Kombucha appealed to me last year because the term ‘scoby’ titillated my inner child and I needed to investigate it further. What can I say other than the word makes me giggle; I’m easily drawn in. It is now eight months or so later and I would consider myself to be a ‘regular kombucha brewer’. However, I realise that I am in a situation where I am unable to offer any concrete advice as to the best brewing practices. You may wish to reconsider this as a pastime…only joking!

 

You see I find that it’s just too personal, much to my husband’s chagrin. It is rather unfortunate that his obstinate left-hand brain way of being is persistently at odds with my perfectly right-handed way. Sometimes, it’s all out war in our kitchen so he does most of the cooking and I am more than happy about this, as long as I can play a part in the meal plans. 

 

My husband needs to follow a recipe, he just has to follow a recipe, no discussion. Whereas recipes in my mind are just playthings. At first glance they may peak the imagination a little, tempting one in further, but usually in the end the most fun to be had was always in the refusal to follow the rules. Recipes might be sacrosanct to my husband but they are not so to me. Below you will find my reasons why you shouldn’t expect a kombucha to be perfect every time, you see nothing ever really is…the frothy marks that pattern the kitchen ceiling are just memories of an opening ceremony, the unfortunate decision to open an overly warm bottle of kombucha indoors, in the midst of summertime. “They’re just marks, they’re nothing serious,” I lamented, whilst he tutted away, off in search of a ladder and a wet cloth.

 

Brewing a fresh batch of kombucha:

 

You yourself may have looked at a few different recipes but find them a little too conflicting? Could it be that you don’t quite know which one to follow? Well, I use 4 teabags :1 litre water and five mins later take the bags out and add 60/80/100g sugar (up to you, personally I go for the top end) : per litre of brew and stir to dissolve. 

Tip: keep some of your water cold to add after the sugar has dissolved thus cooling the solution down quicker. Never add a warm tea to your brewing vessel. I make 3 litres which gives me 5 bottles (16oz/455ml) after leaving some behind at a level just above the tap on the vessel. 

 

The scoby that had remained in the vessel from your previous brew or your freshly acquired starter liquid has now been fed with tea and sugar. This is known as the F1 brewing process. After a week taste test a little…if you think it’s tasty, bottle it, though you may wish to add flavourings into the bottles first. If you think the kombucha needs longer, test it again the following day and so on. Don’t leave it too long though as it may start to taste too acidic. 

 

Interim Feeding:

 

Remember to feed your scoby when you aren’t brewing, again suggestions are out there but I prefer to feed mine every two weeks. 

 

Straight after bottling or the following day when I pop the kettle on, I like to make a cup of tea for my scoby. I suggest using 1 measuring cup of tea : ¼ measuring cup of sugar. Once cool enough gently pour this into your brewing vessel, don’t worry about it hitting the pellicle it will be fine.

 

Two weeks later repeat this process UNLESS you are making a fresh batch. This stops the scoby solution from turning vinegary. It feeds it, helping to keep it alive and healthy.

 

F2 post bottling check: This is easier with the kilner bottle tops.

 

Outdoors, aiming the bottle top away from you, test one bottle of each flavour for carbonation. You should do this after five days, especially in the summer. In the winter you can delay testing until after a week, it all depends on the temperature of the room. Bubbles should form upon opening and it should begin to froth, it may attempt an escape so be alert, this is a sure sign that it is ready. If it’s flat, leave them for a few more days, use your instinct, after all that’s what it’s for. Once the bottles are fizzy enough for you, place them into a cooler room, we prefer to use the garage, opting to keep them protected in bubble wrap, safely inside their box.

 

Considerations:

 

F1: Type of tea - always natural, never flavoured, not from the cheaper end but doesn’t have to be the most expensive either, water purity, amount of sugar to litre of tea, health of scoby and pellicle, temperature of room, length of brewing time plus it’s all about personal taste.

 

F2: Sweetness of your different flavourings, amount of flavouring added to each bottle, temperature and length of time given to carbonation.

 

The Pellicle:

 

Regarding the pellicle, if healthy it will grow a new layer. You only need to keep the top one and can give the other(s) away along with some scoby solution or simply pop it into the composter. Clean your vessel out when it looks like it needs it, instructions are easily explained on various sites. Always make sure bottles are cleaned, drained and air dried after use, storing them appropriately.

 

Below you can see an image of my most recent bottling episode. I noticed that not only was it the date of Ostara, the spring equinox, but the lemon verbena syrup I was using as a flavouring had been made on Mabon, the autumn equinox! Wow! I just know this is going to taste AMAZING!

 

Good luck if you go for it, Mrs WH.

Kombucha, Addendum:

 

The decision has been made regarding my favoured brewing method. This follows a period of trials re: amount of sugar, brewing time and various flavourings.

 

I am only brewing the tea for five minutes, stirring it a couple of times. I then gently press the bags with the back of a spoon as I remove them, taking care to count each one out. After drying they can be composted or opened up, the leaves added to certain plants in the garden.

 

Once the sugar has been added and completely dissolved, the cooled tea is transferred to the brewing vessel where it sits uninterrupted for seven whole days.

 

Following this stage it is bottled with NO added flavourings and, most importantly, during the summer months it is stored safely in the garage, away from too much sunshine and/or excessive heat. I always open a bottle outdoors, arms stretched out, aiming it away from me, a glass at the ready. I am then adding any flavourings or simply topping it up with a can of zero sugar coke, trust me it tastes great!