DIY: Homemade Kombucha

Home-brewed hombucha with fresh strawberries; fizzy lavender kombucha

I started a new kitchen project a few months ago, and I’ve been waiting until I was confident with the process to share it with you. I’ve entered the world of homemade kombucha!

Making kombucha is a fun, fairly simple, money-saving process and, once you get comfortable with it, you can make kombucha that tastes better than anything you find in a health food store. Kombucha is a naturally effervescent (slightly carbonated) fermented tea containing probiotics (good bacteria found in yogurt).

My mom’s friend had been making kombucha, so she gave me a SCOBY (pronounced ‘sko-bee’, Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast) to start my own batch. I started really small by brewing one liter at a time. Here are the basics to making your own kombucha:

Ingredients

SCOBY kombucha starter (see FAQs below)

1/4 cup of mature, unflavored, kombucha liquid (get this from the same place as your SCOBY)

1 liter water (filtered/spring water is best)

3-4 black tea bags (preferably organic, but any unflavored black tea will work)

1/4 cup sugar (I use unbleached cane sugar, read about sugar options here)

1 clear glass container (you’ll want one that holds at least 2 liters of liquid)

1 clear glass container the the same size as above that can be sealed, or multiple smaller containers that can be sealed

1 clean cotton dish towel

First Fermentation

1. Wash the glass container in the dishwasher or with very hot water.
2. In a pot on the stove, bring 1 liter water to a boil. Particularly if you’re using tap water, let the water boil for at least 5 minutes. Add 1/4 cup of sugar and stir until dissolved.
3. Remove from heat and add 3-4 black tea bags, cover, and let brew for about 10 minutes. Remove tea bags and let sit until room temperature.
4. Wash your hands (not with antibacteria soap!) before touching the SCOBY. Any natural soap is fine, a little apple cider vinegar or already-made kombucha works, too.
5. Pour the cooled tea and the kombucha starter liquid into the glass container. Carefully (with clean hands), place the SCOBY on top of the liquid. It’s best if it floats or is somewhere near the top.
6. Cover the container with the cotton cloth and put in a warm place where it won’t be disturbed for about a week. I keep mine in the corner of the kitchen covered with the towel so it’s dark. If it’s cold the fermentation process will take a bit more time, but as long as it’s above 65 F it should be fine.
7. Wait it out. I like to carefully check on my kombucha every few days to see that nothing funky (i.e. mold) is growing and that the SCOBY is still on top of the liquid. If you see mold at any point, you’ll need to throw everything out and start over with a new SCOBY. I haven’t run into this problem though, and as long as you keep the environment clean, you should be fine.
8. After about a week, taste the kombucha to see if it’s a good sweetness level. I usually do this by removing the SCOBY with clean hands, giving the tea a tiny stir with a non-metal spoon, and then taking out a little spoonful to taste. The longer you wait, the tea will contain less sugar and taste for more vinegar-like. If it’s too sweet, you can re-cover and let it ferment longer (I’ve done up to 3 weeks in colder months). You can drink the kombucha at this point, but I recommend doing a quick second fermentation.

Second Fermentation

1. When the kombucha in step 8 above is ready, clean the clear glass containers that can be sealed. You can use any size for this, but I prefer to use single-serve, 16 oz bottles.
2. This is where you can get creative with flavoring! Start with something simple like a few pieces of fresh ginger (and see below for more ideas). Put the ginger or whichever fruit/herb/flavoring you’re using in the bottle. This is also where you can choose to filter the kombucha and get rid of any brown stringy material that has developed by using a fine mesh strainer. This doesn’t bother me so I just leave it in. Pour the kombucha into the bottle. Seal the bottle. Repeat until all kombucha has a second fermentation home.
3. Place the sealed bottle(s) in a warm dark place for 1-3 days. I put the second fermentation inside a kitchen cabinet. You also might want to label the bottle with the date.
4. After 1-3 days (less if you don’t want much carbonation, more if you like it fizzy), put into the fridge, which will stop the fermentation process. If there are small pieces like lavender buds in your batch, you’ll want to strain the kombucha before drinking.
5. Enjoy!

My small and big SCOBYs in kombucha starter liquid

Frequently Asked Questions about Kombucha:

What are the kombucha tea health benefits? 

There are a variety of articles and studies debating and testing whether kombucha is good for you. I’m not a nutritionist, so please evaluate whether you personally feel comfortable drinking kombucha, but here’s my take: if it’s brewed safely in a clean environment and I’m not drinking gallons/day (I drink about 32 oz/week), I’m happy to enjoy it as beverage, not a medicine. I’ve noticed increased energy, a great clean feeling in my stomach after I drink it (which I can only attribute to the probiotics – good bacteria found in yogurt), and I like how it tastes. Some claim it detoxifies the body or improves your immune system – eating a plant-based, nutrient-rich diet will do that too – I’m more about balance and moderation.

Does it contain alcohol?

Yes, a very small amount, as it’s a fermented beverage. Some kombucha companies will write on the packaging not to consume if the buyer is pregnant or nursing. I’ve never noticed alcohol-related effects from drinking it, although I also don’t drink more than 16 oz in one day.

Isn’t buying kombucha easier than making it?

Maybe at first, but once you begin your DIY mini kombucha factory, reaching into the fridge is easier than going to the store. I do have a few favorite kombucha makers, though. Katalyst Kombucha, based in Greenfield, MA, has a great product and I love grabbing some on-tap Ginger Devotion from the Harvard Farmer’s Market. They’re local, organic, and know how to make some delicious booch. GT’s is also good if you’re looking for a pre-packaged option from a place like Harvest or Whole Foods – Lavender and Trilogy (raspberries, lemon, and ginger) are my favorite from GT Kombucha. Brewing it myself, however, I can experiment with different flavor combinations and brewing intensities, plus it’s way cheaper than the $4/bottle I sometimes spend at the market.

So how many flavors can you make?

Endless possibilities! I’ve seen people use everything from the more typical fresh ginger/lemon/herbal tea options to fruit, jam, spices, and juice. Adding a tea bag to the second fermentation is an easy way to add flavor: you can make kombucha with green tea, ginger tea, chai tea… I recently made black tea kombucha and then added a yerba mate tea bag. Delicious! Another favorite right now is a dried lavender with fresh ginger combination. Here are some ideas from Cultures for Health if you need inspiration.

Don’t I need one of those mushroom-looking things?

Yes, you do! You can purchase a kombucha tea starter kit online, but in the spirit of keeping food local and sharing with neighbors, why not find a SCOBY (also called the mother) and kombucha starter close to home? They travel very easily in a sealed container with some unflavored kombucha. Health food stores often have community boards where people might post free SCOBYs, or ask around to see who knows someone.

How do I get started?

Just like baking bread or organizing your closet, everyone has a different technique for making kombucha. Before I started making it and my SCOBY was sitting on my kitchen counter, I panicked that I would kill it and researched what to do by looking at YouTube videos for about two hours and reading great sites like this one on TheKitchn. Once I learned about a few different perspectives and saw that, while the SCOBY needs to be kept free from contamination, the living gelatinous disk is actually a lot more resilient than I initially thought.

Check out this huge Italian Fido jar. I can’t wait to use it!

So that’s the beginning of my kombucha story. I look forward to learning more and hope you’ll come along with me for the ride.

Have you or someone you know tried to make kombucha? I’d love to hear about it!

SSL: Nov 17

It’s the weekend! Here are my top finds from the past week:

Feisty Foodie spent three weeks on the West Coast and shares pictures that make me want to move to San Francisco right now, as if I wasn’t dreaming of this already…

Hostess is closing. I’ve never had Wonder Bread or a Twinkie in my life and I’m not about to start now, but for everyone who loves them…learn to make your own Twinkies from Leite’s Culinaria.

These Salted Caramel Apple Hand Pies from Sweetly Serendipity

Anyone following the Guy Fieri/Pete Wells NYT review debacle? Wells, food critic for the Times, visited Fieri’s new restaurant in Manhattan (Guy’s American Kitchen and Bar) and gave it an extremely poor review. Fieri’s getting tons of press because of it and showing his true beliefs about the restaurant business in countless interviews. Talk about free press for both of them. Bottom line – Wells: calm down, that review is obnoxious; Fieri: learn to take some criticism and step it up. But read the original review here for yourself.

And if you missed it: How to Brew Loose Tea.

How to Brew Loose Tea

Tea is important. Remember the Boston Tea Party?

I’ve found loose tea to be more delicious and often less expensive than tea bags. You’ll also have more control over the brewing process. I still have a variety of tea bags in my apartment, but I love loose tea. My friend Chelsy mentioned I should write about it on here (it’s easy to forget that some habits you have might be a new learning experience other people!), so here is a quick guide to ease your fears if you’ve never used loose tea.

You don’t need much to brew your own loose tea. You’ll need an infuser, which can be any shape or size (see two examples above – the sphere, which can be used in a mug or teapot and basket that fits into my glass teapot), a mug/teapot, and the tea.

Once you start exploring loose teas, you’ll better understand what makes up your favorite types. The components of bagged tea are typically ground to fit inside the tiny bag, but with loose tea you can actually see the individual ingredients. I have a teaspoon of Tra Que Chai from Tealuxe in the image above.

There are some great places to buy loose tea near Boston. My top choice is Tealuxe because they have a huge selection, prices are great, staff is friendly and helpful, and they’re a small business. The tea from Teavana is good, but it’s expensive. You can often find some loose tea in the bulk section of your local natural foods store (Whole Foods doesn’t have loose tea, but Harvest does). There might also be a limited selection of loose teas at some coffee shops. Here are a few places to find loose tea in the Boston area:

– Tealuxe (Harvard Square & Providence, RI)
– L’Aroma Cafe (Newbury Street & West Newton)
– Wired Puppy (Newbury Street & Provincetown)
– Blue Slate Coffee (Allston, Providence, RI & New Haven, CT)
– Harvest Co-op (Central Square & Jamaica Plain)
– Teavana (Prudential Center, Copley Place & Chestnut Hill; locations all over North America)

You have your tea. Now it’s time to brew it! I typically use one teaspoon of tea per cup of water; two teaspoons for a pot. Put the tea into an infuser or right into the pot if you want to strain it after it’s done brewing.

Boil the water. If you’re making a black tea, mate, or herbal tea, you can pour the boiling water right into the pot/cup (around 200 degrees F). For green and white tea, you’ll want to let the water stop boiling first (the exact temperature should be 175 F, but a slight rest after boiling will give you roughly this temperature).

A good thing to remember: if you want stronger tea, add more tea and still brew for the same amount of time. This means stop leaving your tea bag in the water when you drink tea!

Brewing time will vary depending on the tea you buy. In a tea store such as Tealuxe, just ask how long you should brew it. Green tea needs the shortest brewing time – only one minute! So if you’ve tried green tea before and didn’t like it because it was bitter, you probably let it brew for too long. Black tea needs 2-3 minutes; white tea 4-5 minutes; and mate, rooibos and herbal will need more time – between 5-6 minutes.

You’ll see the leaves and other ingredients in the tea plumping up once the water is added. And save the tea – you an re-use it once or twice if you’d like more later in the day (I wouldn’t wait much longer than that, though). After the correct brewing time, remove the tea and enjoy.

What’s your favorite kind of tea and where do you get it?

Eating My Way Through Oaxaca

Oaxaca, a state in southern Mexico, is a food lover’s paradise. I recently spent two weeks exploring the capital city, towns surrounding the area, and Huatulco along the Pacific coast. It was truly an unforgettable vacation and, as most people will tell you once they’ve visited, I can’t wait to return.

Eating is always a priority for me, particularly while traveling, so I took a few precautions to stay healthy. If you’ve ever traveled to Mexico or Central America, you’ve heard warnings about the water like it’s some radioactive substance. I drank bottled water while I was there, but I brushed my teeth with the tap water and our dishes were washed with the water – everything was fine. Some Mexicans also have water delivered to their houses like the jugs we use for water coolers in the states, so that’s fine to drink as well if it’s available. While you’re out, choose drinks that aren’t made with water or ice. As for the food: absolutely be adventurous and don’t lock yourself in formal restaurants. Avoid pre-cut produce or pre-cooked meat that’s sitting out, but if you see a well-kept taco stand or food cart that looks somewhat busy, go for it. You’ll be glad you did. It’s also a good idea to eat yogurt or take an acidophilus pill (the live cultures found in yogurt) every day to maintain the good bacteria in your stomach.

All of the food I ate in Oaxaca was made with fresh ingredients and was minimally processed. By mid-trip I felt so healthy and energized! Most of the food you’ll find in the city is from family-owned store fronts, casual cafe-style options in the mercados (markets), or food carts along the street.

Each morning we ate fruit, drank freshly-made papaya and orange juice, and ate pan dulce (sweet bread) dipped in cafe (coffee), te (tea), or chocolate (hot chocolate). In the picture you can see how the chocolate is processed for the brand Mayordomo. It’s also common to eat memelitas, which are small tortillas topped with beans, cheese, chorizo (sausage with a distinct red color), tasajo (thinly-sliced steak), salsa, and chapulines (mini grasshoppers). My favorite cheese is the quesillo, or queso Oaxaca, which is a string cheese similar to mozzarella in its texture, and is often made into a ball.

Oaxaca is known as the ‘Land of Seven Moles’. These are sauces in a variety of flavors that can be bought as a paste or made from scratch. My favorite is the mole negro (black mole), made with smokey chilies, chocolate, and close to twenty other ingredients that give it a unique and complex flavor. Moles are typically served over a protein and next to rice. As with many dishes, warm tortillas are on the table to package together each bite. I must have eaten six or eight tortillas each day I was there.

Tlayudas (similar to memelitas, but huge and crispy), tamales (see image above) in corn husks and banana leaves, and tacos with a variety of sauces, guacamole (Oaxacan style is a very thin green sauce), and pickled vegetables, are all common meals you’ll find in Oaxaca.

Elote (corn with mayonnaise, cheese, and chili) is becoming a popular dish in the states, but I had to try one from a cart. The chili is very spicy, so ask for un poquito (a tiny bit) if you’re sensitive to heat.

For drinks, mezcal (alcohol made from the agave plant), tejate (a cold maize and cocoa drink, see how it’s made below), and atole (warm drink made from corn flour) are also must-tries while visiting Oaxaca.

And, of course, leave room for dessert! Nieve (ice cream) is similar to a simple frozen cream recipe you might make at home, but the variety of flavors will make you excited to try everything. There are leche (milk)-based and agua (water)-based flavors and favorites include coco (coconut, with actual pieces of coconut in it) and limon (lime).

I couldn’t get into the leche quemada (burnt milk) even though it’s a favorite for many, but it’s often topped with tuna (bright pink prickly pear fruit), which was delicious. Gelatina (jello) is also a popular snack and can be found stacked, cups upside-down and defying gravity, in the mercados.

So, do you want to visit Oaxaca yet? I’ll be sharing my trip through a series of posts in the coming weeks, so I hope you’ll check back for more!