Kombucha (Continuous Method)

Photo: Jar of Iced Kombucha
This popular fermented drink is easy to make at home.
Yield
10-12 Servings
Vegan
Raw
Gluten-Free
Nut-Free
Soy-Free
Beverages
Ingredients
  • 6 cups of filtered water
  • 4 tea bags (black tea is typical but you can use green)
  • 1/2 cup organic sugar
  • SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture of Bacterial Yeast). A SCOBY looks like a large mushroom. It produces another SCOBY each time it makes a batch of kombucha, so a SCOBY mushroom can be often be procured from someone who is making their own kombucha. It can also be found for sale at markets and various internet suppliers.
Instructions
  1. Place SCOBY and starter tea in jar.
  2. Place water and tea bags in stainless steel pot and bring to a boil. Turn off heat, add sugar and stir to dissolve.
  3. Let tea cool to room temp, remove tea bags.
  4. Carefully pour tea into jar with SCOBY.
  5. Place cheese cloth over top of jar and secure with large rubber band.
  6. For the first batch, allow tea to sit for about 7-10 days then taste. It should be a little fizzy and not sweet.
  7. This kombucha is now ready to drink. It is delicious with fresh lemon or lime juice. Enjoy!
  8. To make another batch, leave 2 cups of tea in the jar with the SCOBY. Repeat steps 1-5. This time the kombucha will be ready more quickly - in about 3-4 days.
  9. Your SCOBY will grow a "baby" on the top layer every time you do a new batch. You can keep letting it grow until the total thickness reaches about 2 inches, at that point you will need to separate it and give it away, start another jar or compost it.