Procedure to make Kombucha
Using the Recipe selected
Use filtered water or Spring Water.
Bring 1 gallon water to a boil using a non reactive pot(Stainless, enameled, glass, no aluminium or cast iron).
Steep the teabags for 15 minutes.
Remove the teabags.
Add the sugar to the hot water, stir until completely dissolved.
Cool the sweet tea mixture to room temperature. I do this by submerging two or three previously frozen 16 or 20 oz water bottles (leave the cap on)
pour the cooled tea mixture in the brewing container and add filtered water to make up the quantity in the recipe.
Float the SCOBY on top and pour the kombucha the SCOBY came in over the top.
Cover the container with a cotton towel and secure it to the container with rubber bands, this is to keep fruit flies and other things out.
The SCOBY needs oxygen to live.
After the 5th day start tasting the Kombucha.
Continue brewing until you get to the tart/sweet balance you like, usually after 8-10 days in a 70° F room.
You can drink the Kombucha now or bottle it in a bottle that can stand the pressure (Recloseable beer bottles, GT's Kombucha or Synergy bottles) if you need to buy bottles Bader Beer on Grand Avenue in Vancouver sells recloseable bottles or you can search for them on the internet.
I let my bottled Kombucha sit in the garage for 5 or six weeks and refrigerate them the week we will be consuming them.
During this maturing period the live yeasts will turn the sugars in the bottle to carbon dioxide gas (the fizz). So your aged kombucha wil have lost some or all of the sweetness, you may want to bottle(stop the brewing process) sooner so you have a sweeter end product.
How long you age your Bottled Kombucha depends on your taste, and on how many bottles you have.
After harvesting the first batch start over, you don't have to float the SCOBY (it is already there) or pour Kombucha over the top since you left some in the container.
