How to Make One Half Gallon Kombucha (fermented tea)

To make fermented tea, you will need the following:

• SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) * If you don’t have a SCOBY see the bottom of this recipe.
• Filtered or spring water / de-chlorinated if from city or county sources
• ½ cup starter tea *If you don’t have starter tea, see the bottom of this recipe
• ½ cup sugar (not honey due to its antibacterial properties)
• 4 black or green tea bags or a combination (Black makes a stronger culture due to its high tannin content. (I use 2 black and 2 green OR 1 black, 2 hibiscuses, 1 green)
• A clean ½ gallon canning jar, a clean cloth or coffee filters, rubber bands or string

                            Brewing Method

Pour hot, boiled water into a ½ gallon canning jar, filling it to about half or so, add ½ cup sugar, stir to dissolve then immerse 4 teabags and lightly cover to keep steam in and dirt out of your jar. Steep the tea for at least 20 minutes. (I leave my tea bags in the jar all day or all night.) When cooled to room temp, add approximately ½ cup of starter tea* and your SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast) on top. It might sink, that's ok. Fill your jar with fresh water to the shoulder.  Cover securely with cloth or coffee filters (I use 2 filters together) and secure with a rubber band or string. The cover is important to keep bugs out, but it must let air in. Mark the date of brewing on top of the coffee filter, or use a piece of painter’s tape and a marker. Set aside in an undisturbed place out of direct sunlight and away from other cultures or any source of bacteria or mold.  

Fermenting (the first ferment)

In my kitchen, and at this time of year (fairly warm), I let the tea develop for about 7-10 days.  It will go longer in winter. You can test your tea simply by removing the cover, slipping a straw between the SCOBY and the side of your jar, cover the top of the straw with finger and draw out some tea (several times) to put in a small glass for tasting.  Finished tea will be lighter in color than your original brew.  It should not taste sweet. It will have natural carbonation and will taste something like cider/tea. The culture has eaten most of the sugar and has left behind a beautiful batch of probiotic-rich and tasty fermented tea.  Catch it before it turns vinegary (though even at the vinegar stage it is still safe and drinkable).  You can consume it now, refrigerate the rest, OR you can take your ferment to a new level (A SECOND FERMENT) with other flavors, described below.

Important!!!  Now is when you will want to start another batch.  So be sure to set aside your SCOBY and ½ cup starter tea and repeat the instructions above.  I save mine in a clean bowl covered with a small plate, up to a day while making the next batch.  Each brew will make a new SCOBY.  I leave the SCOBY stack together for several batches.  If it gets too thick, discard the bottom portions in compost, feed pieces to your pets, or share with a friend.

It is time to get creative with a second ferment!
Most kombucha drinkers enjoy the first ferment, above, but they also like flavored, bubbly Kombucha.  For a second ferment, you will need your choice of the following: canning jars with canning lids (not the plastic ones ), or quality kombucha bottles from kombucha you’ve purchased at the store, or QUALITY spring- top bottles. OR what I currently use -- glass juice bottles. They work great!

With the second ferment, you are feeding the brew again and you are holding in the carbonation. Whatever kind of glass jar you use, you need to be able to keep the air out and the bubbles in, so SECURE the lid!  You should also check your brew daily, relieving the pressure by unscrewing the lid briefly. Always leave plenty of space in the top of your jar and always open slowly and carefully due to internal pressure that is naturally building up inside

ADD Fresh or Frozen Fruit
Any fresh or frozen fruit will make a tasty brew.  Here are some ideas: Cover the bottom of your jar with any fresh or frozen fruit. Fresh grapes work wonderfully well. In fact, adding fresh grapes to any flavor will make it super fizzy. My current favorite is to put about ½ cup of frozen organic raspberries into a clean 32 oz.  glass juice bottle and fill it to the shoulder with your 1^st ferment. Secure the lid as tight as you can get it. Let it sit on your kitchen counter or shelf for a day or two or three --just long enough to get a big fizz when you carefully unscrew the top.  Then refrigerate and enjoy. 

Or use your favorite fruit juice. You can use any kind of fruit juice for this process.  Use  4-6 ounces of juice for each quart. The higher the sugar content the greater the bubbles will be. (Once again, most of the sugar will be eaten by the pro-bacteria.)  I have had great success with blueberry, apple, pear, and pomegranate.  You can also add spices. This is where experimentation comes in.  There are lots of recipes online as well.  One of my favorites is ½ cup organic pear juice with about a tablespoon diced candied ginger. 

Oh! and I also add a pinch of LOVE to all my recipes. 

NOTE: When you add your first ferment to your jar for a second ferment, you will want to strain the tea, using a mesh strainer and a funnel as there will be a few remnants of the SCOBY, the yeast strings in the tea. They are harmless and necessary, but most people find them unpleasant to have in their booch! 

Always mark your bottles with the brew date and the flavor and be sure to burp your bottles every few days. Gasses will build up quickly.  I let my tea second-ferment for about 3 days. Refrigerate and enjoy. 

Save your SCOBYs and at least ½ cup of starter for each half-gallon you want to make. Remove it with a clean tong.
* If you do not have starter tea (absolutely necessary) or a SCOBY, you can make your own. Buy some fresh kombucha from the store and use the brewing method above. Wait for a SCOBY to form. It might take several weeks.  Then use your SCOBY and ½ cup of the starter to follow the instructions above.

Oh! and I also add a pinch of LOVE to all my recipes.

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