Drink Your Way to Gut Health Read Online Free
Author: Molly Morgan
state. The âliveâ SCOBY is easier to work with and produces a great batch of kombucha the first time, whereas it can take a few batches with a dehydrated SCOBY for productive brewing.
Before you start brewing your own kombucha, it is important to know that it is a process that takes time. Typically the brewing takes 7 to 14 days, although when you first start it could be 15 to 28 days, depending on brewing conditions and factors like temperature and water quality. Serves 48 (½ cup each)
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preparing the tea and getting started
Make sure the work surface and your hands are clean.
In a saucepan, bring 4 cups of the water to a boil and add the tea bags. Remove from the heat and let the tea steep for 20 minutes. This step should not be completed in the brewing jar!
While your tea is brewing, wash your kombucha brewing jar with warm soapy water. Rinse thoroughly and dry.
Remove the tea bags from the pan. Add the sugar to the tea (this is food for the SCOBY), stirring to dissolve. Add the remaining 8 cups (½ gallon) cold water to the brewing jar, then add the brewed tea.
Place the temperature indicator strip on the side of your brewing bottle. Once the tea is below 90°F, it is time to add the SCOBY. Transfer the entire contents of your SCOBY package (liquid and SCOBY) to the brewing jar. Cover the top with the cotton cloth and the rubber band to hold it tight.
Move your brewing bottle to a warm, dark area (away from direct sunlight) to let the brewing begin. Ideally you want a temperature between 72°F and 80°F. Adjust the location to keep your jar within the range throughout the brewing process.
Days 1 to 2: Be patient! Within the first two days, a new âbabyâ SCOBY will form on the top of the jar and small bubbles will start to form. This is not mold but rather the beginning of the brewing process. Mold looks different than the SCOBY formation: Mold looks more like small white or black spots/specks on the top of the batch, versus the SCOBY which has more of a waxy look.
Days 3 to 4: A maturing culture will result in the growth and expansion of the bubbles, which will slowly take over the top of the jar.
Days 7 to 14: When to stop the brewing process is somewhat a matter of personal preference, depending on the taste profile you would like to achieve. Monitor the top of your jar: When the surface has been visibly taken over by the cultures (which should happen between day 7 and day 14), it is time to test the acidity of the tea with pH indicator strips. I like to bottle my batches when the pH is around 2.8 or 2.9, when it is slightly less acidic. The pH is an indicator of the sweetness: A pH of 3.1 is a sweeter flavor and a pH of 2.7 is more on the sour side. The longer the brewing process continues, the less sugar that is left in the tea (the SCOBY uses the sugar basically as food) and hence, a more sour taste and lower acidity.
As noted above, your first batch of kombucha may take longer to reach the point when the SCOBY has âtaken overâ the top of your brewing jar. Another indicator to monitor is the pH; if the pH is still above 3.0, let the brewing process continue to allow the SCOBY to consume more of the sugar, which creates a traditional kombucha flavor.
Original Kombucha
choosing bottles
Many kombucha supply stores will have 32-ounce bottles to store your kombucha, but my personal pick is 1-quart canning jars. The reason I like the canning jar option is because one of my favorite ways to enjoy kombucha involves the second ferment and canning jars have a wide mouth that makes it easier to add things like orange slices to flavor the kombucha.
time to bottle
Once you have determined your kombucha is done fermenting, it is time to bottle your kombucha. Start by thoroughly washing your hands and remove the two SCOBYs (the one you added to the jar and the one that formed during fermentation, which typically separates from the original SCOBY and is referred to as the
Before you start brewing your own kombucha, it is important to know that it is a process that takes time. Typically the brewing takes 7 to 14 days, although when you first start it could be 15 to 28 days, depending on brewing conditions and factors like temperature and water quality. Serves 48 (½ cup each)
----
preparing the tea and getting started
Make sure the work surface and your hands are clean.
In a saucepan, bring 4 cups of the water to a boil and add the tea bags. Remove from the heat and let the tea steep for 20 minutes. This step should not be completed in the brewing jar!
While your tea is brewing, wash your kombucha brewing jar with warm soapy water. Rinse thoroughly and dry.
Remove the tea bags from the pan. Add the sugar to the tea (this is food for the SCOBY), stirring to dissolve. Add the remaining 8 cups (½ gallon) cold water to the brewing jar, then add the brewed tea.
Place the temperature indicator strip on the side of your brewing bottle. Once the tea is below 90°F, it is time to add the SCOBY. Transfer the entire contents of your SCOBY package (liquid and SCOBY) to the brewing jar. Cover the top with the cotton cloth and the rubber band to hold it tight.
Move your brewing bottle to a warm, dark area (away from direct sunlight) to let the brewing begin. Ideally you want a temperature between 72°F and 80°F. Adjust the location to keep your jar within the range throughout the brewing process.
Days 1 to 2: Be patient! Within the first two days, a new âbabyâ SCOBY will form on the top of the jar and small bubbles will start to form. This is not mold but rather the beginning of the brewing process. Mold looks different than the SCOBY formation: Mold looks more like small white or black spots/specks on the top of the batch, versus the SCOBY which has more of a waxy look.
Days 3 to 4: A maturing culture will result in the growth and expansion of the bubbles, which will slowly take over the top of the jar.
Days 7 to 14: When to stop the brewing process is somewhat a matter of personal preference, depending on the taste profile you would like to achieve. Monitor the top of your jar: When the surface has been visibly taken over by the cultures (which should happen between day 7 and day 14), it is time to test the acidity of the tea with pH indicator strips. I like to bottle my batches when the pH is around 2.8 or 2.9, when it is slightly less acidic. The pH is an indicator of the sweetness: A pH of 3.1 is a sweeter flavor and a pH of 2.7 is more on the sour side. The longer the brewing process continues, the less sugar that is left in the tea (the SCOBY uses the sugar basically as food) and hence, a more sour taste and lower acidity.
As noted above, your first batch of kombucha may take longer to reach the point when the SCOBY has âtaken overâ the top of your brewing jar. Another indicator to monitor is the pH; if the pH is still above 3.0, let the brewing process continue to allow the SCOBY to consume more of the sugar, which creates a traditional kombucha flavor.
Original Kombucha
choosing bottles
Many kombucha supply stores will have 32-ounce bottles to store your kombucha, but my personal pick is 1-quart canning jars. The reason I like the canning jar option is because one of my favorite ways to enjoy kombucha involves the second ferment and canning jars have a wide mouth that makes it easier to add things like orange slices to flavor the kombucha.
time to bottle
Once you have determined your kombucha is done fermenting, it is time to bottle your kombucha. Start by thoroughly washing your hands and remove the two SCOBYs (the one you added to the jar and the one that formed during fermentation, which typically separates from the original SCOBY and is referred to as the
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