Homemade Kombucha

Not bragging here, but it seems like whenever anyone new tastes my kombucha they want to know, "How do you make it so good??!". I've shared this over email or by printed paper so many times I cannot even count, so HERE IT IS once and for all! Please let me know if you would like a starter kit [leave a comment] ... if you are family, I'll send you one for free. If you are a stranger, I will charge you a little bit for the materials, shipping, and the time. Also: it's not like I have a bunch of starter kits sitting around ;) So if you do want a starter kit, please be aware that you might have to wait a few weeks. 

I make 2 gallons each week - for the last 3 or 4  years it seems like I have been able to make a new batch every week, so I just do it first thing in the morning on Wednesday. Your tastes might differ, so you will have to find what works for you ... for now though, just try weekly and see how that goes. If your home is consistently warmer, then your batch might be ready in 5 or 6 days. If it's consistently cold, then your batch might take longer than a week. Take notes and find what works for you ... you may need to go through a little trial and error for the first few batches.

There are 3 different parts to making kombucha: there's the tea, the starter, and the bottling. Maybe someone else would be able to divide up the jobs into different parts, but that's what I see so that's how I will present it here. NOTE: I do these parts simultaneously, but for the sake of posting I will share them in their parts. You need to find what works for you.

1. The Tea

I like to use a combination of green and black tea. You will need 6t / 2T / 6 tea bags PER GALLON, so in my case I use 6t / 2T / 6 tea bags of EACH black and green. In the photo below you see in the front right corner: my tea, ready to go.
In the pan: 3c FILTERED WATER per gallon of finished kombucha [so I have about 6c in the pan]. Heat to boiling.
In the measuring cup: 2c organic cane sugar [1c per gallon] ... NOTE: we all prefer the end result of organic cane sugar over any other sweetener. Honey is not recommended. ADD THE SUGAR once the water has heated up a little - stir to combine / melt.
Behind the pan: see the 2 glass quart jars? I put them right near the pan so they heat up a little.

Now, once your [sugar] water has come to a boil, remove from the heat so it is "just off the boil" ... not over boiled. Notice I moved the jars as well ;)
Stir in the teas.

Put the lid back on, and set the timer for 15 minutes.

When the time is up, stir the tea, and then filter it equally into the two waiting [now warm] quart jars. See the next two photos. NOTE: if you are only doing one gallon, then only use one quart jar ;) If you are doing 3 gallons, then use 3 quart jars ;) You get the idea, right?
STAINLESS STEEL FUNNEL
STAINLESS STEEL FINE MESH STRAINER
[affiliate link that costs you nothing but gives me a few pennies if you actually use it] 

If you happen to not get things quite even, just use a gravy ladle to dip from one and pour into the other. Or a stainless steel measuring cup. Or even just a regular spoon. Just don't use plastic ... please don't heat plastic.
 

By this time you are ready to pour the tea into the gallon glass jars that will become the new batch. These jars shown below are actually from the previous batch - clean and dry. First you will want to fill each gallon glass jar half full of FILTERED water ...

Now pour one quart jar of hot tea into each waiting glass gallon jar that is half full of filtered water. WHY DO IT THIS WAY?? I'll show photos in a little while, but basically this is a convenient way to make sure the tea is not too hot for the starter. Pouring your starter into hot tea will kill it (the starter). The waiting tea needs to be lukewarm / room temp / "baby bottle warm". More on that later.

2. The Starter

Every batch of kombucha MUST have a starter and a SCOBY [that stands for Symbiotic Colony Of Bacteria and Yeast]. You can get a SCOBY and starter from a friend, buy from someone who is selling them, or you may even make your own; I'll try to do a post some time soon sharing how to make your own.
For each gallon of kombucha you will need one decent-sized SCOBY and 1 1/2c starter. Obviously I already have those things ;) so here is how I separate things out.
In the photo below you see: the two gallons of kombucha that are ready to bottle, a 2c measuring cup, and a glass bowl. For the curious, the hot water for my tea is heating up while I do this next step.

I remove the cotton cloth from each gallon jar, put the SCOBYs together into the glass bowl [clean hands], stir the finished kombucha, and REMOVE 1 1/2c from EACH jar ... pour into the glass bowl with the SCOBYs and now you have your SCOBYs and STARTER for the next batch. See the next two photos.
This glass bowl of SCOBY and starter will sit and wait patiently for you to be ready for the next step - meanwhile you will be filling bottles and making the tea.
NOTE: always set aside the starter for the next batch FIRST so you do not forget and bottle it all up. 

Ok, now back to the waiting lukewarm tea :) Separate out 1 1/2c of starter for each waiting gallon of tea. Pour the starter in and give it a good stir. 

Next you will want to top off the tea and starter with a little more filtered water - however much you think will fit once the SCOBY is added.

Put a SCOBY into each waiting jar, and then divide up whatever starter is left in the glass bowl. Gently stir to combine.

For the final two steps in the new batch: you will want to WIPE the jars clean so as not to attract ants or other critters, and then top with clean cotton cloth secured with rubber bands. 

Store at room temperature for one week ... and then repeat this process all over again :)

3. Bottling

Ok ... now that you have your tea going and your starter and SCOBYs set aside, it's time to bottle. I bottle in between doing the other things I've already mentioned. Usually I am almost done bottling by the time the tea is made and the new batch is ready. Sometimes, however, I am going slow and still have most of the bottling to do at this point.

BOTTLES ... I will link some here [affiliate link that costs you nothing but gives me a few pennies if you actually use it] 
SWING TOP GLASS BOTTLES
CAP BOTTLES
CAPPER - I have the Red Baron brand and have had great success with it ... mine is several years old and well-used.
BOTTLE CAPS

NOTE: You may also save up store-bought kombucha bottles and use those, however I have had very consistent [great] results using capped bottles. The swing top bottles here are Brianna's, and the capped ones are mine. I prefer the caps, but the bales are definitely faster. 
ANOTHER NOTE: When I first started making kombucha and other fermented drinks, I actually used gatorade bottles and juicy juice bottles. Bottling in plastic was NEVER my preference, however I was very poor at that time and just did what I had to do. Just sharing that so you know this: if you are poor and cannot afford anything else, then  use a really sturdy plastic bottle with a tight-fitting lid.

HERE WE GO: for bottling I much prefer to pour the finished kombucha into a glass jar with a narrow mouth - here you see me filtering the finished kombucha into a glass gallon jar. NOTE: filtering is not necessary, but some of my consumers prefer it filtered, so I filter it. ANOTHER NOTE: I like to fill the narrow glass jar half full from each finished jar so it's all the same. This is totally unnecessary, and not even needed if you are only making one gallon at a time.

Now I fill each bottle within about 2" to the top ... it can get kind of bubbly as it fills up, so this gives it a little time to settle in.

Once every jar is filled about 2" to the top, I then go back and add in some frozen apple juice concentrate [you might have already seen it in the background ... I let it sit out so it softens]. How much you add is totally up to you, and you really don't need to add it at all ... again, it's just a personal preference. Over the years I have experimented with all sorts of flavors, but we kept coming back to this one, so now I only do this one. And, we all prefer NOTHING added if I run  out of frozen apple juice concentrate. The apple juice seems to really accentuate the flavor without making it taste strange. I've tried pineapple concentrate, blended up fruit, whole fruit, and freeze dried fruit powder. You do you, I'll do frozen apple juice concentrate or nothing ;)
For each 16oz bottle I use a heaping 1 1/2t measuring spoon. For each 12oz bottle I use a level 1 1/2t measuring spoon. For a 32oz bottle (not shown in this post) I use 1T.
SOOOOOO ... go back to each almost-full jar, spoon in the apple juice concentrate, and then top it off with more kombucha until it's as close to the top as possible. I like to use a bottle for this part because I have so much more control over how fast the kombucha comes out if it's coming out of a long-neck bottle instead of a gallon jar. [next two photos]

See that little bit left in the bottom of the bottle to the right? That's all that's left so I just dump it out, or dump it into the new batch. In this case, my new batch was already covered, so I dumped it out. I do not eat or drink anything in the morning [except water], otherwise I'd just drink the little bit that's left over.

I do my best not to spill anything while bottling, but I usually always spill. The bottles need to be wiped off with a clean, damp cloth. I like to move them from the left side of the counter to the right side while I clean them off, rising my cloth several times as I go, and wiping the counter as I go. I have a big ANT problem, so this helps keep things as tidy as possible. 

Now for capping. The bale wire tops obviously just need to be swung and pressed into place. Easy. Done. The other tops need capped with a capping tool. This is very easy to do ... I honestly was a bit unsure before I purchased one. I thought maybe it would be too hard when I am physically having a weak day. But, even in my weakest moments I'm able to cap kombucha bottles ;) Since I am doing this one-handed, I cannot actually take a photo of capping ... but basically you just center the capper like shown, and then grab hold of each side and push down. It all makes sense when you are doing it ... it basically crimps the cap onto the bottle.

I like to label my caps with the month and day so I am sure to use the oldest ones first. Also, if there is one bottle that is not quite full, I just write "NOT FULL" on the cap. At this point you might be thinking, "Wait a minute, I thought she dumped out the little bit that was left over?" Yes, I did!! BUT ... alas ... I KNOCKED A BOTTLE OVER and spilled some out!! So, that one became "NOT FULL" but still had plenty enough left to save. Maybe next time I'll wait to dump out the little bit until the end because that little bit would have fit into this "NOT FULL" knocked over one. :) :) :)

And that's it! I like to keep my bottled kombucha on the counter / at room temperature for 24 hours before putting into the fridge. This is called a "SECOND FERMENT" and it's a personal preference. I was letting it sit out for 48 hours, but we all discovered we prefer the 24 hours better. This is another thing that you will learn as time goes by. The second ferment helps to add a bit more carbonation. 

I hope that all made sense? If you need clarification, please post a comment and I'll be glad to help you out if I can. 

Have a great day!!
Love, jo