How To Brew Kombucha
I copied this post from a blog I read daily www.keepingthehome.com , This blog has been a blessing in my life. I recommend you read and subscribe to it. Candy’s blog has been extremely helpful to me as I gear my family into a more healthly approach to living. I thought it would be helpful since this is where I first learned about Kombucha. I also tweak some of the narrative so that I can tell you how Kombucha has benefited me. All of my comments will be gray!
Kombucha may very well be some of the healthiest stuff you may ever put into your body. This amazing wonder drink has been linked with helping to heal numerable ailments – both major and minor, including some cancers. My personal testimony is that when I drink it consistently I not moody and real bloated that time of the month. Also, the need to eat sweet and saltyis not as intense.
Kombucha has also been found to reduce cellulite in some ladies. It seems to give a toning effect to the skin of many of those who drink this regularly. If you are ready for better health and increased energy, then you’re ready for Kombucha. 
Kombucha is brewed by putting a Kombucha mushroom, or SCOBY, into some sweetened tea, and letting the SCOBY culture in the tea. SCOBY stands for Simbiotic Colony Of Bacteria and Yeast. The SCOBY will eat the tea and sugar, and turn the liquid into Kombucha, which you then drink.
Kombucha can vary in taste, depending on how you like it. A brewing of 5-7 days in warm weather will often yield a drink that will taste similar to sparkling apple cider. If the brew is extended, to brew for 10-14 days, or longer, then the drink will get stronger tasting, and more tart. It will turn into a Kombucha vinegar. Many people prefer the vinegar, while others prefer the shorter brewing time, with a Kombucha that tastes similar to sparkling apple cider.
There is so much information about Kombucha out there, so I’ll leave you to do your own research about how it works, and what its many health benefits are. Meanwhile, I’ll show you how I brew it:
NOTE 1: Yes, the main ingredients are sugar, tea, and a Kombucha S.C.O.B.Y. (SCOBY – Simbiotic Culture Of Bacteria and Yeast), however after a full brewing, there will be very little to no tea and sugar in the drink. It will be “eaten” by the SCOBY, and the Kombucha drink itself is a byproduct, of sorts – which is very healthy, and contains many amazing nutrients, such as glucoronic acid. Amazing, isn’t it? 
NOTE 2: Kombucha contains no alcohol. The fermentation process that occurs during the brewing is not an alcoholic process, but a healthy bacterial fermentation.
1. Boil 12 cups of filtered water:
2. While you’re waiting for the water to boil, get the container ready that you’ll be brewing in. Do not brew in metal or plastic. Earthen ware and glass are fine to brew in, however. These are the type of glass containers I brew in: I used my regular nonstick pots and didn’t have a problem but it seems that many brewers are saying to use stainless steel pots so go with them. I just used what I have ( I assume there is a good reason for not using certain pots)
3. Still waiting for that water to boil? Take this time to put one cup of organic white sugar into your brewing container. I have two containers, each containing one cup of organic sugar, because I’ll be doing a double batch of Kombucha. Therefore, I have 24 cups of water boiling – 12 cups of boiled water per brew. Here are my two containers with their 1 cup of organic sugar in each, awaiting the boiling water: I started with organic sugar but after watching some youtube video of people making kombucha I don’t make a big fuss over it (most of the people used regular white sugar) if I have it I use it if not I use white sugar. Someone asked me if you can use brown sugar. I don’t think so, in all my research I never seen anyone using brown sugar.
4. Once the water boils, remove it from the heat, and pour it into your brewing container, on top of the sugar. Then, mix the sugar water, until the sugar is completely dissolved. Then, put in four tea bags of 100% natural, or organic black tea. I’m currently using the Wal-Mart Great Value brand of 100% Natural Black tea. In the below picture, notice the container to the right is yellowish. That is what the hot water looks like, with the organic sugar mixed in. The container to the left is just a few minutes after I added 4 tea bags:
5. Leave the four tea bags in the container, and gently cover the container over with a clean dishtowel, or some clean flour sack. Leave the container sitting out on the counter, until the tea reaches room temperature. This will take several hours.
6. Several hours later… Once the tea has reached room temperature, you can remove and throw away the 4 tea bags:
7. Next, get out the jar/container that you store your Kombucha mushroom/SCOBY in. The SCOBY should be in some previous Kombucha brew. Pour 1/2 cup of that previous Kombucha brew into the sweet tea: (If you don’t have enough Kombucha to do this, then use 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar, instead.)
8. Here are the mushrooms I’ll be using to brew. I poured out all of the liquid they were sitting in, into both of the containers for the two brews I’m about to start:
9. Wash your hands and remove any rings. Then, gently grab the SCOBY, and float it on top of the tea:
10. The mushroom may stay floating at the top, sink to the bottom, or do a bit of both. It doesn’t matter where the SCOBY goes, it’ll still do its job, just the same. Here is what my two looked like:
11. Cover your brewing container with a clean dishtowel, or flour sack, and secure the covering on with string or a rubber band:
12. Store your container in a warm, dark area. Make sure it isn’t near any chemicals, such as cleaning solutions. Leave your container in that dark, clean area for about a week, then your Kombucha should be done.
13. About one week later… You’ll have a new Kombucha mushroom at the top of your brew. This new mushroom is called the “baby,” and the original mushroom you started the brew with is now called the “mother.” You can choose to keep the baby as a back up SCOBY, and start your next brew with the mother, or you can leave the mother and baby attached (they’ll likely be attached by a membrane) and start your next brew with the mother and baby attached. I like to keep rebrewing, while leaving the new mushroom that grows each time, attached to the “mother” SCOBY. Then, when the “mother” turns dark brown, I know there’s no brews left in that one, so I peel the “mother” off, and throw it away. Then, the new bottom-most mushroom is the main “mother.”
I also, however, keep a SCOBY or two as a back up mushroom, so that if something happens to my main mushrooms, then I can start a fresh brew of Kombucha with my back up SCOBY(s).
The new baby mushroom at the top of your brew can vary in appearance. There should not be any mold on it. If there is, then you may not have put in enough of a previous batch of Kombucha when you were making the brew. (See step 7, above.) If there is any mold on your SCOBY or in the area, then throw away that brew, along with the mushrooms in that brew. Clean your brewing container out very well, then start a new brew, with a new SCOBY.
Sometimes the new baby SCOBY may have holes in it, or bubbles. This is okay. This just means that there was a lot of carbonation occurring in your brew, which is a-okay. Other baby scobies will be smooth, and resemble a pancake. This is normal as well. My baby SCOBY came out with some spots thinner, and some thicker than others, and with some bubbles in it:
14. Clean your hands, and remove any rings. Gently remove the baby and mother mushrooms, and place them in a glass jar, or glass bowl. I placed two babies and one mother (remember, I did two brews) into one jar, and one of the mothers into another jar, to use as a back up:
15. Pour the freshly brewed Kombucha out of it’s brewing container, through a fine strainer, and into a juice pitcher. It’s okay if the pitcher is plastic, because the Kombucha will only be in it for a moment. In the below picture, you’ll see some brown stuff in the strainer. That is just yeast culture, and is normal. The strainer strains it out, so that I don’t have it floating in my drink.
Kombucha is naturally carbonated:
16. Next, pour the Kombucha into a large glass pitcher, and store it in your fridge. In the below picture, you’ll see a portion of the Kombucha that looks kind of fuzzy white. That is actually because bubbles are rising to the top of the Kombucha, which is also causing the foam you see on top. Remember, Kombucha is naturally carbonated:
Even though it no longer has a SCOBY in it, it is still active, and will continue to produce little brown stringy blobs, so be sure to pour your Kombucha through a small fine strainer, as you pour into a glass to drink. However, if you drink it without straining it, and you swallow the brown stuff, don’t worry, it is healthy, and won’t hurt you.
17. Don’t forget to pour some of your Kombucha into the glass jar with your SCOBY(s), and to store that jar in a dark cupboard, until you’re ready to start your next brew of Kombucha:
Where can you purchase a Kombucha SCOBY, so that you can brew Kombucha? Do a search on the term “SCOBY” on Google.com , and you’ll find some sources for purchase. However, it may be a good idea to just purchase one off of eBay. The best way to get a mushroom/SCOBY, is to get a baby from a friend who brews Kombucha.
Keep your eyes and ears alert, and stay on the look out; you’ll find a way to get a SCOBY, and when you do, go for it. 
Also, for those of my friends who live close I have about three SCOBY to give away. FOR FREE OF COURSE:)
