Kombucha, the famed fermented sweet tea, is prepared through a dual-stage process: the Initial Fermentation and Subsequent Fermentation.
Phase 1: Initial Fermentation
Typically spanning 7-12 days, Initial Fermentation witnesses the metamorphosis of sweet tea into kombucha, facilitated by a SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria and Yeast) and a starter tea. At the conclusion of the Initial Fermentation, unflavoured and minimally carbonated kombucha is obtained.
Secondary or Subsequent Fermentation
During the secondary fermentation, the kombucha is flavoured—often with fruit—and bottled in a sealed environment for 2-4 days at room temperature to induce carbonation.
A Detailed Walkthrough of Crafting a 3 Litre Batch
Materials:
1 TSS Make Your own Kombucha kit which includes:
- 3 Litre glass jar
- Stick on thermometer
- Cotton cloth cover (such as a fine-weave cheese cloth)
- Rubber band
- 3 bottles for your kombucha to be offered to friends 😊
- 6 Stickers with your name/brand name/funny name that we will print for you.
- 130 gr. organic panela/rapadura sugar,
- 5 tea bags (English Breakfast black tea)
- 1 bag with the scoby and the starter tea
Please wash and sterilise everything included in the kit. Wash your hands before proceeding and prepare the kombucha on a clean surface.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Boil 1.5 litres of filtered water. It’s important to use filtered and not tap because the tap can contain chlorine that can affect scoby. Prepare a tea concentrate by adding 5 tea bags to 500 ml of the boiled filtered water. Let the tea steep for 15 minutes, now remove the tea bags ensuring the bags are still intact. Ensure that all tea leaves have been removed.
Stir in 130g of panela/rapadura sugar into the hot tea to dissolve completely, avoid the use of substitutes like honey or artificial sweeteners.
Top up your sweet tea with cold filtered water to bring down the temperature. Bring the liquid to a total of 1.5 litres. Add the sweetened tea to the glass jar.
Ensure that the liquid's temperature ranges between 24-26 degrees before proceeding. You will find a thermometer in the kit, just stick it on the jar and check that the temperature is in this range.
Introduce the scoby and the starter tea (all the content of the SCOBY bag) into the jar.
Cover the jar with our breathable cloth (be sure to wash it before use) and secure it tightly with our rubber band to prevent contamination, whilst allowing airflow.
Place the jar in a shaded area with adequate airflow and maintain a room temperature between 24-26 degrees for about a week.
Refrain from disturbing the jar during fermentation to facilitate SCOBY growth.
Begin tasting the kombucha around the 5-day mark, adjusting the fermentation duration based on your desired sweetness levels. If you find it’s too sweet, let it keep going so the bacteria and yeast can continue to eat the sugars. You can continue tasting each day until it tastes right to you. It can take upto 7-9 days before bottling it.
Once you know that your kombucha is ready, use the tap to fill the individual bottles, as provided in our kit.
Now you have bottled your freshly made original kombucha. This is now ready to drink!
If you like to add a twist to your original kombucha, you can add some fresh fruit, powders and basically anything you want.
By following these steps diligently, you'll master the art of homemade kombucha crafting, yielding a delightful and personalised brew to enjoy!
Please note: The scoby is for a lifetime. If you leave ¼ starter liquid in your jar, you can repeat the process as a new scoby will be formed. If you have extra scobys, simply put them in a big glass container along with some room temperature sweet tea or some finished, unflavoured kombucha. You can add your SCOBYs over time as you accumulate them.