The Best Kombucha Recipe!
Background:
Did you know that in Traditional Chinese Medicine, Kombucha ‘紅茶菌’ is considered a medicinal immune-boosting probiotic drink dating back to 221 B.C? 🎎 Unfortunately, nowadays a lot of the store-bought ones have a ton of sugar, and nowhere near the carbonation and healthy gut bacteria that you get from making it yourself. One of my versions is with arctic thyme, Icelandic wild artic blueberries ‘aðal bláber’, that I foraged last summer as well as my heritage Chinese teas. For me, brewing kombucha is a fun and creative hobby. You can experiment with different flavor combinations, share your creations with friends and family, and even customize the labels on your homemade bottles. Kombucha has various health benefits due to its probiotic content, which supports gut health and digestion. By making your own kombucha, you can ensure that it contains live probiotics, as store-bought varieties are often pasteurized due to transportation, which can kill beneficial bacteria.
Ingredients:
First stage: 5-14 days:
3,5 litres filtered water
8-10 tea bags (black, green, or a combination) or 3 tbsp of loose tea leaves.
200 grams white sugar
1 SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria and Yeast)
250 ml starter tea (previously brewed kombucha or store-bought unpasteurized kombucha)
Second stage: 2-3 days:
250 grams fresh or frozen blueberries (bilberry)
3-4 sprigs of arctic thyme
Equipment:
Large pot
Glass gallon jar (Mine is from IKEA)
Cheesecloth big enough to cover glass jar
Rubber band
Wooden spoon
Strainer
Funnel
Glass bottles with tight-fitting lids for bottling (Mine from IKEA)
Instructions:
1. Prepare the tea base:
Bring the filtered water to a boil in a large pot.
Remove the pot from heat and add the tea bag or loose tea leaves; I use a combination of green and black tea and I recommend adding green tea once your scoby has grown stronger or you know that your green tea leaves have high levels of caffeine.
Let the tea steep for 20-30 minutes.
Remove the tea bags or strain your tea leaves and stir in the sugar until completely dissolved.
Allow the sweetened tea to cool to room temperature.
Alternatively (if you’re impatient like me); you can brew your tea w. much less water (usually I brew it with 1,5 litres) and then after straining and dissolving the sugar, I will cool it down w. ice cubes and add in any remaining water so you won’t have to wait for it too cool :)
2. First fermentation:
Pour the cooled sweet tea into a clean glass gallon jar.
Add the SCOBY and the starter tea to the jar.
Cover the jar with a cheesecloth or a coffee filter and secure it with a rubber band. This allows air to flow in and out while preventing dust and insects from getting in.
Place the jar in a warm, dark place, away from direct sunlight, where it can ferment undisturbed for 5-14 days. The ideal temperature for fermentation is around 24-29°C. Some hobbyist use a heat mat :’). However, our home temperature is always quite warm and 7 days hits the spot for me in terms of fermentation & sweetness. It takes a bit of experimenting to find out your ideal fermentation level.
5. Taste test:
After 5 days, begin tasting the kombucha daily until it reaches your desired level of tartness and effervescence. It should have a slightly sour taste but still be slightly sweet. If you don’t know what to aim for, think of your version of a slightly fermented sweet tea.
Once it reaches your desired flavor, it's time to bottle it.
6. Bottling:
Remove the SCOBY from the jar using clean hands or a wooden spoon and place it in a clean container with some of the kombucha liquid (300 ml.to store for your next batch.
Use a strainer to strain out the blueberries and arctic thyme from the kombucha.
Using a funnel, pour the kombucha into clean glass bottles, leaving about an inch of headspace at the top.
Seal the bottles tightly with their lids.
7. Second fermentation:
Think we’re done? Unfortunately not!
If you want to enhance the carbonation of your kombucha, you can perform a secondary fermentation. And this is also where you can add your flavour enhancements!
I'll add in arctic thyme and blueberries, but you can add in anytime! I sometimes go for more tropical fruits like kiwi, mango, watermelon, but using seasonal local products somehow feels more satisfying.
Wash the blueberries and arctic thyme sprigs thoroughly.
Chop up and add in blueberries and arctic thyme to the jar with the sweet tea and SCOBY.
Leave the sealed bottles at room temperature for 1-3 days to allow carbonation to develop. (you can ‘burp’ your bottles every day if you’re using very sugary fruits.
After the second fermentation, refrigerate the bottles to slow down fermentation and preserve carbonation.
8. Enjoy:
Your kombucha with arctic thyme and blueberries is now ready to enjoy!
Serve chilled over ice, if desired. Remember to strain before serving.
Remember to store any leftover kombucha in the refrigerator. It will continue to ferment slowly, but at a much slower rate than at room temperature. I keep mine up to 4-5 months and find that some of them only get better :’).