The BEST Kombucha Ratio for a Tasty Brew
Equipment
- 1 Gallon Kombucha Jar see kombucha kit suggestion below
- 5 16 oz Swing Top Bottles see bottle suggestion below
- 1 Funnel
- 1 12"x12" tightly woven cloth for covering the kombucha jar
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp Oolong Tea (or 9 tea bags); See tea suggestion below
- 1 Cup Organic Cane Juice Crystals See sugar suggestion below
- 1 Cup Kombucha Starter Tea See kombucha kit suggestion below
- 1 SCOBY See kombucha kit suggestion below
- 1 ¼ Cup Fruit juice or chopped fruit See recipe ideas in article above
Instructions
- Boil 4 cups of water
- Add 3 Tbsp of loose leaf tea to a reusable tea bag (or use 9 tea bags).
- Once boiling, turn off the heat and add the tea bag(s). Let steep for 6 minutes.
- After 6 minutes, remove the tea bag(s) and stir in 1 cup of cane juice crystals. Set aside to cool.
- Next, fill your clean, empty 1 gallon brewing jar with the sugar-tea mixture
- Then, add 7 cups of ice water to dilute the sugar-tea mixture (ice water is necessary if the sugar-tea mixture is still hot. You don’t want to fry the active cultures that we're adding next!)
- Once the ice has melted and the solution is no longer hot, add 1 cup of kombucha starter tea and gently place the SCOBY on top (it's ok if it floats, sinks or flops sideways! Just let it do its thing).
- Cover kombucha jar with a piece of tightly woven cloth and secure with a rubber band
- Place your 1 gallon jar of kombucha in a dark, warm location where it will be undisturbed.
- At 1 week, do a taste test and see what you think. Still too sweet? Let it go for another week and test again. Most people brew in the timeframe of 1-3 weeks. It all depends on how active your SCOBY is, environmental factors and your taste preferences. The thicker your SCOBY becomes, the more active it will be. I've found that a thickness of about 1" is perfect for my brew, so I pull off extra layers when it gets too thick.
- Once you're satisfied with the taste of your kombucha brew, bring it back to the kitchen and complete steps 1-4 again to make the sugar-tea mixture.
- Now that you have a full gallon jar of finished kombucha, there are a few more steps to add on!
- With clean hands, remove SCOBY from the brewing jar and place on a clean plate
- Reserve 1 cup of kombucha. Set aside. Set out clean bottles to begin filling.
- Fill clean bottles with add-ins of your choice (see above for ideas!)
- Fill bottles with finished kombucha using a funnel and close the swing-top lid. Set bottles aside.
- Pick back up with steps 5-9 to make the next batch of new kombucha.
- Now, place the bottles of finished kombucha and the 1 gallon jar of new kombucha back to the warm, dark location where it will not be disturbed.
- After 2-3 days, move the bottles of finished kombucha to the fridge and now you can drink them!
- After 1-3 weeks, your 1 gallon of kombucha brew will be ready to start the process all over again!
Notes
The Homesteading RD's Product Picks | |
 | This is the same kit that I started with and it has everything you need to get started except for the bottles. The cultures are grown in their Madison, WI brewery using triple filtered water, high-quality sugar and loose leaf tea. They guarantee your first batch to ferment or they'll send you a free replacement. What a deal! |
 | Perfect for kombucha, beer, kiefer, soda, or any other homebrew! Includes collapsible silicone funnel and replacement high-pressure gaskets. The glass is rated for 58 psi (twice as much as required by heavily carbonated beer.) These bottles are specifically made for carbonated drinks. |
 | This is THE best tea out there! Besides the intoxicating smooth and sweet flavor, Tie Guan Yin is also popular because of its numerous healing properties. When you combine a great tasting tea classic, pleasant fragrance and the health benefits, you can see why this tea is so sought after! |
 | This USDA Certified Organic Cane Sugar is made by squeezing and evaporating the juice from freshly harvested organic sugar canes. This results in a golden sweet crystal that is as sweet as... well, sugar. |