You’ve thought about making kombucha useful source, but you don’t have a SCOBY. Do not worry! It is difficult, but not impossible. Just like trying to bake without a yeast. Let’s take this journey together.
First, you need black or green tea. The base of your brew will be this tea. Bring water to a rolling boil, and steep tea bags in it for 10 to 15 minutes. It should not be so bitter that you feel sick, but it should still make your hair stand up.
Sugar comes next. A great deal of it. One gallon of tea is equal to one cup. Even though it seems excessive, the bacteria and yeast in it will consume it much faster than Halloween candy.
The fun part begins. Normally, to ferment tea, you’d add a “SCOBY”, which is a symbiotic bacterial and yeast colony. We’ll just have to make due without one because we don’t carry it.
Buy a raw bottle of kombucha at the store. It must be unpasteurized, flavorless and unflavored. We need the living cultures to thrive there. Pour this liquid gold in your sweetened tea after your tea has reached room temperature.
Cover the whole thing with a coffee filter or cloth that has been fastened together using a rubberband. This will allow your mixture to breath while keeping any unwanted creatures out.
Find a place that is warm but not too hot to keep your beverage. The temperature should be perfect, just like Goldilocks porridge. It is best to keep the counter in your kitchen out of direct sun.
Now we have to wait. And we wait. Fermentation can take anywhere from seven to thirty day depending on temperature and desired level tanginess.
You may notice a thin layer forming on top of your brew. This is an unusual development. It’s a baby SCOBY! This is like being there when a star was born in your kitchen galaxy.
If you find it too sweet, let it sit longer until it reaches the perfect balance between sweet and tart. If you find the drink to be too sweet, let it sit longer to achieve the perfect balance of sweet and tart.
If you are satisfied with your kombucha’s flavor, you can bottle it in glass bottles with tightly-fitting lids to carbonate the kombucha during secondary fermentation (trust me; you will know when this time is).
But, hold on to that fresh SCOBY. You’ve created something amazing from nothing, like pulling rabbits out hats or turning wine out of water! Use this tool for future batches to avoid going through these hoop jumps again!
Every batch is an experimental process. Sometimes they taste great, but other times, they may taste like socks left overnight in vinegar. Homebrewing is a fun, exciting and creative process!
It’s done! A quick tutorial to produce kombucha with SCOBY. Your new-found knowledge will help you explore this fascinating world. Enjoy yourself along the way. Life is too short to waste it on boring drinks.