How to Grow Kombucha Tea

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Many claims have been made about the beneficial effects of kombucha tea. Much like yogurt which is packed with active cultures, this "living" beverage is packed with vitamins, amino acids and other healthful nutrients.
Kombucha tea is a sparkling, fermented drink. A culture grows on the surface of the tea enabling the good stuff to grow.

Things You'll Need

• Kombucha culture starter kit (for first batches)
• 5 black or green tea bags
• 1 cup of sugar
• 3 qt. of water
• 4-qt. stainless steel pot or larger
• 4-qt. glass jar or larger
• Rubber band
• Cotton or linen cloth, or paper towel
• Glass bottles for storage

Instructions

Making Kombucha Tea

1. Boil 3 qt. of water in a stainless steel pan. Add 5 tea bags--any combination of black or green tea will do--and allow the tea to steep for 15 minutes. Two tsp. of loose leaf tea will work well, too. Remove the tea bags or strain out the loose tea leaves.

2. Add 1 cup of sugar while the tea is still hot. Stir until all the sugar dissolves. Allow the tea to cool to a lukewarm temperature and pour it into a large glass jar.

3. Add the liquid that came with the starter kit to the lukewarm tea. If you're not using a starter kit, use the liquid from a previous batch of kombucha tea. It should make up 10 percent of the new batch of tea. Place the live kombucha culture from the starter kit or from a previous batch into the tea (see Resources below).

4. Cover the jar with the cloth or paper towel. Allow the tea to ferment for 8 to 12 days in a warm, odor-free environment. Leaving the jar in a kitchen may cause cooking aromas to absorb into the tea, and cigarette smoke may cause spores to grow on the kombucha culture. For best results, try to keep the liquid between 74 and 85 degrees F. The warmer the temperature, the faster the fermentation process. Try not to let the tea go below 68 degrees F.

Storage

1. Pour the tea into glass bottles with caps or stoppers at the end of the fermentation phase. Don't forget to reserve 10 percent of the tea for the next batch. Since kombucha tea contains yeast, it is normal to see sediment in the bottom of the containers.

2. Let the tea stand in the enclosed bottles for up to a week before drinking the kombucha tea. The fermentation process will continue for a few days until there is no air left for the yeast to react to. The gasses captured in the bottle will create a fizzy kombucha drink. It has a shelf life of about a month.

3. Rinse the kombucha culture in tap water and add it to a new jar of brewed tea and start the process all over again.

Tips & Warnings

• If you plan on making another batch of kombucha tea, be sure to reserve 10 percent of the previous batch to brew the next batch.

• Be sure the tea you choose is of good quality. Tea leaves that have been around for a while can contain spores that may cause mold to grow on the kombucha culture. Never place the kombucha culture into hot tea--it will kill the culture. Avoid using metal, PVC or polystyrene containers to grow your kombucha culture.

Resources

• Kombucha Starter Kits