More by: Claire

A few weeks ago I went to a Kombucha Tea workshop to learn how to homebrew excellent Kombucha Tea… the following are the guidelines I received from the teacher of the workshop, Connie, as I have had many people express interest in at least reading them.  Things I have added are denoted with a “cvg”.  Okay enjoy!

Brewing Kombucha Tea

The tea and sugar mixture is a great source of nourishment for all kinds of bacteria and molds, so the cleaner the working area the less chance of contamination. Wash your hands thoroughly before beginning and keep your work area, containers and utensils clean. If you wish, wipe down all your work surfaces, containers, and utensils with plain white vinegar. This will sanitize without introducing any agent that could inhibit the growth of your culture (such as bleach).

If your culture becomes contaminated it is recommended that you start over with a new culture and/or brewing cycle. NEVER TRY TO DRINK KOMBUCHA THAT HAS BEEN CONTAMINATED WITH MOLD OR BUGS! You cannot wash these contaminants off, so when in doubt… throw it out!

The following recipe is for a half gallon of kombucha (I double the recipe to make gallons- cvg)

Heat filtered water (no city water!) to boiling and pour into your kombucha container (preferably GLASS-cvg). Add a tea ball containing 2-4 teaspoons of tea. Remove the tea ball after about 10 minutes. Cover the container and let the tea cool through the day or overnight to ensure the liquid is at room temperature when you add the mushroom and starter culture. A good tip is to set out the starter culture you intend to use at the same time you brew the tea so they will be at equal temperatures when you mix them together. This prevents stressing the culture and possibly killing it off.

When the tea is cool, stir in:

One cup organic sugar

One pinch of sea salt

… Make sure sugar and salt are completely dissolved then add:

One cup of already finished kombucha tea.

Then place the kombucha mother on top of the brew. Make sure there is room between the mother and the top of the container. Cover the container with a tightly woven cloth to keep bugs and contaminants out and place it in a WARM SPOT OUT OF DIRECT SUNLIGHT. Let your kombucha ferment for about 7-9 days (Note: the longer it ferments, the “fizzier” it will become, I let mine ferment for about 14 days, some allow theirs to ferment up to 30 days-cvg). Don’t forget to save at least a cup of your finished brew to start your next batch with. Keep your finished brew covered and in the refrigerator. This will slow down the fermentation and keep your kombucha tasting sparkly and yummy instead of vinegary.

Tips and FAQs

1. Always use the highest quality ingredients you can. Organic tea, sugar, and sea salt full of minerals ensure that you are providing the best environment for your culture to grow in.
2. Clean Clean Clean! Keep everything you use to brew your tea and the area you work in spic and span. This cuts down the chances that an unwelcome microbe will get introduced into your tea and ruin it.
3. Keep your fermented brew out of the kitchen and away from potted plants, litter boxes, etc. Kitchens contain more mold and bacteria than any other spot in the house. Find a nice out of the way place that stays warm, as close to 80 degrees as you can get. A closet outfitted with a light bulb to provide a small amount of heat is one idea.
4. Never use honey, agave, maple sugar, fruit sugars, or maple syrup. Honey is especially antibacterial and will kill off your culture. Kombucha grows best on a diet of straight glucose which is best provided by plain white sugar.
5. Use only glass containers to brew your kombucha. The acids present can leech out harmful substances from plastic containers, posing a potential health risk.
6. NO SMOKING. The chemicals in tobacco smoke are harmful to the kombucha culture and will kill it.

Kombucha and Herbal Teas

Traditional kombucha was made using black tea and it is best for the least troublesome brewing. However, some people prefer a beverage without any caffeine and others would like to add the health benefits of herbs to their kombucha. One simple way to reduce the caffeine content in your tea is the pre-steep the tea you intend to use for 30-60 seconds in a different container of boiling hot water. Close to 80% of the caffeine in tea extracts in this time. Then simply proceed with the recipe steps.

If you wish to use herbal tea beware that it is the presence of volatile oils in certain herbs that can be a problem. If you want to add the benefits of these herbs to your kombucha add them separately, after you have finished the brewing cycle and removed your mother and the starter culture you will need for your next batch.

Problem herbs include but are not limited to:

Sage, Peppermint, St. John’s Wort, Cinnamon, Ginger, Chamomile, and any member of the pepper family.

Some herbs do work well for BREWING kombucha and should present no problem:

Blackberry leaf, Raspberry leaf, Chicory, Club Moss, Dandelion, Elder Flowers, Fennel, Hibiscus Flowers, Nettle, Oat Straw, Rooibus, Plantain, Rose hip, Yerba Mate’, and Valerian.

*Use about 1/3 herbs and 2/3 tea.

Okay that’s all for this month. Check back next month for more information about common problems with brewing kombucha as well as a brief history of the tea.