of doing things. Now that I am here in Barcelona, I had to get creative. Knowing the nature of the tea, I knew it grew from itself and spread like a culture. So, I went out and found a bottle of plain kombucha.
Yep, that’s all you need to start growing your own system. Get a bottle of tea, put it in a glass, cover it with a paper towel or other breathable fabric (fruit flies LOVE kombucha, so this is very important!) and just wait. Like magic, it will begin to grow a SCOBY. After a few weeks or so, the culture will be able to handle new, unfermented tea added to the mix. Make a small half gallon batch and slowly grow the culture until you have enough to make a full-sized batch. It takes a month or so, but it is really worth it if you don’t feel like spending upwards of $50 for a culture (or have access to it, such as me)
Ok, we have our culture!
Let’s jump right into it! I’m a firm believer in kombucha’s responsiveness to energy. As such, it is always best to brew when your mind is calm and at ease. I like to put on some easy listening music, more specifically Steely Dan’s Aja. With the mood set, let’s lay out our ingredients and get brewing.
which recipe to make today?
keeping it classy with my original classic
I have a 7 gallon fermenting chamber perfect for brewing a pony keg of tea. You can order one gallon jars on Amazon for super cheap. Anything works really as long as it isn’t plastic. The pH of the tea can get really low and begin to leach unwanted chemicals into your product. Today we’re making two gallons. Since I’m essentially starting over, I don’t yet have a strong enough culture to brew the entire keg.
a food scale, the best €10 I've ever spent
Get out your handy food scale and measure out your teas and sugars. Set your stove on, weigh out your water, and drop in your thermometer. Once it hits 170°F, add your green tea, remove from heat, and cover. Set a timer for four minutes and wait. I use this time to weigh out my sugar and add it to the fermenting chamber.
I use my scale for EVERYTHING, even to weigh water
the sweet spot, 170°F
A quick note on ingredients
This is your opportunity to make the best possible tea made from the highest quality ingredients. Accept nothing less than fair trade, organic tea. A fantastic website for bulk ordering is Mountain Rose Herbs. They have an incredible selection and great pricing on exotic teas. Commercially grown teas are sprayed with high levels of pesticides, and the residue can really affect your culture. It’s best to avoid it altogether. For your sugar, there really has been no difference proven between conventional and organic. That being said, I still encourage you to use organic sugar that has been grown sustainably (conventional sugar cane wrecks havoc on the environment). Have you tried sugars other than cane? Let me know! I’m incredibly curious as to how coconut sugar would react.
worried about the amount of sugar you're adding? fret not! the yeast will consume nearly all of the sugar during the fermentation
Back to it
After the timer goes off, strain your tea into the chamber. Stir until the sugar is dissolved and start up your water for the black tea. To me, black tea, is a little more durable and requires a higher temp to properly steep. I brew mine at 185°F for five minutes. After your black tea is done, strain it into the chamber with the sweetened green tea. Weigh out your water and fill it up! Check the temperature of your tea and when it drops below 80°F you’re good to go! It’s time to add your culture. Pour in the starter from your previous batch and float the SCOBY on top. Cover the whole system with a breathable towel or shirt, and set it up in a cool dark place.
it's beautiful isn't it my darjeeling?
185°F
The ideal temperature of the tea falls in line with room temperature. Anything between 68 and 78 is good. The more you brew and get into it, you’ll begin to notice fluctuations in fermenting time. Summer months typically produce a faster, slightly yeastier ferment.
anything above 80° can really damage your culture...it's best to let this cool off a bit
down to 77°, we can add our culture. here it is in all its splendor
it being summer and all, we're not going to get any lower than 77°. here we are covered and ready to let rest
Now that we’ve got our tea made, it’s just a waiting game. You can test your tea whenever you’d like. The sugar will slowly be consumed by the yeast and the product will grow increasingly vinegary. You want to find that sweet spot where it still has just enough sweetness to be palatable. If you let it over ferment, don’t panic! Your tea is just a very strong vinegar. You can use some of it as starter for a new batch.
That’s about it!
Once the first stage of fermentation is complete, you then move into bottling and kegging. We aren’t there yet, so check back in a month!
the first ferment is just the beginning. later we'll delve into all sorts of flavorings and carbonation techniques
kombucha + beer = sour beer!
I am a US born photographer now living in Barcelona, Spain. Through my travels I have learned many things. The most important of which is letting go of all ego. It is only then can we move past our hangups and achieve our destinies. I love the community here and the encouragement I receive to continue practicing my voice. Please, if you have any feedback, don’t hesitate to comment. If you want me to check out your account, let me know. I love meeting others who wish to inspire a community and movement for progressive change.
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