I read this book in 2019 about fermentation as I was already doing sourdough and wanted to learn more things. It is a great about anything related to fermentation. From there I started doing sauerkraut (still haven’t achieved the required results though). Another thing I wanted to try was kombucha, a fermented fizzy drink. I thought it was difficult to develop the scoby until I watched this video and learned that I can buy it! So I got my scobby and started the process:
1- Boil 900ml filtered water. Then add 50-60g sugar, stir well.
2- Add two bags of black tea for 10 minutes, then remove the bags.
3- Let it cool down to room temperature
4- Add the mixture to a 1 litre jar, add the scoby with its liquid.
5- Cover the jar with a cloth and leave it somewhere warm for 5 days without direct sunlight (I put it under the sink)
6- Remove the scoby and 100ml of the mix into a small jar, keep it in the fridge for the next batch.
7- Put the rest of the mix into a airtight glass 1l bottle at room temperature for 3-7 days until fizzy. I put it under the sink again. You may release a bit of gas after a couple of days if you dont want to see the bottle explode when opening…
8- Put the bottle in the fridge, and afterwards you can enjoy a refreshing fizzy homemade drink!!!
It is a slow process but it is easy. In my first bottle, I was surprised because it was actually quite fizzy!!! The taste was a kind of cider, redbull , etc without the after taste of dead by sugar.
I am doing my second bottle and at some point I would like to add flavours, like ginger… I need to check if this is consider ginger beer. Although no idea if it generates any alcohol… (there is a fermentation process involved and breakdown of sugars….)
Happy with it, and hopefully adding to my routine.