Making homemade kombucha is really easy if you follow these steps. First everything must be sanitized. I cannot stress this enough. When dealing with fermenting anything it is crucial every piece is clean and sanitized. Wash your hands and all equipment used before you begin. I like to run everything through my dishwasher before I make and bottle. My husband and I brew our own beer and make our own wine. So we are very familiar with making sure everything is super clean and sanitized.

Now on to making the lovely kombucha. First measure out 3.5 quarts of water and place in a pot on the stove. Heat the water until boiling. Some people insist on using distilled water. Boiling filtered water from our fridge has worked perfect for me, and I have been making this for nearly a year. So need to add to the cost of making your own brew.

Next turn off the heat and add 1 cup of sugar. Stir the sugar until it is completely dissolved. Then add 5 organic black tea bags. This is the brand I use and for the first fermentation from your homemade scoby you should use black tea for a strong brew. After you have brewed the kombucha you can then use a combination of black and green tea. But you should have at least a 3 black tea and 2 green for later brews.

This is one of the most difficult parts, waiting for the tea to cool. It must cool to room temperature before adding the scoby. If not you risk damaging your precious scoby you grew from scratch or possibly purchased. Once it is completely cooled, pour the tea into the clean 1 gallon jar and add 2 cups of your previous brew. Then add the scoby to the top.

Store in the 1 gallon glass jar with a cloth covered lid with a rubber band. This allows the kombucha to breathe without getting any additional bacteria or fruit flies in your brew. Store in a dark closet that remains cool through out the day and someplace no one will touch it. It needs to remain still to grow the scoby and create the bubbles. I use my closet under the stairs, since no one ever goes in there.

Allow to brew for at least 7 days. It may take 10-12 depending on the temperature in your home. During the winter months, I allow a little longer brew. Right now 8 days is the perfect time for the flavor and creating the carbonation. With the first batch you may need to let it go a little longer too.