Kombucha Recipe

The following recipe is from my late sister Alison’s kitchen in Berkeley, Ca:

• 4 quart stainless steel pot
• Glass measuring cup
• Wooden spoons
• 4 quart glass container
• 1 clean cotton dishtowel
• Rubber band
• 4 24-ounce ball jars with lids

Ingredients:

• 4 organic black tea bags (darjeeling, oolong or lapsang souchong)
• 3 quarts of filtered water
• 1 cup organic white sugar
• 1 Kombucha culture (from a  Starter Kit or a Scooby “mushroom” from a previous batch)
• ½ cup starter liquid (Kombucha from previous batch or store bought)

Preparation:

1. Create a clean work area and thoroughly wash your hands and brewing equipment.
2. Bring 3 quarts of water to a low boil and then stir in the organic white sugar.
3. When the water has come to a boil, turn of the heat source and remove the pot from the burner. Add organic black tea bags and steep for 10 minutes.
4. Remove the tea bags and allow the tea to cool to room temperature.
5. Pour the tea into the glass container and add the starter liquid (Kombucha from previous batch or the liquid that arrived with the culture).
6. Place the Kombucha culture on top of the tea with the smooth shiny layer facing up.
7. Cover the fermentation container with a cloth and secure it with a rubber band or string.
8. Place the fermentation container in a warm, quiet, dim place and brew for 7-10 days (depending on the ambient temperature).
9. Remove the white cloth from your glass container. Your “mother” culture will probably produced a “baby”; remove both cultures from the bowl and separate the baby from the mother by pulling apart gently.
10. Put both cultures in a separate glass bowl and add newly harvested tea to cover.
11. Pour the remaining Kombucha tea from your glass container into ball jars and store in refrigerator.
12. Allow Kombucha tea to chill and it is ready to drink. The Kombucha tea will continue to ferment while in the ball jars (at a slightly slower speed if refrigerated) so the taste will change over time.
13. Start the process again right away in order to preserve the cultures (you can make two separate batches with the “mother” and “baby” cultures).