As many readers of this site know, we’ve been homebrewing kombucha for over a year now. After enjoying GT’s kombucha a few times, we quickly realized it made more sense to brew our own; GT’s costs roughly $4.50 per 16-oz bottle, and a gallon of homemade kombucha can be produced for mere pennies—water, sugar and a few tea bags are the only ingredients. Homebrew also tastes better! We’ve always been self-taught in the kitchen, but due to the weirdness of the beverage, we decided to take a kombucha class from good friends The Brooklyn Kitchen. The class was really helpful, but we’ve fine-tuned our recipe and process a bit since then. This EZ Guide will help you make the most delicious, refreshing and fizzy kombucha. If you need more detailed instruction or want to learn about the history of the beverage, there’s plenty of info out there (warning: the Wikipedia entry is pretty gross). This guide is suited for people who are comfortable in the kitchen and can follow simple, clear directions from the Meatloafing perspective.

Part One: Supplies

You will need:

• One-gallon pickle jar (and lid) from your local deli or bodega. Wash it out with soap and water and then give it a vinegar rinse to remove soap residue (pour white vinegar and a little water in the jar, swish it around, and dump out.).
• Regular white sugar. Buy Krasdale or Key Food brand. It doesn’t matter.
• Organic black, green, oolong, or white tea bags. I use the Whole Foods brand of green and black and also another brand of organic white tea. You can also obviously use loose tea, which I may try when the tea bags run out, but the bags keep the process simpler. Don’t use Earl Grey, herbal, or anything else that’s not real tea (Camellia sinensis). Just don’t.
• SCOBY* (symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast. the pancake-y blob, aka starter, mother, etc.). LMK if you want one. You can also make your own (will explain later, or just Google it).
• Starter tea. One cup of finished kombucha for each gallon you’ll make. If you get a scoby from me, starter will be included.
• Unbleached coffee filters or a small piece of clean, breathable cloth (like linen)
• Rubber band

*Tip: The SCOBY will keep for several weeks (or more, probably) if refrigerated. Just put it in the jar with the starter liquid (use extra if you’ll be storing for awhile, because the SCOBY will start to absorb the liquid and you don’t want it to dry out) and cover with lid.

Next up: Part Two: Fermentation! (coming soon)

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