Kombucha is a powerful, health-giving elixir that can improve digestion and help your body become its best. This health drink is expensive to purchase by the bottle, but you can brew your own at home easily with minimal investment.
Instructions
1. Obtain a kombucha culture, the substance put into the tea to ferment it. It is easiest to find a kombucha culture online at websites such as the Happy Herbalist. Your kombucha culture will arrive packaged with some starter kombucha tea.
2. Find a wide-mouth gallon jar and clean it well.
3. Bring 3 qt. of filtered or distilled water to boil in a large pot. Turn off heat and add five teabags or 2 tbsp. of loose tea (in an infuser). Stir in ? to 1 cup organic sugar or other sweetener.
4. Steep the tea for at least 10 minutes or longer if you want a stronger tea. Remove tea bags or infuser and allow the tea to come to room temperature.
5. Pour the tea into the gallon jar. Add your kombucha culture and the tea it came packaged with. Cover the jar with cheesecloth to keep out dust.
6. Let your kombucha brew in a warm place for at least 2 weeks. You will see a "baby" kombucha culture growing on top of the "mother" culture. After 2 weeks, taste it to see if it is to your preference. It should be tangy and slightly carbonated. If you want more carbonation or a less sweet brew, keep brewing.
7. Prepare for the next batch of kombucha. Remove the cultures and pour all but 2 cups of the kombucha tea into a new container. To brew another batch, return to Step 3.
8. Bottle your kombucha if you aren't going to drink it right away. You can bottle it in sterilized plastic bottles. Alternatively, you can purchase glass bottles, bottle caps and a bottle capper, and easily bottle your kombucha in a professional-looking manner.
Tags: kombucha culture, your kombucha, packaged with
