Homemade Kombucha-A Fizzy Black Tea Drink

The quest for health and wellness continues. Kombucha is an acquired taste. A few years back, I picked some up at my local health food store. I was totally tuned off. This past year, I tasted homemade Kombucha at my friend, Carrie’s. I was hooked.

I loved it so much that when I left her house, I was gifted a little glass jar filled with my very own Kombucha culture. The 93 mile drive home was done with a big smile on my face. My little jar sat in the passenger seat; I had company. The next day I purchased the few ingredients I needed to concoct my own black tea, fizzy cocktail. I was in business.

After my visit to Carrie’s I made it endlessly.  There was always a batch brewing. I had to ration out the kombucha in the fridge so it would last the entire week. I lost weight, my sweet tooth subsided, and I was addicted. Then I took a break. You ask why? I cannot answer that.

I am back on the Kombucha bandwagon, coupled with juicing, exercising, eating only whole, fresh, and organic foods – I am determined to shed some pounds and get my kids to try at least 5 new ingredients each month. Kombucha is sweet, fizzy, and sassy. Making your own is easy, and a glass a day has wonderful health benefits.

 

Homemade Kombucha


Ingredients

3 1/2 quarts distilled or filtered water
1 cup organic, white sugar
organic black, tea
3 organic green tea
1/2 cup kombucha(tonic – from previous batch)
1 kombucha mushroom (scoby)

Instructions

1. in a large, heavy duty pot, bring the water to a boil. add the sugar and mix until it dissolves.
2. remove the pot from the heat and add the tea bags. let steep on the counter until completely cooled.
3. discard the tea bags. pour cooled tea into a large, glass container(I use a big, 4 qt. ball jar).
4. add the store bought kombucha and mix.
5. place the mushroom on top.
6. cover jar, loosely, with a cotton dish towel.
7. store in a dark, warm place.
8. let liquid rest for 7 days.
9. on the 7th day, remove the mushroom from the fizzy tea. the mushroom will have grown a “baby”. detach the baby from the original mushroom and store in the fridge, in a glass container with a tight fitting lid(generally, I make a new batch of kombucha tea using the either the original mushroom or the baby).
10. attach a funnel to a glass bottle(I use these) and pour the mixture almost to the top(you will need two glass bottles). store in the fridge and enjoy!
note: I dilute mine with a bit of water and add a squeeze of lemon

The Urban Baker / SusanSalzman.com

More Kombucha Links:
Kombucha Sangria – Vegan Culinary Crusade
Homemade Kombucha – Blue Egg Kitchen(a very thorough “how to”)

Showing 29 comments
  • Kim
    Reply

    My father, in the 90’s at this for a whole year! I never tasted it, I was not tempted by it and I was a teenager back there! Know, I know it taste good because I buy some at a tea shop where I go often!

    • Susan
      Reply

      Kim – if you are drinking it for the first time, dilute it in water. I also add a bit of fresh lemon. So thirst quenching!

  • Reply

    Such a wonderful & healthy drink!

  • Reply

    There are some kombuchas I like, but homemade…I have never tried. I may make an attempt at creating my own too!

  • Amber
    Reply

    This is a DIY project I need to try. Is it really as easy as it sounds? Thanks for sharing your tips! I’m looking forward to growing my own mushroom baby. 🙂

    • Susan
      Reply

      Amber – please let me know how you like it!xx

  • Rosa
    Reply

    A wonderful drink! So refreshing and healthy.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

    • Susan
      Reply

      Yes, Rose – so refreshing. And keeps that nasty sweet tooth from taking over my entire being.

  • Amanda
    Reply

    I have only ever had it from the store as well, so had the same reaction as you. It was not my favorite! But I would very much so be willing to try this recipe you have posted. I have heard that it really matters where you get your original Kombucha… have you found that to be true as well or is the Whole Foods working great?

    Love to you sweet friend!
    Amanda

    • Susan
      Reply

      Hi Amanda! Happy New Year.I would suggest getting the culture from the link on the post(this is where Carrie had originally found hers – and I trust her). Carrie had given me a culture and I have been “making babies” from it for the past 10 months! Let me know what you decide to do! xx

  • Eden
    Reply

    I never got behind this “trend” even though everyone at my yoga teacher trainings would chug that stuff. I stood out there like a sore thumb with my diet root beer haha! But kudos for making it yourself! Homemade always trumps the store bought. Always.

    • Susan
      Reply

      Hi – you are so right. homemade does trump the store bought!

  • Danelle
    Reply

    I have never tried this, but I think you’ve convinced me! And I love the idea of getting your kids to try 5 new foods a month.

    • Susan
      Reply

      Let’s keep our fingers crossed, Danelle, on the 5 new ingredients. My 5 year old does not like his veggies – he ate a carrot today. Didn’t like it, but he ate it!

  • Deeps @ Naughty Curry
    Reply

    i like, i like! love that gorgeous colour, its kinda like fermented tea right? wanna try this for sure 🙂

    • Susan
      Reply

      Deeps – you will very much like or even love! Yes, it is like fermented tea. Using organic, black teas as the base gives it that flavor. I am a tea drinker. Don’t really like coffee, so having another alternative to my daily green tea is a bonus. Plus, the Kombucha is sweet – so it does a really good job of satisfying that sweet tooth!

  • Reply

    Oh I love this stuff!! We have been making our own for about six months now. We use half black and half green tea for our and it tastes so delicious!

    • Susan
      Reply

      Love the idea of mixing black and green tea! Must be super delicious. Thanks for sharing, Alicia!

  • aida mollenkamp
    Reply

    I think I just found my resolution, Susan! I’ve been meaning to make my own kombucha for years and haven’t gotten around to it. Thanks for the starter recipe!

  • Nicole
    Reply

    We’ve been addicted to kombucha for a while now, too. I store mine in the same bottles you show in the picture! I’m going to start a new batch tomorrow 🙂

    • Susan
      Reply

      Where do you get your cultures from, Nicole. I think I am ready for a new one!

  • yvonne
    Reply

    Great starter recipe. I have wanted to try making kombucha for some time now, especially since it’s so expensive in the store. This might be the motivation I need to actually get started on this one. Do you have a trusted source that would sell a mushroom culture? Thanks!

    • Susan
      Reply

      I cannot wait to hear how you like the drink! I drink it every morning before I leave the house and it some how curbs my appetite!

  • Alison @ Ingredients, Inc.
    Reply

    love to see this homemade version!

  • Laddie
    Reply

    I started making kombucha about six months ago. How did you get it that color. Follow same recipe. Thank you

    • Susan
      Reply

      Hi! I seep my Kombucha for about 10 days. The color just happens. I wish I had a better answer for you, but I don’t really have any control over it! Enjoy.

pingbacks / trackbacks

Leave a Comment