Brew Kombucha – First Fermentation: Make your own kombucha. Only ingredients you need are water, tea, sugar and SCOBY (easy to make at home or buy on Amazon).
Transfer Kombucha into Flip-Top Bottles: Pour it into flip-top glass bottles (you can buy them on Amazon), leaving only an index finger length room at the top.
Flavor: Add approximately 1/3 – 1/2 cup fresh or frozen soft and flavorful berries of choice like strawberries, raspberries and blackberries. Also herbs like rosemary, lavender, basil; spices like cinnamon and turmeric, add nice flavor and a boost of antioxidants. A handful of fresh chopped ginger is good too.
Carbonation – 2nd Fermentation: Close bottles tightly and let kombucha ferment overnight on the countertop. Second fermentation (build up of carbon dioxide) begins as soon as you add fruit – bacteria in kombucha will start “eating” natural sugars in fruit (berries) and your kombucha will start getting some colour.
Let Gas Out: “Burp” sealed bottles 12 hours later, and after that once a day, if it’s too hot – twice a day. This is very important step as CO2 builds up and if you don’t burp the bottles for a few days, they might explode. To “burp” kombucha, simply place bottle in the sink, cover with a dish cloth and start opening the cap slowly and letting CO2 out. It is OK if it leaks, you can just rinse it off. Just do it slowly and you will be fine.
Notes
Store: Store kombucha on a counter if you plan on consuming it within 1-2 days after it’s ready. After that, store in the refrigerator and consume within maximum 2 days.