Now that you’ve gathered ingredients and supplies, it’s time to start brewing! Ingredients and supplies are listed in Part One of the EZ Kombucha Guide.

Part Two: Fermentation

1. Put your SCOBY aside in a glass bowl. I use a Pyrex measuring cup. Keep it in the fridge until it’s ready to use. No need to cover it unless you’ll be storing for more than the time it takes to cool the boiling water (Step 2) and/or your fridge really smells.
2. Boil 3 1/2 quarts of water in a large pot. I actually have a 1.8-quart Le Creuset tea kettle (right), so I just use two kettlefuls of tap water, which makes for easy pouring later. Distilled water is recommended by some folks, but if your tap water is good, then that’s fine. It’s wasteful to buy bottled water unless necessary. If you have a home filtration system like Brita, then of course use that.
3. Let the water cool until it’s not scorchingly hot, and then pour into the glass jar. Careful! I actually pour the boiling water right into the jar so I can start boiling another kettleful, and I haven’t had any problems at all, but Meatloafing readers may want to use more caution. Fill the jar to the point where it starts to get smaller, near the lid.
4. Add 5-6 tea bags* and let steep for 5-8 minutes (5 if the water’s boiling, 8 if it’s really hot but not boiling). Discard tea. Continue for photos!
5. Add sugar and stir with a clean metal or plastic spoon. Make sure it’s fully dissolved. Let the sweet tea cool to room temperature. Cooling overnight works well. You may want to cover it with a plate or paper towel or something so nothing falls in there, but I usually just keep it uncovered. Nothing bad has happened so far.
6. Remove SCOBY & starter from fridge. Pour starter in large jar with cooled tea, and then gently place SCOBY on top. The side of the SCOBY that has brown filmy stuff should face down. However, the SCOBY may just sink to the bottom, or it might stay floating. Either way is fine, although floating is a little better because the old and new SCOBYs (aka mother and child) will fuse together and it’s more fun.
7. Find a nice home for the kombucha to rest. It should be free of weird fumes, food smells, and direct sunlight. Definitely do not store it in the kitchen. Write the starting date on the jar w/ a Sharpie.
8. Let the kombucha ferment for at least 10 days or up to a month. I typically do about 2 1/2-3 weeks. In warmer weather, the kombucha will ferment more quickly (10 days is the bare minimum and only if it’s really hot out).  In cold months, if your home is chilly, you may have a problem finding a warm enough spot. There are special kombucha heating pads that you can buy, but I haven’t needed to. Ideal temperature is 70-80°. Do not move or disturb the jar! After about 2 days, you’ll see that a new layer of SCOBY has started to form at the top, starting as a very thin layer that resembles pond scum. The new layer will continue to thicken, and by day 5 or 6 (right) it will be noticeably thicker and clammy-looking.
9. After 2 weeks, your kombucha is ready to bottle. Taste a little and see—using a clean spoon or straw (if you have a straw lying around, that is. buying plastic straws isn’t recommended) to taste some kombucha from the side of the jar. You can also experiment with longer fermentation periods to make it more acidic. It depends on your preference. pH testing strips are available at hardware stores (?) or the internet, but those aren’t necessary. You’ll know when the kombucha is ready, and if you stick to the 2-3 week fermenting period, it’s practically foolproof. If you follow these guidelines, you will produce kombucha that has as much flavour and kick as GT’s (a very reputable brand, in Meatloafing’s opinion).

*Tip: Black tea is supposedly more conducive to kombucha-making than green or white tea. I alternate tea combinations with every batch, making sure to produce an all–black tea batch once in awhile. My favourite, however, is probably 100% green tea (but not toasted green tea. Kombucha made from toasted green tea tastes like shit.).

Next up: Part 3: Bottling (including flavouring!)

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