The Art Of Kombucha
Kombucha is, in simplest terms, some combination of fermented tea, sugar, bacteria, and yeast, that creates a carbonated probiotic drink. Kombucha has become incredibly popular in recent years, largely in part to the many potential health benefits associated with drinking kombucha. So if you’re thinking about jumping on the kombucha bandwagon, we have great news - you can actually make kombucha at home, using your favorite Art of Tea products! Learn how now.
What You Need
To make kombucha, you must use a true tea from the Camellia sinensis plant. You can choose between black, oolong, green, and white teas. You can even blend different tea leaves together to create unique flavor profiles, but you cannot use herbal teas or tisanes for your kombucha base. Herbs and botanicals won’t be able to provide the nutrients necessary to feed your kombucha culture, thereby inhibiting the fermentation process. Additionally, avoid strongly flavored teas with natural oils or spices as additives may potentially have a negative effect on the growth of your kombucha culture.
We recommend using organic teas for your base as any pesticides or chemicals can inhibit the fermentation process and harm your symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast, otherwise known as SCOBY. Art of Tea blends use organic and natural ingredients whenever possible, so rest assured that if you’re making kombucha using one of our delicious teas, you’ll get a delicious brew!
We also recommend using pure, filtered water, as water can affect the taste and quality of your final brew. No matter how you’re enjoying your tea (or in this case, kombucha), pure, fresh, and filtered water is a must!
You’ll also need sugar, which will serve as the food for the bacteria and yeast. Sugar is crucial to the fermentation process, as the SCOBY eats most of the sugar in the tea, thereby transforming it into the delicious beverage that we’ve come to love. We recommend organic cane sugar or white sugar, but you can also use raw honey if you’re looking for an alternative sweetener. It should be noted that the longer you ferment the kombucha, the less sugary your final brew will be, so adjust according to your unique tastes and preferences.
Making Kombucha With Art of Tea
Our top 5 Art of Tea blends for the most delicious kombucha are:
How To Make Kombucha
Step 1: Make your tea
Let your tea steep in 2 gallons of boiling water for about 5 minutes before removing it and adding sugar in. Stir it well to help the sugar dissolve and then let the sweetened tea cool down until it is about room temperature. Note that when preparing kombucha, you will need to sanitize everything before use. Your hands should also be washed every time you are going to touch the SCOBY or tea to avoid any contamination.
Step 2: Add the SCOBY
Transfer your tea into a large jar and carefully place the SCOBY on top. Cover the jar tightly with a weave cloth. If this is your first time brewing kombucha, you can actually use a cup of unflavored kombucha from the store as a starter as pre-made SCOBY can be hard to find and expensive. After your first batch of kombucha, you will have a SCOBY that you can use for future batches.
Step 3: Let it ferment
Leave your kombucha undisturbed for anywhere between 5 days to a month. Keep it away from direct sunlight and away from large rises and drops in temperature. Remember, you can adjust your brewing time to the flavor profile that you want as the longer you brew your kombucha, the more tart it will be. That said, if you let your kombucha ferment for too long it can turn into vinegar, so be sure to taste it after the 5 day mark to find the flavor profile that you like best.
Step 4: Bottle your kombucha
You must also bottle it for three days after the initial brew. This is where the carbonation builds up, so when it's ready, you should hear the gasping sound of the carbonation escaping the bottle.
Step 4: Take care of the SCOBY!
Set aside the SCOBY for your next delicious brew. Note that you should store it in a container with a cup of your freshly brewed Kombucha as the SCOBY will still need to "eat" before the next time you make a batch of kombucha.
Step 5: Enjoy!
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