Featured in: The Old, The New, and The Healthiest Brew
Ingredients
Equipment:
- •3.8 liter (1 gallon) glass jar
- •2 rubber bands
Ingredients:
- •15 green tea bags
- •237 ml (1 cup) sugar
- •237 ml (1 cup) starter tea/apple cider vinegar/white distilled vinegar
- •1 scoby
- •177 ml (3/4 cup) pure lemon juice
- •710 ml (3 cups) pure strawberry juice
Preparation
- Bring 2.4 liters (10 cups) of water to a boil. Add the tea bags, and allow to boil for 5-10 minutes until tea is a dark almost-olive green. Turn off the heat and add the sugar; DO NOT put the sugar in while the water is still boiling — this puts you at risk for burning the sugar. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature (about 27°C/ 80°F).
Transfer the tea to the glass container. Add the starter tea and fill the rest of the jar up with cool water. Leave about 2.5 cm (1 inch) of space at the top. Add the scoby on top and cover the jar with a cotton tea cloth or cheesecloth, securing it with rubber bands. Place the jar in a warm dark room. Ideally you want the room temperature to be between 21-29°C (70-85°F). Allow it to sit for 7 days.
After seven days, taste the brew. If you have a spout on your jar, you can pour some into a cup otherwise you can get right in there with a straw and position it so that it is well below the Scoby floating on top. Check your brew every day until you have the desired balance between sweet and sour/bitter. Make sure to save at least 1 cup of raw Kombucha for your starter tea!*
Separate the raw Kombucha into individual bottles and evenly distribute the lemon juice and strawberry juice between the bottles. Let the bottles sit for for 24-72 hours in a dark place at room temperature. Place in the refrigerator to chill and enjoy!
* Keep the starter tea and the old scoby in the container for a few more days and then you are ready to start a new batch. Either store your new scoby or give it to a friend so that they have the opportunity to try it on their own. To store your scoby just place it in a plastic bag in the fridge with a little bit of starter tea and you are good to go!