Makes 2 qt (or litres)
You’ll need:
2 T loose Earl Grey tea (or 6 tea bags)
2 qt (or litres) water
1/2 – 3/4C organic sugar
1 Kombucha SCOBY* (SCOBY is an acronym for Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast.
You can get one from a friend or if you are the first brave soul of your circle of friends,
you can get a starter here or here.)
about 1C of kombucha (which will have come with the SCOBY)
2 qt glass jar (sterilized), clean kitchen towel or a couple of layers of cheese cloth and rubber bands
To make:
1. Boil your water and remove from heat.
2. Add tea and sugar and let steep until water is cool. I usually let mine sit for a few hours, mostly because by the time I remember that’s how much time has passed. Tastes great still!
3. Add the tea to the jar and then add the 1C kombucha. Let this mix of teas get acquainted and then introduce the scoby.
4. Cover the jar with the kitchen towel (or cheese cloth) and secure the rubber band around the mouth of the jar.
5. Keep the jar in a safe place where it won’t be moved or jostled, where it’s room temperature and out of direct sunlight.
6. Let ferment for about a week, untouched. After a week, give it a taste test to see where you are. Don’t be surprised if another scoby has begun to form at the top of the jar. This is good and is a sign that your kombucha is healthy.
7. When you’ve finished about half of the kombucha, you can add another quart/litre of fresh (cooled) tea to the batch. This is called a continuous brew.
*Disclaimer: There are plenty of sources that recommend NOT using Earl Grey tea for kombucha because of the bergamot essential oil. It is thought that the oil could compromise the health of the scoby. However, many people have used Earl Grey and had successful batches and beautiful scobys. I am now part of that list! The beautiful thing about fermentation is experimentation! Brew away! And if you’ve got a great flavor working for you, please share it!
