General notes that are consistent throughout the whole homemade kombucha process.
- No metal or plastic containers. Metal can react with the acidic kombucha and hurt your SCOBY, while plastic can house nasty bacteria that you don’t want sneaking in.
- Clean is key. A recurring theme in kombucha brewing is that EVERYTHING must be CLEAN! We’re creating the perfect environment for good bacterial growth, but if a bad bacteria slips in, it could ruin your batch (and make you pretty sick).
- Temperature plays a role. Fermentation goes a bit quicker in warmer temperatures, and a bit slower in colder.
- No mold zone. If you see any mold growing on your SCOBY or in the tea (which I understand can be difficult to discern from the hideous SCOBY, but will generally be green, white, or black), then toss your whole batch.
Steps to make Raw Kombucha:
Step 1: Brewing of tea
Take a big pot and boil water. Once the water is boiled, add tea bags and steep for 15 minutes. Remove the tea bags and add sugar while stirring the mixture well.
Step 2: Time to add SCOBY
In this step, you need to cool down the tea to room temperature. Once the desired temperature is achieved, pour the tea into a glass jug and add SCOBY that will transform the tea into kombucha through a sugar fermentation process. After adding the SCOBY, cover it with the cheesecloth/cotton cloth and secure the cloth in place with the help of a rubber band.
Step 3: Fermentation
Now, it’s time to put the jug in a slightly warm and dark environment for 7 – 10 days so that the fermentation process can take place. The SCOBY will continuously grow in size to and after the suggested number of days, and your beverage is complete. If you want a stronger taste, then you can extend the number of days. The longer you brew the drink, the stronger will be its taste.
Step 4: Remove the SCOBY
As now your kombucha is brewed, slice off the SCOBY (your original scoby will make a baby – this is a new layer that formed on top of the original scoby, keep the new scoby baby for your next batch and give away the old scoby or place it in a glass jar and cover it with tea/kombucha. The jar with the old scobies will become a hotel). If the taste of the kombucha is as per your preference, then pour it into sealed glass bottles and put them into the refrigerator. The drink will be fresh to consume up to 3-5 days after the seal is broken.
Step 5: Flavoring Kombucha
This step can be performed as per the likes or dislikes of the consumer. If you want to add more flavor to the beverage, then you can add fruit juice into it. Stir well and add the drink into the sealed bottles, place them in a dark room for three days, and let the SCOBY do its job.
Step 6: Get lost in the incredible taste of raw kombucha
After the complete fermentation process has taken place, strain out the extra pieces of overgrown SCOBY, and pour the drink into sealed bottles until you want to drink it. The delightful taste of raw kombucha will just not excite your taste buds, but will also provide tons of health benefits to your body and mind.
Conclusion:
While making raw kombucha, you can always experiment with new flavors to get an extraordinary taste every time that will take you on a ride full of delight. The easy-to-make drink not only maintains your health but also aids you in maintaining ideal body weight. If you want to shed some kilos, then this beverage can do wonders for you and that too without compromising on taste. That is why we call it the best work out drink.