For primary fermentation I use a 7-liter approx.
2-gallon tea jar, with a spigot near the bottom. Obtained from Bed Bath & Beyond, etc.
Do not put a tight-fitting lid on the jar. I cover the top with a double layer of paper
napkins, secured with a rubber band to let air in and keep everything else but
kombucha out.
This batch size is about double the batch size of many/most
of the recipes I see on the internet, which are about one gallon.
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| Tea jar for primary fermentation, bottles waiting to be filled, and bottles with finished kombucha from the previous batch |
I “download” from the tea jar into 0.5- and 1-liter
bottles.
I generally get 5 or even 6
liters of bottled tea per batch.
I have
about a ten liter fleet of
swing-top
bottles that I got from IKEA and from on-line, probably Amazon.
The bottles are durable and contain the fizz!
After the seven-day primary fermentation, I allow 3 more
days for secondary sedimentation at room temperature, then the bottles of
kombucha may be chilled. I put the
bottles in the refrigerator at three days because the faster fermentation
process at room temperature may let the bottles ferment too far with messy
results.
If you are just starting your first batch, start here:
Making the Tea
- 16 – Lipton Black Tea Bags.
Feel free to experiment, with kombucha there is a lot of room for
error. Winco Tea Bags also work just
fine. Lately I have been using green
tea. It makes a lighter-colored product.
I just don’t happen to own one of
those tea-balls or I would try bulk tea.
- 2-1/4 cups sugar, for my above-referenced tea jar, per batch
for primary fermentation
- Water: For making the
tea I use as much as my biggest pot can comfortably hold.
As the water comes to boil, add the sugar and dissolve it,
then throw in the tea bags.
While this water boils for the next batch, pull the SCOBY
out of the jar with your clean hand or glove and put it into a pitcher or large
measuring cup. Then pour about 2 cups of the now-fermented
kombucha on the SCOBY, cover, and set aside to start the next batch. After
the jar settles down most of the organic characteristics of the brew will have
either sunk or floated. So I think I get
pretty good kombucha, even though it is unfiltered. Natural kombucha will probably always have a
sediment and few strands of primordial SCOBY floating around.
Let the tea cool until it is below a temperature that will
not kill the SCOBY. I don’t know what
temperature that would be, so let’s say room temperature or lukewarm. It takes a long time to cool that much
tea. I set the pot with the
about-2-gallon batch of this very sweet tea into my sink and then pour all the
ice out of my refrigerator ice maker over it.
Then I still have to wait six to eight hours for it to cool. After this tea has cooled you will be returning
it to the jar, plus the SCOBY, at least one to two cups of starter tea, and
enough water to fill to the neck of the jar.
Starter tea may come from your previous batch or any unpasteurized or
whatever kombucha you have.
After the tea has cooled, pour it into the primary
fermentation jar. Carefully replace the
SCOBY and starter tea on top and add water up to the neck of the container.
I place a double layer of paper towel secured by a rubber
band to keep all kinds of contaminants out.
I use fresh paper towels every batch in an effort to keep everything
clean. Wait seven days and begin the
bottling process again.
Bottling Day
After the seven-day primary fermentation period it is time
to bottle.
Have your bottles ready to go. They should be absolutely clean and sterile.
First, with clean hands, reach into the jar and take out the
SCOBY and put it into a two- to four-cup pitcher. Add about two additional cups of kombucha
from the jar, to the pitcher. This is
the “starter.”
This is the point where flavoring, and more sugar, is added
for the secondary fermentation process.
Berries, spices, honey, or fruit juices can be added. The simplest recipe I have found is just to
add about 2-1/2 cups of grape juice. This much juice is equivalent to about 1/2 cup of sugar. I
use Costco concord grape juice. It is
important to not use anything that would stop the fermentation process, so
anything with a preservative should not be used. Another easy flavoring is about 2 cups of
blueberries and about 1/2 cup of sugar.
Boil, mash, strain, and pour into the jar. There are many recipes on the internet that use
turmeric, ginger, and all kinds of spices and fruits.
During the fermentation process sediment will accumulate on
the bottom of the jar – fruit fiber and yeast.
There will also be particles floating around, as well as the SCOBY (usually)
floating on top. You can decide how to
strain the kombucha when you bottle it.
I don’t. I carefully fill the
bottles, and pour my glass with the finished product, with a minimum of
disturbance.
It doesn’t hurt to consume the yeast, bits of fruit fiber,
or SCOBY, but some people don’t like to.
Some people don’t even eat bread crust.
This is personal preference. I
carefully drink unfiltered kombucha because I haven’t found an easy and
effective way to strain it.
Fill the bottles from the spigot. When you get down to the dregs, you are done
bottling this batch. Pour it out, wash
it out with plain water. Never
contaminate the inside of the jar with anything but kombucha.
After three days, just put these newly-filled bottles in the
refrigerator and enjoy.
I place a double layer of paper towel secured by a rubber
band to keep all kinds of contaminants out.
I use fresh paper towels every batch in an effort to keep everything
clean. Wait seven days and begin the
bottling process again.
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