THE METHOD
As with beer and wine making, there
is no right and wrong way to brew Kombucha. Many books on the subject
contain totally contradictory advice, usually with both being 'correct'.
The methods described below are the ones that work for us. They
are not intended as definitive procedures and may be adapted to
suit your own preferences or conditions.
In order to brew Kombucha you will need the following items of equipment:
- Fermentation vessel of at least
5 litres capacity. This should be non-metallic, (although stainless
steel is acceptable) and wide-necked allowing access to the culture
and enabling oxygen to enter freely. Aurora supplies wide necked
glass demijohns for Kombucha in sizes from 5 litres to 25 litres.
Alternatively a glass or Pyrex bowl can be used.
- Muslin or Cotton Cloth and an elastic
band, to cover the fermenting vessel.
- Large Tea Pot. Minimum 1.5 litres
- Funnel for Bottling. A spiral shaped
funnel with a re-usable filter cloth is available for this purpose
but any funnel of food grade material can be used.
- Spoon. Long handled stainless steel
or polypropylene spoons are widely available.
- Thermometer. Kombucha is very temperature
sensitive so a suitable thermometer is essential. Self adhesive
thermometer strips that attach to the fermenting vessel are an
excellent choice as they give a constant reading. These are available
from Aurora.
- Bottles. Bottles should be re-sealable
PET or glass. As Kombucha is a live product, pressure can build
up inside the bottles due to possible further fermentation. Please
ensure that any bottles to be used are designed to withstand internal
pressure. Swing-top beer bottles are excellent, as are most PET
bottles. An excellent 330ml PET bottle is available from Aurora.
Optional Equipment
- Heater. The best way to ensure a
complete fermentation of your Kombucha is to keep it at a constant
temperature as close to 25°C as possible. A thermostatically
controlled heated tray is ideal for this purpose.
- pH Test Strips are useful for determining
the time when your Kombucha is ready for bottling. They give more
control over the process, increasing the chances of success.
- Water Filter. Chlorine is added
to all domestic water supplies in order to kill bacteria. As we
do not want to kill the bacteria present in the Kombucha culture
this chlorine must be removed from all water that will come into
contact with it. Aurora supplies an excellent filter, which removes
all chlorine, and requires no plumbing, for around £40.00.
- Kombucha starter kits containing
everything required for your first batch (except teapot, bottles
and sugar) are available from Aurora.
The following recipe is for a brew
of 3 litres. The quantities should be adjusted proportionally for
other volumes.
Ingredients:
- Healthy Kombucha culture
- 6 teaspoons (15 grams) Kombucha
tea blend
- 250 grams white granulated sugar
(or 125 grams sugar and 125 grams glucose)
- 300 ml Kombucha beverage (or 3 tablespoons
cider vinegar if no Kombucha is available). N.B. Aurora live cultures
are supplied with the requisite amount of Kombucha beverage
Method 1.
IMPORTANT! Please ensure that all vessels, equipment, work
surfaces and, most importantly, your hands are thoroughly clean.
Remove any metal jewellery from your hands before handling the Kombucha
culture. Proprietary cleaning products can be obtained from home
brew shops.
Pre-heat the teapot and add the loose
tea (teabags can be used but are not recommended as they do not
normally contain the best quality tea). Pour boiling water onto
the tea leaves to about three-quarters full. Allow the tea to infuse
for 10 minutes. Add the sugar to the teapot and stir with a stainless
steel or polypropylene spoon until it is completely dissolved. Leave
to stand for a further 5 minutes. Meanwhile calibrate your fermenting
vessel by pouring in a measured 3 litres of water and marking the
level. Pour the water away. Tip: If you are using one of the self-adhesive
thermometer strips, stick this to the side of your fermenter so
that the top edge is in line with the water level.
Add one litre of boiled and cooled,
or filtered, water to the fermenting vessel, pour in the sweet tea
through a stainless steel strainer or sieve and top up to 3 litres
with more cooled water. Check the temperature of the tea. Do not
continue until the temperature is 30°C or below. Too much heat
will kill the culture! If the temperature is too high, cover the
vessel with your muslin cloth and allow it to cool naturally.
Method 2.
For this method you will need two large (minimum 3 litres) stainless
steel or glass/Pyrex saucepans.
Using one of your saucepans, boil 3 litres of water for at least
5 minutes to drive off any chlorine present. Add the tea and infuse
for 15 minutes. Strain the tea through a sieve into the other saucepan
and discard the tealeaves. Add the sugar until completely dissolved,
cover the saucepan with a clean tea towel and leave until cooled
to below 30°C. Pour the cooled tea into your fermenter.
For Both Methods.
Making sure that your hands are clean
put the culture into the cooled tea. You may notice that one side
is darker than the other. In this case insert the culture so that
the darker side is facing down. Cover with muslin and secure with
an elastic band. Place the vessel away from strong smells and contaminants
such as tobacco smoke, which can kill the culture. The temperature
of the liquid should be maintained as close to 25°C as possible
(a thermostatically controlled heater tray is ideal for this purpose).
Do not place in direct sunlight, as this is harmful to the Kombucha
culture. The wide-necked demijohns from Aurora are supplied in plastic
baskets with handles, which adequately exclude light.
Usually the culture will float on top
of the tea. Occasionally, however, it may sink to the bottom. This
is of no consequence as in both cases another culture will form
on the surface. Your Kombucha beverage should be ready for bottling
within 8 to 10 days providing it has been kept at the correct temperature.
Please check the temperature regularly. It should always be between
20°C and 30°C. Never allow the temperature to exceed 30°C!
The finished Kombucha beverage should
be within the pH range 2.7 to 3.2. If it is allowed to continue
downward below 2.7 it will taste very sour, although should this
occur your Kombucha is not wasted. You could mix it in the glass
with your favourite fruit juice to mask the acidity or, alternatively,
you could allow it to fall further until it becomes Kombucha Vinegar,
which retains all of the properties of the beverage, making it a
healthy alternative to other types of vinegar. If the pH is above
3.2 not enough of the desired organic acids will have been produced.
It is very good practice to monitor the pH of your Kombucha whilst
it is in the fermenter. Inexpensive and easy to use testing strips
in the range 2.8 to 4.6 are available from Aurora. When you are
an experienced Kombucha brewer you will know the pH that best suits
your palate. You can then bottle at this level every time.
When you have determined that the Kombucha
is ready for bottling, give your hands a thorough wash and take
out the culture. You may be surprised at its weight, which increases
dramatically during the brewing process. Occasionally you will have
two cultures to remove if the 'mother fungus' remained on the bottom.
Place the culture(s) on a clean plate while you conduct the bottling.
Although completely harmless, there will often be substances floating
in the beverage at this stage. These are usually fragmented pieces
of culture, which may grow if carried over into bottles. Filtering
the Kombucha prior to bottling is a good idea. Paper coffee or wine
filter papers can work, although somewhat slowly. A spiral filter
funnel with a re-usable cloth, available from Aurora, is much faster.
You simply pour the liquid straight into the bottles through the
funnel.
Store your bottles of Kombucha in a
cool, dark place for about 5 days after which time they will be
ready to drink.
next >>
INTRODUCTION
THE KOMBUCHA CULTURE
THE BEVERAGE AND ITS BENEFITS
HOW TO BREW KOMBUCHA - INGREDIENTS
HOW TO BREW KOMBUCHA - THE METHOD
PREPARING THE MEDIUM FOR THE CULTURE
CARING FOR YOUR KOMBUCHA CULTURE
HOW MUCH KOMBUCHA SHOULD I DRINK?
|
