How to Become a Master Kombucha Brewer
October 14, 2021
By Bridget O’Brien / Artwork by Kelly Xiang
Over the past few years, production and sales of bottled kombucha have skyrocketed. Annual sales of the fermented beverage exploded from $1 million in 2014 to $1.8 billion in 2019. Now, the once-overlooked fermented tea has become a grocery store staple. New kombucha companies are constantly releasing unique flavours, but their prices are rising in turn, with some kombucha costing upwards of four dollars per bottle. As a university student, I try to be conscious of my spending habits, so I discovered a more economical way to satisfy my kombucha cravings: making my own batches at home.
Before becoming a master kombucha brewer, you will need one vital ingredient: a Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria and Yeast, colloquially known as a SCOBY. A SCOBY typically contains Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a yeast commonly used in the production of alcoholic beverages such as beer and wine. Unlike the production of most alcohols, however, the production of kombucha uses acetic acid bacteria found in SCOBYs. Interactions between these bacteria and yeast give rise to the acidic and lightly effervescent properties of kombucha. You can find a SCOBY from a friend, on Facebook marketplace, or in a health food store. In a pinch, you can even make one at home.
Since you are dealing with live microorganisms, it is important to understand how to prevent growing ‘bad’ bacteria or molds, which could make you sick. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency states that fermented teas are safe to consume due to their high acidity, which can kill off invading pathogens. Acidity is measured on a pH scale, a metric used to measure the acidity and basicity of liquids, where a low pH corresponds to an acidic solution and a high pH corresponds to a basic solution. If the pH of your kombucha is higher than 4.6, mold and other pathogens can grow. While you should use testing strips throughout the fermentation process to measure the pH of your brew, another indicator of the safety of your batch is the visible presence of mold on your SCOBY. If you see mold growing, it may be a good idea to throw away your culture and start again. I also recommend specifically using glass bottles and jars, not only because they are transparent but also because other materials, such as plastic or ceramic, may leach unwanted chemicals into your kombucha.
Making kombucha is a great way to get creative in the kitchen. You can try endless flavour possibilities depending on what type of tea you use and which ingredients you use to flavour your brew. The following is how I make my kombucha at home, but I encourage you to get creative with your own version.
The First Fermentation
Equipment:
- 1 large glass jar (enough to hold about 16 cups of liquid)
Ingredients:
- 8 bags of black tea
- 1 cup white sugar
- 14 cups water
- 1-2 cups kombucha from previous homemade batch OR unpasteurized store-bought kombucha
- SCOBY
The first step in making kombucha is to feed your SCOBY sweetened tea. To do this, bring water to a boil in a large pot. Once boiled, remove from heat then add 8 black tea bags and 1 cup of sugar. Stir until the sugar dissolves, then cover with a lid and allow to steep until it reaches room temperature. Allowing the tea to reach room temperature will prevent it from killing any bacteria or yeast in your SCOBY.
Add your room temperature tea to a large glass jar. Wash your hands thoroughly, then add your SCOBY and unpasteurized kombucha to the jar with the tea. Cover with a cloth, and secure the cloth around the rim with an elastic band. Covering the jar with a cloth ensures that gases produced by the SCOBY are released while simultaneously protecting it from outside debris. Keep the jar in a dark place for about ten days to allow it to ferment. If you prefer your kombucha sweeter, ferment it for a shorter amount of time. Similarly, if you prefer it more acidic, ferment for longer.
Master Knowledge: In the darkness, out of sight from human eyes, a symbiotic reaction occurs as the tea begins to ferment with the SCOBY. Yeast cells break down sucrose (sugar) into its component molecules, glucose and fructose. In a chemical reaction, acetic acid bacteria then use fructose and glucose to produce cellulose, which enlarges the SCOBY. Yeast can then further break down glucose and fructose into alcohol and carbon dioxide. The bacteria present will use alcohol to produce acetic acid, commonly known as vinegar. This is why kombucha typically has a very low alcohol percentage and a distinct, vinegary flavour. The mixture is kept in the dark so as to not expose aerobic yeast to UV rays, which would otherwise kill the yeast and ultimately slow down the reaction time.
The Second Fermentation
Equipment:
Ingredients:
- Your preferred fruit juice or fresh fruit
- Fermented tea (from the first fermentation)
Once your first fermentation is complete, you can now bottle your brew with or without an additional source of sugar to flavour it. Feel free to be creative in this step by using one or various types of flavoured juices, fresh fruit, frozen fruit, spices, or herbs.
To flavour kombucha, my go-to method is using about 1/3 of a cup of orange juice in each bottle and filling the rest of the bottle with my fermented tea, leaving about 2 inches of air at the top. The amount of juice you add will depend on how big your bottles are and how sweet you like your kombucha. Alternatively, you could use fresh fruit. My favourite combinations of fresh fruit kombuchas are raspberry-lime, blueberry-mint, and strawberry-rhubarb. Keep your bottles of flavoured kombucha in a dark place at room temperature for a few days or until your preferred acidity level has been reached.
The same reaction that occurs in the first fermentation again happens in the second. In the first fermentation, gas was being released out of the jar, while in this second fermentation the gas is trapped in the bottle, making the drink carbonated.
Since gas is being produced, it is important to open, or in kombucha slang, “burp,” the bottles every couple of days to release excess gas. Otherwise, your bottles could explode, leaving you with no kombucha and a very sticky clean up.
Master Tip: It is important to note that temperature plays a prominent role in both fermentation reactions. Higher temperatures cause molecules to move faster and react quicker, while lower temperatures do the opposite. As a result, your kombucha will take longer to ferment in the winter and faster to ferment in the summer. A good tip that I have learned over the past few years of at-home kombucha making is to taste as you go. If the tea from your first fermentation is too sweet for your liking, let it ferment longer. If your bottles of flavoured kombucha are super fizzy after only two days, then drink as you like.
My kombucha usually finishes its second fermentation in around five days. When your kombucha is ready, pour over ice, and enjoy!
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