Making your own kombucha recipe can be a great thing when you LOVE kombucha. The reason for this is because you get LOTS of wonderful kombucha to drink, whenever you want it, and you don't have to spend money on expensive commercial brands.
There are so many kombucha drink products these days, offering a wide assortment of flavors and medicinal ferments. But, if you are one of those people who likes to drink it a few times a day, it could end up costing you a bit.
Luckily kombucha, once you get down the technique, is incredibly easy to make and just as delicious as any store bought variety. You can use our basic recipe for making kombucha to get you started, then branch out into more complex recipe combination's after you learn the process.
There are many other teas besides black tea that you can use. It is just the easiest variety for growing your first "mushroom" culture. But a kombucha tea recipe can be made out of any tea. This includes green tea, white tea, or any tea with caffeine.
The culture eats the caffeine and sugar by the end of the fermentation process, so you won't be consuming it. Over time you can experiment with using different sugar substitutes like agave, and yacon syrup, coconut sugar or blends of all three.
Different tea, sweeteners, herbs, fruits and spices can give it different tastes and it can become a form of liquid art, like fine wine. It can actually contain trace amounts of alcohol, so beware of that if you don't drink it. The alcohol content depends on the length fermentation time and other factors. See our Superfood Evolution #7 for more on the "kombucha drink controversy".
Start with this kombucha recipe that is basic and straight forward. It is traditionally made with cane sugar, but we use raw honey instead.
Basic Kombucha Recipe
Generally it takes about a week to ferment but really it all depends on how it tastes to you, some like it more acidic and tangy, others like it sweet.
It is more medicinal when it is ripe and the sugar and caffeine content has been "eaten" by the culture.
Tools:
big pot bowl metal spoon gallon glass jar
Ingredients:
3T black tea
3/4C raw honey
3 quarts spring water
1 1/2C active kombucha
1 kombucha mushroom
"Active kombucha" is the kombucha from the last batch of your kombucha recipe. Or you may obtain the liquid from any store bought kombucha that has not been pasteurized (which most have not).
Boil water in pot.
Add tea and turn off heat.
Let steep for 15-20 minutes with lid on.
Strain tea into bowl.
Let cool.
Add raw honey and dissolve.
Add active kombucha liquid.
Place in gallon glass jar.
Add the mother mushroom w/opaque side up.
Cover with cheesecloth or muslin cloth.
Wait about 1 week depending on temperature. Keep tasting it to check the desired flavor you want. The longer it sits, the more acidic and "vinegary" it will become.
The culture will form another layer on top of the other one, creating two mothers you can split apart and share with others.
Starting Your Own Mother Mushroom:
It is, of course, easier if you can obtain a mother "mushroom" culture, but if not, you can make your own. Simply add the mature active kombucha (commercial kombucha drink) to your kombucha ferment and let it form a mushroom over a period of time, up to 2 weeks.
Add the entire jar of commercial kombucha to tea blend and leave a little room at the top of the jar for the culture to grow about 1/2 inch thick.
Note: It is often easier to start a kombucha culture with raw sugar to get it going. Then when you have established your first mother you can move on to more healthier
sugar substitutes.
So there you have it! Have fun giving birth to your very own culture starter and delicious fermented food beverage!
***Also see our fermented food recipes for more info on a great new book for anyone new to the world of fermented and cultured foods.***
Wait about 1 week depending on temperature. Keep tasting it to check the desired flavor you want. The longer it sits, the more acidic and "vinegary" it will become.
