Kombucha

First fermentation

Ingredients

• 14 cups water
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 Tbsp black or green tea (jasmine or unflavored)
• 2 cups (470 mL) unflavored kombucha (either from a previous batch or unpasteurized, unflavored store bought kombucha
• 1 or 2 SCOBYs (1 per fermentation container being used)

Directions

1. Bring water to a boil in a clean pot and dissolve sugar into it.
2. Add the tea to steep for 5 minutes.
3. Strain tea into fermentation container(s), and cool tea to room temperature (recommend using ice bath).
4. Add your SCOBY and 2 cups of kombucha.
5. Cover jar with cloth or paper filter, and secure with rubber band. Ferment for 6-10 days, or until tea is slightly sweet and slightly vinegary; ferment longer for less sweet kombucha. Kombucha will ferment faster in warmer environments.
6. Reserve 2 cups from this batch to use as starter kombucha for your next batch. The rest can move into the second fermentation.

Second fermentation

Ingredients

• 1 gallon kombucha from a first fermentation
• Sweet fruit juice/puree or sugar
• Any other desired flavors (ginger, etc.)
• 16oz fermentation bottles

Directions

1. Add 10g sugar to each 16oz bottle (1/4 cup or sweet juice/puree or 2tsp sugar)
2. Fill fermentation bottle with kombucha, leaving only ~1” of head
3. Ferment for up to 7 days until desired carbonation is achieved