Kombucha is one of the healthiest drinks you can consume. It's a great replacement for soda as it has a yummy carbonation without all those bad ingredients and sugars. Kombucha is a fermented tea packed with probiotics. It does contain some caffeine but as someone who is sensitive to caffeine like myself I find this very mild. I does give me a bit of an energy boost. You can also add fruits for a second fermentation to add a little flavor and more carbonation. Save money by making your own! It's super easy!

First thing and most important is your kombucha Scoby. The Socy is where all the magic happens. It's a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast. It is what consumes the sugar and causes the fermentation. It grows every time you make kombucha so you will have many baby scobies growing. you can give to friends and family to start their own kombucha, compost or even feed to your plants!

You can purchase one HERE or learn make your own HERE.

Purchase a glass brewing jar. I use this ONE.

Make sure you wash your containers and your hands with white vinegar before touching your scoby and bottling the kombucha. Soap residue will kill the bacteria and yeast that helps make your kombucha.


Ingredients:

• 14 Cups of Spring Water
• 1 cup of Organic Cane Sugar
• 8 bags of Black Tea (I like Newman's Own Organic Black Tea)
• 1 bottle of GTS Original Kombucha (You can get this at almost any grocery store or health food store. This is what will get your tea started since it already has the fermentation cultures and bacteria. If you made your own scoby you can use 16 fl oz of tea from that!)

Instructions:

1. Bring water to a boil in a large pot
2. Once boiling, remove from heat and add your tea bags and sugar.
3. Stir and let sit for 10-15 mins
4. Remove tea bags and let the tea cool to room temperature. This is important as hot tea will kill your scoby.
5. Pour bottle of GTS Original Kombucha into fermentation jar
6. Pour cooled tea into your glass kombucha brewing jar and add Scoby
7. Cover with thin cloth and put a rubber band around the top to keep dust and fruit flies at bay.
8. Let sit in a warm 70-75 degree, dark place for 5- 10 days. cover with a towel or put in a cabinet.
9. Once it's done just bottle it up and store in the fridge!

Depending on your kitchen or pantry temp the fermentation time will vary. I like to taste my kombucha in about 5 days. It will all depend on how sweet you like yours to be or how acidic. The longer you let it ferment the more acidic it will be.

Once you bottle your kombucha, leave 20% of the tea in the jar as your starter tea. Repeat the steps above.

You can also do a second fermentation with any kind of fruits or herbs. I love using lemon balm in the summer. Oranges, blueberries and strawberries are all great to use as well. Don't be afraid to play around with it though! You can also use fruit juices but make sure they are 100% juice and no added ingredients or sugars.

Second Fermentation:

1. Bottle your already made kombucha
2. Add fruit or herbs
3. Let sit in a warm dark place for 3-5 days.
4. Strain fruit and herbs, refrigerate and Enjoy!

Continuous brews are a great way to keep the kombucha going so you never run out. I find it a lot easier than doing smaller batches. I hope you have fun and enjoy this wonderful and beneficial drink!

Brigitte Gutgesell