Hi Everyone!
It's been a long time since I've posted on this blog, but I'm working to update it to reflect my current content. Many of you know my old Instagram account formerly named SimplyShannonLee was turned into a full-blown running account. I no longer felt that my food and low waste lifestyle mixed well with my new hobby. So I rebranded that account. Recently I recreated @SimplyShannonLee on instagram, and have been sharing new content. Thank goodness the username was still available.
Since moving to Utah I have been wanting to try kombucha brewing. My boyfriend and I love the drink and have it almost everyday, but the store bought stuff is getting too expensive. I went on a vegan facebook group and was able to find someone locally who had an extra SCOBY she was willing to sell to me. The lady was super nice and even gave me some tips on brewing.
What is kombucha?
Kombucha is a fermented tea, typically sweet-sour. Sometimes called kombucha mushroom tea- even though mushrooms are not involved. It's become very popular in the past few years and everyone is trying to brew it. People love it because of the potential health benefits- mostly for the probiotics. For some, it has been great for digestion, others just drink it because it's so good. I'm not an expert on kombucha and cannot say whether or not the drink will have the same effects on you as it might have on someone else. Please be aware that you can have adverse affects, so do your research beforehand.
What is a SCOBY?
SCOBY is an acronym for Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast used to ferment tea to make kombucha. It is exactly what the name says. Honestly, it's kind of gross at first, but I kind of love it since I'm a bit of a science nerd. Many are skeptical of working with a SCOBY because of it's potential to grow mold, but after my first batch I can see how easy this is and mold shouldn't be an issue as long as I'm able to control the brew.
What materials/ingredients do I need?
A SCOBY, some type of ceramic or glass jar (preferably a half gallon or 1 gallon size- no metal), tea (Green, black, and oolong are the most popular), white cane sugar (no artificial things, you can experiment another time), a tightly woven cloth (no cheesecloth), rubber band, a funnel, and some type of vessel to store the kombucha in once it's done fermenting.
Optional: Heating pad/wrap. I personally use a heating wrap because I want my kombucha to brew at a higher temp than I can keep it without one. You don't need one, but you may find at lower temps that it brews much slower (i'm impatient). I've done my research and recommend a heating wrap- you want this to go around your jar, not sit at the bottom as a pad. The wrap will more evenly distribute the heat.
I will go into more detail about the materials and ingredients in a later post as there is a lot of information to know. I'm still learning too!
What is the process? (explaining for a 1 gallon batch)
****Disclaimer: I am not an expert. I am simply explaining what I did for my first brew, and some tips/tricks I was given during the process which has helped me not f*ck this up.*****
Before you start, make sure you're working in a clean sanitized area. All equipment should be properly cleaned and sanitized before working with. This is very important to avoid cross contamination. It is best to AVOID antibacterial soap on your products because this can harm your culture (I mean, the culture is bacteria, duh). If you do want to use this make sure to rinse everything extremely well and let it air dry before using.
To begin the brewing process you steep your tea like normal, but you want to make it concentrated (about 6 tea bags) and add about 1.5 cups white cane sugar and stir to dissolve.
Note about Sugars: If you are new, I was told to keep using white cane sugar as this will be the food for your SCOBY, artificial sweeteners (stevia, coconut sugar, honey, maple syrup, etc.) do not contain enough nutrients for your SCOBY and you will starve it. I can go into more detail about this on another post once I've brewed more batches (I plan to experiment with some sugars and teas).Note about Type of Tea: I highly recommend green, black, or oolong tea for new brewers. Everyone has recommended this to me and is the safest way to brew while building up your cultures. Other types of teas that are more herbal or flavored don't ferment as well, and may affect your SCOBY or starve it- even if you use enough sugar.
Once the tea has steeped and cooled, remove the tea bags (or strain the loose tea) and add in room temperature filtered water (I've used cold when the tea was still too hot). Don't fill up the jar completely, leave some space at the top for the SCOBY and the starter liquid. From when I started steeping the tea, I kept my glass jar covered with a piece of tightly woven cloth and a rubber band. This was my way of ensuring the tea was not contaminated while steeping. Once the water temperature has gone down to about mid 70s (degrees in Fahrenheit) it is safe to add the SCOBY and the starter liquid that comes with the SCOBY. The starter liquid is super important to ensure a good brew, otherwise it may die or mold.
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| Day 2 of my brew, SCOBy sunk to the middle and eventually to the bottom. He eventually rose to the top like normal. See? it happens. |
Wash your hands (no antibacterial soap, remember) before working with your SCOBY. Slowly add the liquid to the jar and add the SCOBY. I've been told that a healthy SCOBY will float to the top of the vessel, but it's ok if your SCOBY hangs out at the bottom or in the middle instead. All that matters is your brew should start forming a new SCOBY at the very top. If that is happening, everything is good. Once you've done this step, cover with the cloth and rubber band to secure, and place somewhere warm and dark to ferment. Try to keep the brew out of direct sunlight as that can kill the bacteria. Keep checking the temperature and pH of the brew.
Within the first few days of brewing, DO NOT TOUCH THE BREW. This is a critical time for your SCOBY as it is adapting to it's new environment and beginning to ferment. Moving it around can mess up the development of a new SCOBY and it may look funky.
Most people typically let the kombucha ferment for 7-10 days, some up to a month. The longer you brew the more tart/sour it will be. If you accidentally forget about your brew and let it go too long and its sour, thats fine. You can transfer some of that strong brew to a smaller vessel and make a SCOBY hotel or just have extra starter liquid for your next brew. Some people also really like the brew super tart, so this may be fine for you.
This brew is good to drink as is! If you want it extra fizzy like the ones you get in the store, keep reading about second fermentation below.
Second Ferment- Optional (do this if you want extra fizz)
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| I made 2 different flavors, orange and strawberry & ginger. |
This is where I'm at right now. My brew has finished and I have bottled/flavored my bottles. I am using swing-top glass bottles. Simply add fruit or whatever flavoring into your glass bottles (sanitized again), and slowly funnel in some kombucha. Remember to remove your SCOBY and baby SCOBY that has formed, and SAVE SOME OF THE LIQUID. This will be your starter liquid for your next batch of kombucha. This is also good if you intend to add this to a SCOBY hotel. I would recommend saving about 2-4 cups of the brew as starter liquid. I think about 2 cups per SCOBY is sufficient.
Be careful with filling the bottles as the brew is a little fizzy and may bubble over if you pour too fast. I also use a filter on my funnel to catch any yeast strands that may have fallen off the SCOBY. Then close the bottles and gently mix the liquid in the bottles (lightly swirling or slowly flipping). let them sit for a little bit, then "burp" the bottle. Basically open the swing top lid, this should release som carbonation. Place the bottles back in the dark, warm area to ferment for 2-3 more days before placing in a refrigerator. Every day you should "burp" the bottles during second ferment to avoid them building up too much pressure and bubbling over. You can spend more days doing second ferment if you choose, 2-4 is more typical for brewers (so I've seen online). The refrigeration will stop the fermentation, and you won't need to burp the bottles after this.
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| Day 2 of second ferment and the color looks so much better. |
You can drink your kombucha at any time, so enjoy! As I become more experienced I will be sharing more of the process and things I have learned. Feel free to check out my instagram page where I'm posting everyday (@SimplyShannonLee).
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