My SCOBYs are beautiful; but my kombucha either never loses its sweetness or turns to industrial vinegar.

I've read the online instructions.

Anyone have a trick to making it good?

YES I DO! I have sold them on Etsy and include instructions with my SCOBYs.. but here are the instructions for you free of charge.

Kombucha Brewing Instructions

Please note: Shipping SCOBYs in the winter weather means you may need an extra batch before it’s fully revitalized after being cold. The cold will not harm or kill your SCOBY but it will cause it to sort of hibernate some. Warmth is what it thrives and multiplies in and cold arrests it’s ability to reproduce. So always store SCOBYs in warm dark place (NOT in the fridge). (More on storage at the bottom of this page).

So remember if your first or even second brew is not to your liking (in terms of taste, you may still drink it, it will still be beneficial as a tonic), give it another batch or even two to get it where you want it. The SCOBY needs time to adjust to its new environment in addition to recovering from having been cold. ☺

For One Gallon Brew

Step 1 Bring 8 cups of purified water to a boil in a large pot.

Step 2 Turn off heat and add 4-5 tea bags to steep for ten minutes.

Use black or green tea or a combo of both. I prefer mixing both teas, and using organic teas. You can also use flavored black or green tea like Earl Grey black tea or Jasmine green tea. I wouldn’t use fruit flavored teas however. I have tried these and they have not turned out well. Stick with the basics for starters is best. Later you can experiment more. I have personally loved the taste of my brews when using organic Jasmine tea mixed with organic black tea (equal amounts of both teas, so for one gallon 2 of each should suffice).

Note: If you want to decaffeinate your tea bags before brewing you can steep them first in a small amount of boiling water for 60 seconds and squeeze the excess liquid off before adding the tea bags to the water from Step 1. The kombucha brewing process naturally eliminates a lot of caffeine but if you are extra sensitive like I am you may want to follow this step first. ☺

Step 3 Remove tea bags and add 1 cup of white sugar (preferred organic).
Stir in sugar until dissolved.

Step 4 Add 8 cups cool purified water to bring to one gallon.

This should bring the temperature down to lukewarm (test with your hand to be sure). If not let it sit longer. Alternatively you can choose to bring a full gallon of water (16 cups) to boil and follow the above instructions ignoring step number 4.
This just means a longer wait time until your mixture is cool enough to add your SCOBY and start your brew. Best to start with the temperature under 90 degrees.

Step 5 Once your sweet teas is cooled enough, add your SCOBY AND all of the included starter liquid. This should all go into a gallon sized GLASS jar without a lid.

Note: Since the starter liquid is approximately one cup, you may need to subtract a cup of your sweet tea mixture to fit everything into our jar. It’s okay if you need to do this after you have combined everything (including the SCOBY) into your brewing jar. It’s best to leave about an inch between the liquid and the rim of the jar to allow enough air.

Step 6 Cover your jar with a clean cotton cloth.

I like to use old T-shirts. This way you can cover the whole jar to keep light out. (Use a DARK cloth/t-shirt to achieve this.) Cotton is best because it allows enough air flow to your SCOBY during the brewing process and keeps flies and other pests out of the brew. SCOBYs need to keep out of the light in order to grow and be healthy. Exposing them to light occasionally is fine as you will need to do this when transferring into jars, etc. Always use clean hands when handling your SCOBY and make sure your jar is clean. Boiling water to sterilize is a good idea or alcohol spray. Rinse your jar with water after using alcohol or any other cleaners. Best to not use chemical cleaners which could affect your SCOBY’s health.


Step 7 Attach your jar cover with a large rubber band to keep flies (esp. fruit flies which will be attracted to the sweet tea) out of your kombucha brew.

Step 8 Find a WARM ventilated place for your kombucha brew out of direct sunlight, away from windows and changeable temperatures.

The warmer the spot the faster the brewing time. You can wrap your jar in a blanket (keep only the cotton cloth covering the top however, you need to keep that air flow) to help with this. Do NOT put it in a closet or cupboard. There will not be enough airflow coming into that space. Also do not put in the bathroom as it can be too humid and cause mold growth. (Leaving it in a closed cupboard can do the same). Sometimes a spot in a kitchen will work and sometimes it won’t. It’s not the most ideal location as there are usually too many temperature changes in a kitchen as well as smoke and steam from cooking. I have found that up on shelves in my living room or office to work best.

Step 9 Wait 7-10 days for your kombucha tea to be ready. You may even want to leave it for 14 days or more, depending on taste preference and brewing temperature. (The colder the environment the longer it will take).

You can start to taste test it after 7 days. Don’t try before this as you want to disturb it as little as possible once you have it in its spot. I use a straw to taste it and if it tastes too sweet it needs more time. If it’s too vinegary you may want to try less time for the following batch. It will likely be a bit on the vinegary side for your first batch or two as the SCOBY needs time after changing environments to adjust to the new one. They are living organisms and can be sensitive. Don’t give up if you aren’t happy with your first batch.

You will find a new ‘baby’ SCOBY growing on top of the ‘mother’ anytime you make a batch. It may float or sink and it may grow smoothly or with lumps or holes. Lumps and holes are fine. It doesn’t mean anything is wrong. I honestly can’t say why sometimes they are that way and sometimes not. It can be due to slight changes in the environment including humidity and altitude. The only thing to be concerned about on your baby SCOBY is if you see a dark FUZZY grey/black growth. That would be mold and you would want to discard your SCOBY. This is very rare and I have never actually had mold on any of my SCOBYs. I have only seen pictures. ☺

Your new SCOBY may be thinner than your mother. This is because the mother you are getting is a mature mother made up of probably 2 or 3 baby SCOBYs. Also the longer you brew the thicker the new SCOBY will be. This does not mean your kombucha brew will taste better if the new SCOBY is thicker. But I do recommend keeping your mother and baby together for the next batch. I find I get the best kombucha batches from keeping 2-3 SCOBYs together. (Note: It is also normal to see brown bits on your SCOBY and in your kombucha brew. This is just what the beneficial yeasts look like. You can choose to strain them out of your final drink or not. The more yeast in your brew (and in your starter liquid), the more carbonation you’ll be able to get in your next batch. There may or may not be carbonation when your kombucha is ready. See step 10 for tips on adding carbonation.)

Remember for your next batch to also retain 1 cup of your new Kombucha brew to add to your next sweet tea mixture.

Step 10 When your kombucha brew is ready, it’s best to pour the liquid into beer bottles with air tight caps (swivel caps are best) so that you can add carbonation by keeping air out.

This is when you can flavor your brew as well with fruits and or herbs and spices. Whatever you choose to try out, just cover the bottom of your bottle with the ingredients. And then pour the kombucha liquid over it when bottling. Allow to sit another 2-4 days for maximum flavor and carbonation. Do this outside of the refrigerator (at this point while bottled you do NOT need to keep out of the light or necessarily in a warm place, room temp is fine). Once it’s finished you can continue to keep it out of the fridge (though if you do this it may change in flavor and intensity day to day) or refrigerate it.

Please let me know if you have any further questions. Thank you and ENJOY!

PS- If you need to take a break from kombucha brewing you can keep your SCOBYs in a ‘SCOBY hotel’ by covering them in kombucha tea in a glass jar WITH an air tight lid in a dark place. (Inside a cupboard would be fine for storing, but not for brewing.) Do NOT store in the fridge. The SCOBYs can stay like this for weeks at a time. ☺

I am now really into making water Kefir (not the milk variety) and have instructions for that as well.. and lots of extra grains. :)

Thank you so much, Shapeshifter!!

I wish I had wonderful wisdom of some kind to share with you!

Also, if anyone out there has breath from hell, Kombucha is often an effective cure. No matter what anyone tells you, bad breath doesn't come from speaking ill of the Lord's anointed!!!

Thank you again, Shapeshifter.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/25/2017 06:25PM by kathleen.

Shapeshifter, I passed your post on to the thread "New research: Tea lowers risk of dementia."

http://exmormon.org/phorum/read.php?2,1989881,1990044#msg-1990044

It seems to me that a healthy gut would naturally support mental health!


Making a batch from your instructions tonight!

:)



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/26/2017 02:11AM by kathleen.